Newsletter

Innovative raw material management developed by Interzero

Sustainability and closing the loop can be an opportunity for companies. ESG regulations are worth looking at not only in terms of the potential costs to the company, but also the tangible benefits, including profits and savings of natural resources.

Knowing this, we entered into a partnership with a company Fagum-Stomil and thanks to our joint commitment, we have been able to develop a way to use the residues of PVB film, used in the manufacture of car windscreens to make wellingtons. Due to its composition, the film is very difficult to process as it is subject to sticking. After lengthy tests, conducted since 2021 by Interzero and Łukpol, succeeded in developing a method to recycle PVB offcuts and reuse them in the production of shoe pellets. In this way, a hitherto perceived difficult raw material is recycled and reused.

The method developed provides measurable environmental benefits - reduces the amount of natural resources needed for production, reduces pollution and exploitation of the environment and leads to the mitigation of the climate crisis.

As an industry leader, we are on a mission to support the circular economy by seeking innovative, integrated environmental solutions focused on the future. We hope that our many years of experience and acquired know-how will enable us to implement even more projects focused on environmental benefits in the near future.

We encourage you to view photos of the product. 

You have to startgo to worksć on deposits

What will be the impact of legislative delays on the deposit system? What about the excessive incineration of packaging and what will the future of chemical recycling look like? These topics were addressed in the latest debate "Packaging in the circular economy: from ideals to practice". for The Republic.

The following took part in the deliberations Renata Juszkiewicz, Anna Larsson, Robert Chciuk, Konrad Nowakowski, Jacek Wodzisławski, Andrzej Gantner, Łukasz Sosnowski and on behalf of Interzero Pawel Lesiak, Vice-President of the Management Board. The debate was chaired by Aleksandra Ptak-Iglewska.

The meeting discussed the future of the European packaging market, the effectiveness of recycling in Poland and the topic of reusable packaging.

When discussing the deposit scheme, participants pointed out that, given the PPWR criteria, the inclusion of dairy packaging is not quite a good idea.

"I agree with the call for dairy packaging not to be included in the system. However, this would be tantamount to not fulfilling the collection obligation under the Regulation. There is no good solution here. The EU regulations make it clear that milk product packaging must be included in the system. A compromise solution would be to postpone the entry into force of the deposit obligation for this range. This would allow the first experience of the system in other material ranges to be gathered and better prepared." - said Pawel Lesiak.

The obligation to introduce the system to smaller shops has also become a subject of dispute. Experts noted that small retail chains want to join the scheme, seeing it as a financial benefit and an opportunity to attract customers.

"As Interzero, we run such a system in small shops in Germany. In our western neighbour, these smaller operators, despite the statutory exemption, are keen to join in. This makes good business sense, because if a customer is not able to return bottles in a particular shop, he or she will simply start shopping elsewhere. In Poland, we should think in a similar way, regardless of the discussion about regulation. I am in talks with retail chains, including small shops, and I hear that they are very interested in the system and want to join it," said Paweł Lesiak.

Link to the whole debate HERE

How can business benefit from waste?

Innovative environmental solutions, the unstable legal situation and the implementation of the circular economy concept were discussed by Anna Grom, CEO of Interzero in the latest podcast for Forbes Women Poland.

Environmental protection should not be an abstract value, but a necessary condition for our continued existence. It is worth constantly analysing what is happening in our country and in the world in terms of sustainable development. A trend that can be observed in terms of waste management is the fact that the younger generation is increasingly shifting from paying attention to the brand to recognising the environmental impact of a particular company. The big players are also aware of the cost of raw materials used in production and are moving towards sourcing raw materials in-house.

As an integrator of sustainable environmental solutions, Interzero analyses the needs of its customers and, together with them, seeks solutions that can deliver tangible financial and environmental results. We are already taking steps to close the raw material cycle - advising companies on how to optimise processes through sustainable packaging design, for example, and implementing circular economy concepts into existing and new business models.

We encourage you to listen to the entire podcast HERE

It is time to make waste management more efficient.

Waste and its proper management is currently one of the biggest challenges facing society. From the entrepreneur's point of view, the greatest need is the stability of the regulatory environment.

In a recent interview with the Now Environment portal, Monika Grom, Vice President of the Interzero Group in Poland, points out that business first and foremost needs to reduce the risks arising from the economic situation. The next step is to increase efficiency and invest in new technologies.

"We work with both waste generating companies and recycling facilities. We know the needs and capabilities of both parties. As a result, we often act as an integrator to help close the raw material cycle, which brings tangible environmental, financial and image benefits. In addition to this, we carry out holistic and spot analyses from various environmental scopes. We examine both the compliance of the entrepreneurs' activities in terms of current legislation and advise them on what they can do differently to free up financial resources."- Monika Grom comments.

