German consumer goods company Henkel has announced its participation in the New Plastics Economy Initiative in a bid to drive progress in ‘efficient, safe and environmentally sustainable packaging.’

Henkel has joined other partners in the three-year initiative, led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, to offer its expertise and help push the project’s aim of driving momentum towards a plastics industry based on the ‘circular economy’ principle.

The NPEC initiative is looking to move towards a more cohesive direction for the plastics value chain, starting with packaging. Together the partners hope to replace the current fragmented initiatives and incremental improvements and work towards a more shared direction with ‘positive outcomes’.

Thorsten Leopold, Head of International Packaging Development for Home Care products, said, “Our company is in a strong position to make a valuable contribution to the NPEC because of its unique business model: On the one hand, Henkel can contribute as a manufacturer of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), like laundry detergent, shampoo or glue sticks. However, the company is also a global leader in adhesives and other advanced technologies that are used for packaging applications: These range from glues that seal boxes or secure product labels, over functional and protective coatings for plastic packaging, to adhesives that hold the different layers of flexible packaging together.”

He continued, “Taken together, this means we’re able to offer expertise from both perspectives, as an FMCG manufacturer and a supplier of adhesives and other technologies: Which gives our teams a uniquely broad understanding of the challenges and possible solutions related to packaging.”

The initiative forms part of Henkel’s strategy for sustainable packaging, which has outlined five key targets for 2020. The company is also looking to become three times more efficient for operations, products and services by 2030, a drive it’s named ‘Factor 3’.