Research TU Dresden: Green turbo for the packaging industry

Dresden’s going green! The Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden) and the Verband Die Papierindustrie (Association of the Paper Industry) are sending out a strong signal to promote the packaging of the future: by signing the endowed professorship for circular fiber-based packaging systems, the two partners are setting the course. Over the next five years, 250,000 euros will flow into the future-oriented project every year – with a clear goal: to develop packaging that is not only practical, but also protects the planet and its environment. 

The new professorship aims to raise the field of knowledge of material cycles for packaging to a new level. The goal, as announced during the signing of the contract for the endowed professorship in Dresden, is to research and teach materials, processes and technologies that enable reliable, efficient and resource-saving packaging with recyclable system solutions.

Particular attention will be paid to understanding the complex interactions between product, material, packaging, processes and machine systems along the production and recycling cycle. At the Institute of Natural Materials Technology in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, theory is translated into practical questions: How can we develop environmentally friendly packaging that does not end up in the bin after use, but remains in the cycle? How can alternative materials be used safely and efficiently to conserve resources? Here, innovative solutions that could change the world of packaging in the long run are being worked on.

“The challenges of our time are as complex as they are urgent: the growing demands for sustainable solutions in the packaging sector require new approaches that are not only functional, but also ecologically pioneering,” said Hans-Christoph Gallenkamp, President of the Association of the Paper Industry and patron of the endowed professorship.

Dr. Thorsten Voss, Chairman of the Research Foundation of the Paper Industry, added: “Together with the University of Excellence TU Dresden and in particular the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, we are creating a cluster for the fibre-based circular economy that is unparalleled in Germany.”

For the future, a competence center is planned under the auspices of TU Dresden, with the involvement of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging and PTS – Das Institut für Fasern & Papier gGmbH, the research and service institute of the German paper industry.

The center is to become a hub and central point of contact for research, transfer and training. It may also serve as a source of inspiration for companies wishing to promote sustainable packaging solutions.