IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e.V.

Central Issue: Consumer protection/Food Contact

Around 70 percent of the IK-members are (also) manufacturers of plastics packaging intended for food contact. More than 50 percent of the plastics packaging consumed by private users in Germany is food packaging. This is one reason why consumer protection represents a main issue for plastic packaging manufacturers and their association. The Executive Committee Food Contact, consisting of delegates from the different IK sector groups, evaluates current or planned legal requirements of the European and national food contact legislation and provides an overview on this difficult subject which can be used by the IK members in their daily practice.

Central issue: Environment and Recycling

After use, when the packaging has reached the end of its lifecycle, environment and recycling aspects are gaining importance. They are not only essential for the public opinion and the acceptance of plastics packaging. A functioning infrastructure to guarantee proper recycling has become prerequisite for most products. IK contributed substantially to the recycling of used plastics packaging as stakeholder of the German organisations for the recycling of plastics and plastics packaging (BKV Beteiligungsgesellschaft für Kunststoffverwertung mbH, DKR Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kunststoffrecycling mbH, tecpol GmbH).

Due to the importance of the issue IK founded the Executive Committee Environment . Representatives from all product sectors of the plastics packaging industry observe and discuss planned regulations and prepare statements if necessary.

Central Issue: Technology, Harmonisation and Product Safety

The activities of IK are intended to create positive, stable and reliable frame conditions for the daily business of the member companies. This applies to relevant regulations and standards in the industry as well as to laws and regulations on national and European level.

Central Issue: Transport of Dangerous Goods

Several proposals submitted by IK to international rule setting committees, the organisation of multinational meetings on dangerous goods packaging and assumed secretariat functions for different international associations made of the “IK Bad Homburg” a renowned competence centre in the circles of dangerous goods packaging.

pic In no other segment of the packaging industry international regulations have such importance as for dangerous goods packaging. Given the fact that the industry has no other possibility to exert influence on the regulations for the transport of dangerous goods but to be represented in the international decision making committees, IK put in place European and international associations which are accredited as observers at international organisations like the UN-Subcommittee for Dangerous Goods.

IK represents the interests of manufacturers of packaging for dangerous goods vis-à-vis test institutes, national and international organisations, raw material suppliers and fillers/users.

Representation of Interest

As a federation IK plays an important role in the endeavour to find political solutions to plastics- and packaging-relevant questions. The tasks of IK comprise gathering and communication of information, opinion forming as well as mediation between different interest groups.

IK represents the interests of its members and communicates its know-how towards political parties, legal bodies and international organisations.