The Customer

The clients are BKV GmbH, German Association of Plastics Packaging Industry IK as well as the German Retail Association (HDE).

The challenge

Considering the environmental debate about avoiding carrier bags, the clients need a reliable data structure on the consumption and recycling of plastic carrier bags in Germany. Therefore, the focus is on the EU Commission’s proposal to legally regulate carrier bags with a film thickness of less than 50µm.

The Solution

The initial analysis is based on interviews about the use of carrier bags (variations, quantities etc.) with retail companies of different distribution chains. GVM conducts store checks at retailers to determine sales-specific formats and film thicknesses of carries bags. A systematic evaluation of key data of the German trade as well as the GVM database Market Volume of Packaging the analysis of this pattern forms the essential basis for the extrapolation of the interview results. The recycling of plastic carrier bags is quantified on the basis of the results of HTP GmbH & Co KG and the GVM recycling balance sheet.

The Result

The customer is provided with a comprehensive overview of the consumption and recycling of plastic carrier bags, which helps to objective the political debate. The study concludes that an application of a 50µm criterion is not effective.