Plastic has revolutionised our everyday lives: lightweight, versatile, inexpensive. But the material also has its downsides, and the answer cannot lie in ever more recycling alone. This issue therefore asks a more fundamental question: How can the use of materials and packaging be made more efficient overall? After all, companies decide on materials, packaging and product design, and in doing so shape a product’s ecological footprint across its entire life cycle. The cover story shows how businesses are already rethinking their material flows, and that the transformation is well under way.

Two contributions from our institute have also been published in this issue.

“Autumn of Reforms”: Column by Prof. Faulstich

In his column, Prof. Dr. Martin Faulstich, Editor of Nachhaltige INdustrie, takes up the German federal government’s motto and asks a question that deserves to be asked more often: Why are growth and climate protection always demanded separately from one another? He looks at the current reform debate and points out that there is no shortage of ideas and recommendations. Read the column to find out which reforms he considers most urgent and what role he assigns to business.

Reusable Transport Packaging for Efficient Supply Chains

Our research associate Konstantin Saure turns to an area that is often overlooked: transport packaging. Transport packaging made of paper, cardboard and corrugated board alone accounts for around one fifth of all packaging waste in Germany. Can reusable systems offer an alternative here, and what does this mean for companies and their supply chains? The article examines examples from retail and industry and addresses three aspects: protection of goods, flow of goods and transparency in the supply chain. The article reveals which opportunities, but also which challenges, emerge.

Konstantin Saure is a scholarship holder and research associate at the INZIN Institute. As part of his doctorate, he researches resource strategies for cities in Germany.

Order the Issue

Curious? You can order the current issue as well as previous issues of Nachhaltige Industrie via our website: NI 2026_01 Kreislaufwirtschaft – Wege zur zirkulären Wertschöpfung – INZIN Institut. We wish you an inspiring read!