Sustainability Report 2016 / 2017

24 Initiative Frosch Use of HDPE Recyclate In cooperation with the Green Dot and the development department of Alp- la-Werke Alwin Lehner GmbH & CO KG, Werner & Mertz identified HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) recyclate from the Yellow Bag which can be used in the production of translucent bottles and canisters. For this pioneering work Werner & Mertz received not only the German Packa- ging Award in the Sustainability category but also the prize in Gold. “With the Packaging Award in Gold, the jury bestowed special honors on three of the winning innovations. According to the jury, the three solutions deserve atten- tion for the special ways they start trends, answer pressing questions or, as pioneers, head off in completely new directions,” said Bettina Horenburg, dvi (German Packaging Institute) board member who is responsible for the Ger- man Packaging Award. The dvi jury praised the pioneering work in real recy- cling and conservation of finite resources and the packaging bottles which look almost identical to those made from virgin material. The independent experts also appreciated the way the original appearance and quality of the bottles had been maintained without compromising product safety. At the G7 Workshop on resource efficiency in June 2016, Reinhard Schneider, managing partner of the Werner & Mertz Group, caused a stir when he called for sweeping waste management legislation as a bold step toward greater sustainability. At the invitation of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Schneider, the sole representative of German industry at the workshop, presented the Recyclate Initiative to an international audience. “Financial incentives for recyclable packaging and – more importantly, for packaging made of recyclates – in the form of reduced DSD fees could clear the way for investment in processing technology which would make the in- cineration of plastic obsolete,” said Schneider. “So-called ‘thermal recycling’ simply cannot be accepted with regard to sustainability,” he added to clarify his opinion of conventional practices in waste management. At the international G7 Workshop in Berlin Werner & Mertz presented the Recyclate Initiative as Best-Practice example for Germany.