Frankfurt am Main – The goal of climate neutrality – and in particular an increased recycling economy – poses major challenges for the manufacturers of packaging machines. The industry has to orient its product portfolio towards sustainable packaging and reusable solutions and invest massively for this. Works councils from the food and packaging machinery industry are therefore calling on the Federal Government and the European Union to take into account the effects on jobs in the entire value chain on the way to a circular economy and to provide state support for the transformation of industries.
“40,000 employees at a large number of locations in Germany are affected by the transformation in this industry. Your jobs must also be secure in the future, ”says Wolfgang Lemb, who is responsible for mechanical and plant engineering, among other things, on the occasion of the publication of a declaration by works councils in the industry. “In order for the conversion to succeed in the many family businesses as well as small and medium-sized companies in the industry, government support is required,” says Lemb.
In a declaration addressed to the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety as well as the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy and the members of the Bundestag committees for the environment, nature conservation and nuclear safety as well as economy and energy, the works councils demand a long-term political strategy with clear requirements of packaging materials. This is the only way for packaging machine manufacturers to future-proof their product portfolio and invest in suitable developments. Funds are needed to train employees and state (research) funding must generally be linked to the condition that jobs and locations are secured on site. Therefore, it should only go to companies with good work.
In the declaration, the works councils also advocate further measures to increase the recycling rate and reduce CO2 emissions – for example, a deposit obligation for all disposable and reusable beverage packaging. They also advocate a higher proportion of recycled materials in products where this is more resource-efficient. A corresponding conversion of the packaging machines must be promoted politically.
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