"Today, thanks to inter-team cooperation, we are achieving synergies, which we will strengthen, among other things, by investing in digitalisation. We have our achievements in this field too. In addition to the aforementioned Interzero Waste Platform, we have developed the Interzero Academy e-learning platform, the remote contracting system or the virtual customer service office, My Interzero. It is high time for waste management to take full advantage of the potential offered by digitalisation and thereby increase its efficiency." - added Monika Grom

The entire interview can be read at the link HERE 

Read about the implementation of extended producer responsibility

In the latest issue of Energy and Recycling, Przemysław Kuna, Managing Director at Interzero, together with Konrad Nowakowski of PIOIRO, spoke about the SUP directive, which has a direct impact on ROP.

The transposition of the legislation on reducing the environmental impact of certain plastic products is undoubtedly quite a challenge for businesses. Restrictions on operations, mandatory labelling of packaging and additional fees are just a few examples of what the bill will mean.

The list of disposable products banned from the market continues to grow. It includes items such as cotton buds, straws, cutlery, plates, food and beverage containers made of expanded polystyrene. Fishing gear has also been added to the products covered by the extended producer responsibility.

The aim of the legal changes is to improve the country's environmental situation and, as a consequence, impose many new obligations on businesses, such as reporting, record-keeping, additional fees and achieving minimum collection levels.

We invite you to read the article in full.

Share of recyclate in the packaging introduced - article for the bi-monthly magazine Plastics in Industry

We encourage you to read the article on the share of recyclate in introduced packaging in the latest issue of the bi-monthly magazine Plastics in Industry, in which Paweł Sosnowski, Board Representative for Environmental Regulation, Interzero mentions the Single Use Plastics Directive and the draft regulation on packaging and packaging waste.

The share of recyclate will be calculated as an average of the beverage bottles, for which such a share will be required, placed on the market in a given year. The Directive therefore does not require a share of recyclate for every bottle introduced. Mandatory recyclate in beverage bottles is an important step in creating a circular economy. - recalls Pawel Sosnowski.

The new regulations will therefore be a major challenge for those introducing packaging products, but also for the recycling industry. They will improve the quality of recyclate where this quality is currently inadequate, but they will also force further investment in recycling facilities to ensure that the demand for recyclate is met at least at the level of the required packaging shares. A major challenge here will be to provide recyclate that meets the stringent requirements for use in contact-sensitive packaging. - concludes Pawel Sosnowski.

Entrepreneur: BDO entry fee only until the end of February

We would like to remind you that according to Article 57 of the Waste Act (Journal of Laws 2013 item 21 as amended), entrepreneurs registered in the BDO register are obliged to pay an annual fee for maintaining their entry in the BDO register for a given year by the end of February.

Only entrepreneurs are subject to the registration and annual fee:

• • the introducer of batteries or accumulators,
  • introducers of electrical and electronic equipment and authorised representatives,
  • manufacturer, importer and intra-Community buyer of packaging,
  • vehicle introducer,
  • introducing packaged products on the national territory,
  • the importer of tyres on the national territory,
  • introducing lubricating oils on the national territory.

The annual fee must be paid to the account of the marshal's office responsible for the company's registered office or place of residence. Account numbers can be found on the websites of the authorities.
The annual fee is respectively:
PLN 100 - for micro-entrepreneurs
300 zł - for other entrepreneurs

Please note that the annual fee is not paid in the year in which the registration fee is paid.

Failure to pay the annual fee may result in deletion from the register and the inability to continue operations.

Entrepreneur: do you know how changes in waste law will affect your business?

Amendments to the law often have an impact on the day-to-day operations and obligations of entrepreneurs. What should entrepreneurs prepare for this year?

We invite you to read the latest interview with Paweł Sosnowski, board representative for environmental regulation at Interzero, for the Now Environment portal, in which he answers what changes await entrepreneurs.

First and foremost, work is nearing completion on a bill to restrict the use of single-use plastic products. This is the transposition of the provisions of the directive commonly referred to as single use plastics (SUP). This legislation is likely to come into force at the end of the first and the beginning of the second quarter of this year. The biggest impact will be on companies introducing selected types of single-use plastic products. - he said Pawel Sosnowski

In addition to the directive regulating SUP, it is worth looking at the bail system, which will take effect in Poland from 2025.

The premise of the bill is to leave as much freedom as possible to entrepreneurs in setting up the deposit system. However, the boundary conditions included in the draft assume that the system is to cover the whole country and be open to all entrepreneurs introducing products in packaging subject to a deposit and commercial units that will want to join it. - argues Pawel Sosnowski

Link to full article HERE.

Entrepreneur, submit your report for 2022!

Please be advised that the annual reporting period is underway. Therefore, please provide us with the actual weights of packaging, products and batteries introduced by your company in 2022. We need this news in order to fulfil the obligations you have entrusted to us.

Data must be completed by 31 January 2023 via the My Interzero customer portal.

Under this link you will find clear instructions that will help you to complete your report efficiently in the My Interzero customer portal.

Log in to My Interzero platforms and submit a report for 2022.