Food packaging - a contribution to sustainability

Even if your first thoughts about packaging immediately are about the use of packaging materials, then you are still supporting sustainable economies: Packaging can, in a positive sense, contribute to sustainability and thus climate protection. Food waste can be reduced through the careful use of packaging or, ideally, completely avoided.

• It protects the baked products,
• is hygienic,
• is important for safe transportation as well as safe storage and
• it provides information about the product.

We use as little packaging material as possible. Family-run company Ölz der Meisterbäcker thinks carefully about its use of resources and acts sustainably - every single day. We have looked at the thickness and size of packaging film for the entire range of Ölz products and reduced these to the minimum necessary. We have also stopped using plastic blister packaging for our Ölz Milch Brötle Choco and Ölz Mini Schnecken Choco products. Where blister packaging is necessary, the master bakers at Ölz have looked for more sustainable alternatives and always keep an eye on the latest developments in this area. The best solution must be looked at on a case-by-case basis. Overpackaging - where there is “too much” packaging - is thus avoided.

What is meant by the circular economy? The circular economy can be boiled down to “reduce, reuse, recycle”. This means that the use of materials should be avoided or reduced, reused and recirculated or recycled.

A sustainable circular economy has positive effects on climate protection. The aim is to reuse and recycle the packaging materials used. A key prerequisite for the circular economy is the ability to recycle packaging material. For our company this means:

• The ability to recycle Ölz packaging is positively affected by the fact that there is no contamination of the packaging material by the product.
• Packing material from Ölz der Meisterbäcker is 100% free from composite films which is essential for improving recyclability
• When creating new products we focus from the very start on “circular design” with regards to good recyclability, e.g. by using monomaterials. For example, this can mean using a printed bag without an additional label, thus improving reusability.
• Within the Ölz strategy for packaging materials we are continuously working hard on making further improvements.

ARA climate certificate. The ARA collects, recycles and disposes of various resources through Austria. The collaboration of Ölz der Meisterbäcker and ARA (Altstoff Recycling Austria) , primary resources and energy carriers and carefully saved and emissions of dangerous greenhouse gases avoided. In 2021, the equivalent of 2,277 tons of CO2 was saved. This is the same as the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from more than 29 million kilometres driven by car. This distance would be like travelling 550 times around the world. Here you will find more information about the collaboration between Ölz der Meisterbäcker and ARA.

We have an Ölz working group responsible for issues around packing and which further develops the Ölz packing strategy. Even seemingly small improvement can have a significant long-term effect on packaging savings and optimisations. We are a member of the ECR working group (ECR stands for Efficient Consumer Response). This working group supports the holistic ecological sustainability assessment of packaging and considers the aspects of product protection, environment and circularity.

Everyone can do their part. A lot needs to change from the use of packing materials, to their reuse and their disposal. This is something we are constantly working on. Something that each any every one of us can do to help is, for example, ensure the proper disposal of plastic packaging in the yellow bins / bags. We should further learn to rely more on our own senses. Food is often perfectly good beyond its best before date. Curious? Here you can find information about the “often good for longer” initiative.