Less is More: How Value4Pack is Driving Packaging Reduction Across Europe
On 28 February 2025, VALUE4PACK launched the first in a series of thematic Working Group Talks, focusing on one of the 4Rs—REDUCE. Curious about what was discussed and the key takeaways? Keep reading to find out more.
🔍 Understanding the Challenge
As part of the project, partners conducted a cross-European questionnaire to identify key challenges in the food packaging sector. The findings highlighted six priority areas:
- Material reduction & optimization
- Technological & production constraints
- Sourcing sustainable alternatives
- Food waste vs. packaging waste dilemmas
- Consumer and market dynamics
- Policy and regulatory inconsistencies
These challenges were grouped into three macro-themes, providing structure for the REDUCE Working Group discussion.
🤝 Collaborative Innovation in Action
The session brought together SMEs, clusters, research organizations, and policymakers from across Europe to discuss practical, scalable approaches to packaging reduction. Innovations showcased during the talk included:
Minimizing packaging from the earliest stages of product development
Technologies that enable the use of lightweight, recyclable materials
Alternative solutions to extend shelf life while reducing material use
Eco-design approaches to logistics and distribution
New uses of bio-based, compostable, and mono-material packaging
Barrier-enhancing coatings that eliminate the need for multi-layer plastics
🗣️ Beyond Technology: Driving Systemic Change
The Working Group also emphasized the importance of:
- Clear and consistent sustainability messaging for consumers
Retailer engagement and alignment of commercial incentives
Regulatory harmonization across EU regions
Financial support and market readiness for alternative materials
Education, digital tools, and community engagement to drive behavior change
🎯 What’s Next?
The REDUCE session marks a critical step in VALUE4PACK’s roadmap to support interregional investment and knowledge exchange. Insights from the session will feed into ongoing activities, helping partners co-develop and deploy validated solutions across regions.
📅 The next VALUE4PACK Working Group Talk, “RE(F)USE to Innovate Sustainable Food Packaging”, will take place on 27 May 2025 | 10:00 - 11:00 CET, continuing the momentum of the 4Rs journey.
👉 To receive the event link, please register here: HERE
Together, we are turning shared challenges into circular opportunities—proving that less really is more.
VALUE4PACK is an ambitious EU-funded initiative under the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) programme, aiming to build a resilient and sustainable European food packaging value chain. Bringing together 14 partners and 1 affiliated partner from 11 EU countries, the project fosters interregional collaboration to unlock innovation, investment, and circular solutions—particularly in less developed regions.