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Innovation Agents on a mission

Every month, an innovation agent from ChemistryNL gives you insight into his/her daily work. Read the blogs of:Martin van Dord, Caroli Buitenhuis, René Reijtenbagh, Eric van Sprang, Marco Tibaldi and Robert-Jan Lamers.

This month: Caroli Buitenhuis

Blog: No Brainers for Brand Owners

For years, I have been working with the Zwerfinator — a man with a mission. He not only picks up litter, but also carefully documents each piece: he takes a photo of it, notes the brand, the location and the type of waste (bottle, wrapper, bag). What does that yield? A unique dataset that provides razor-sharp insight into:

  • Which brand owners cause the most litter
  • Which packaging is thrown away most often
  • Where the biggest problems occur

But the Zwerfinator does more than just collect data. He also fearlessly campaigns against companies that deliberately do not change their packaging — despite knowing that it is harmful to the environment. And that has an impact.

The biggest polluters? Candy wrappers from brands such as Mars, Snickers, Twix and M&M’s. Chip bags such as those from Lays (Pepsico) and the suction bags from Caprisun and Breaker. Large multinationals that market their products worldwide — with packaging that:

  • is made from virgin fossil raw materials
  • is not recycled anywhere in the world (not even in the Netherlands)
  • is not biodegradable

And yet… they continue to hold on to these packages. No urgency, no responsibility. But under the influence of various factors, that is slowly changing. And the Zwerfinator is not going to let it rest.

He dissects packaging down to the material level via social media. He pinpoints which forms of greenwashing or avoidance of waste packaging tax have been applied. And that hurts the players mentioned. Because negative attention costs companies more than money — it damages their brand and image!

It is therefore no coincidence that brand owners then – or preferably preventively – come to me. As an Innovation Agent for biobased and circular packaging (powered by ChemistryNL), I help companies with the transition to truly sustainable packaging solutions. Not as greenwash tape, but as structural innovation.

In recent years, as an innovation agent, I have guided more than 500 companies with sustainability issues. As a result, there is in-depth insight into innovations and technologies in all links of the chain — from raw material to waste phase. I connect parties, share knowledge and help develop circular packaging with multiple end-of-life options:

  • Renewable materials
  • Recyclable where possible (mechanical/chemical/organic)
  • Biodegradable where necessary

The time when companies only looked at profit and branding is over. Legislation and social pressure – such as the actions of the Zwerfinator – ensure that brand owners can no longer ignore their responsibility. Because in addition to litter, the aforementioned packaging also leaves behind CO₂ emissions and persistent microplastics. The solution is within reach. But it starts with courage, ownership and collaboration.

So there is work to be done. And for brand owners, these choices should have been no brainers for a long time.

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