Yes, sustainability is complicated. PackSense explains why that is (and what you should do with PPWR)
Companies are often quite willing to work on sustainability. Only: they don’t know where to start. At Empack 2025, Robbert-Jan Pos explains why it is so difficult and where to start.
“It’s not up to you: sustainability is indeed complicated.” With that message, Robbert-Jan Pos, director of PackSense, comes to Empack 2025. His session is highly recommended for anyone struggling with the ever-stricter packaging regulations, the fast-changing consumer and the tangle of sustainability claims.
More and more often, the industry is saying: “We want to become more sustainable, but where do we start? That is exactly what PackSense is committed to. Not as a supplier, but as an independent knowledge partner for the entire packaging chain.
Why it is just so difficult
During his session at Empack, Robbert-Jan takes visitors into the complex world of sustainable packaging and explains why it is all so difficult. “I want to let people know that they are not stupid, should they not understand everything exactly. Because it ‘ s just complex.”
According to Robbert-Jan, true sustainability relies on three crucial pillars:
- Can: Are the materials or solutions technologically feasible?
- Allow: Does the (often country-specific) legislation allow it?
- Will: Is the consumer and producer willing to actually use and sort the product correctly?
Only when the three overlap can packaging become truly circular. A striking example: compostable coffee capsules. Technically possible? Yes. Legally allowed to throw away in your GFT bin? Not in every country. User sorting them correctly? Often not. “Then the idea gets stranded, despite the good intention,” he says.
Outlining a level playing field
During the session, Robbert-Jan will not only outline the principles of circular packaging, but also provide a concrete tool: the OK list. “That helps companies choose from a range of safe packaging options. If you don’t want to waste too much time, but want to be sure, choose one of those nine.”
He will also show how legislation such as the European Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will shape the packaging industry towards 2030 and beyond. “Many companies will be inundated with information about these new regulations at Empack. Above all, we want to give them context: why is it so difficult? And how do you arrive at solutions anyway?”
From label printer to systems thinker
For many years, Robbert-Jan headed a sales department of the Optimum Group, a European organisation of 17 label printers. In that role, he increasingly received questions from customers about sustainability and – more specifically – the PPWR.
“Honestly? In the beginning, I did what many sales people do: use difficult words and hope the customer swallows it,” Robbert-Jan explains. “But that worked less and less well. Customers wanted real answers. Only: I didn’t have them. Nobody in our group knew exactly how these complex regulations worked. And that while, as the biggest player in the Netherlands, we do have a responsibility in this.”
The birth of PackSense
He decided to take up the gauntlet. What started as an internal initiative to better inform Optimum’s internal and external clients grew into a larger plan. Gradually, Robbert-Jan realised that the need for clear, independent information was much broader than just his own organisation and Optimum customers. “But as a label salesman, I couldn’t just knock on competitors’ doors. To really make an impact, I had to get rid of that commercial label. I had to become independent.”
He and Optimum Group took that step together in early 2025, when PackSense was officially launched during Empack in Den Bosch. PackSense is legally and operationally independent. Robbert-Jan: “There are no sales targets, no products that are pushed. Only tailor-made advice, based on knowledge and with no commercial interest.”
The goal? To guide as many companies as possible in their sustainability efforts, with a clear focus on legislation, material choices and behavioural change. PackSense aims to work cost-neutral, but is not profit-driven.
“We want to help anyone who is willing to do something,” he says. “And preferably right away. Companies don’t want to revisit this chapter three times; they want to take the right steps now and be able to move on.”
Why you should attend
Whether you are a producer, packaging designer, marketer or policy maker, Robbert-Jan Pos’s session will provide clear insight into the challenges and opportunities of sustainable packaging.
He concludes with a powerful message: “We are not going to cancel plastic. It is often fine material, if used correctly and recycled. But for that, we need everyone. Producers, regulators and consumers. Only then will we get the system moving.”
Come hear Robbert-Jan Pos during Empack 2025 and find out how to take the right steps in a world where sustainable packaging is no longer a choice, but a duty.
