Sustainable Packaging
At SPG, we transform sustainability challenges into growth opportunities for your business. Our commitment to continuous innovation and respect for the environment enables us to offer packaging solutions that not only comply with the most demanding regulations but also improve the efficiency of your production processes and strengthen your value proposition in the marketplace.
SPG is sustainability. change. technology. commitment.
Our goal is to become your strategic sustainability partner, helping you develop products that are more innovative, more environmentally friendly and more competitive. At SPG, sustainability is a driver of innovation and growth for your business.
How can an industrial company lead the shift towards a more responsible model for the planet?
At SPG, we chose to move from reflection to action, resulting in a new production approach based on sustainability, innovation and regulatory compliance.
Discover how we turn our environmental commitment into real results for your business.
Innovation as a driver of transformation and competitiveness
At SPG, innovation is a force that anticipates change. To us, innovating means creating packaging solutions that connect sustainability, technology and profitability, aligned with the needs of a demanding and constantly evolving market.
What is the market looking for today?
Solutions that comply with the latest European regulations (PPWR, recycling quotas, environmental labelling).
Packaging that performs efficiently on production lines.
Technologically advanced, adaptable and customisable materials.
Proposals that generate brand value, with a reduced environmental impact and strong shelf appeal.
A partner that supports their transition towards a circular economy.
What does innovation mean for SPG?
Innovation at SPG is not an add-on; it is the foundation of our model. It is present from the design of technical structures to printing processes and material traceability. These are some of our key lines of work:
Compliance with legislation and regulation
At SPG, sustainability is not a statement; it is embedded in how we design, produce and innovate.
We anticipate European regulations — such as PPWR or recycled-content quotas — and turn them into real solutions always adapted to European recycling streams.
We like to say that we comply, but above all, we drive progress.
Exporting in Europe: what you need to know about packaging and regulations
📘 Download the free guide and avoid surprises at customs.
Next steps and key dates for the PPWR
August 12, 2026 – Application of the PPWR. As of this date, the provisions of the PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation) shall be mandatorily applicable in all EU Member States. Companies must ensure that their packaging complies with the new requirements regarding design, recyclability, and recycled content.
SPG helps you comply with these regulations
PERSONALISED GUIDANCE
Our technical team supports you in selecting materials and designing packaging that complies with current and future regulations in each market.
CONSTANT INNOVATION
We develop packaging solutions that incorporate recycled materials and are easily recyclable, while still fulfilling their functions of protecting, preserving, communicating and transporting — aligned with EU sustainability goals.
We provide detailed documentation on the composition and recyclability of our products, making it easier for you to meet your legal obligations.
TRANSPARENCY AND TRACEABILITY
Challenges, progress and industrial adaptation to plastic recycling streams in Europe
The EU’s transition towards a circular economy depends largely on improving the efficiency of plastic waste management. At SPG, we understand that designing recyclable packaging is not enough if it is not properly integrated into existing recycling streams. That is why most of our developments align with current and future plastic recovery systems.
The main plastic recycling streams in the EU include:
Summary of recycling streams by country
These are the main European initiatives to strengthen recycling streams
Deposit-Return Systems (DRS): Countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, and the Nordic countries have successfully implemented these systems, achieving rates above 90% in plastic bottle recycling.
Mandatory Ecodesign: The new regulation requires packaging to be designed with recyclability in mind, favoring mono-materials and avoiding the mixture of non-separable polymers.
Standardization of Collection and Sorting: The EU is working to harmonize selective collection systems to improve the purity of the streams and reduce non-recyclable waste.
How we adapt to these streams at SPG
Developing monomaterial packaging optimised for PET, PP or PE, ensuring correct separation and subsequent recovery in many streams.
Removing barriers to recycling: reducing inks, laminates and complex structures to facilitate optical sorting in treatment plants.
Collaborating with certified recyclers: participating in pilot projects and industrial trials to ensure our products meet real recycling requirements, not just theoretical ones.
Working with SPG ensures that your packaging meets Europe’s real recycling streams, contributing to regulatory compliance, brand reputation and your company’s environmental efficiency.
By working with SPG, you ensure that your packaging complies with the actual recycling streams in Europe, contributing to regulatory compliance, brand image, and your company’s environmental efficiency.
Certifications: a guarantee of real commitment
Sustainability is something that must be verified. That’s why at SPG we support our actions with a rigorous system of internationally recognised certifications, validating our processes, products and raw materials.
These certifications are a key tool for enabling our clients to operate safely in regulated markets, meet the requirements of their brands and distribution chains, and build consumer trust.
We hold Cyclos-HTP certification, an independent European organisation that assesses and classifies packaging according to its real recyclability within existing collection and treatment systems in the EU.
Our PP HB ECO and PE HB ECO products have been evaluated and certified with the following ratings:
PP HB ECO WITH AND WITHOUT ZIPPER
✅ Rating AA – 90% recyclability.
✅ Rating AAA (cap version) – 96% recyclability.
✅ Proven compatibility with flexible and rigid polypropylene recycling routes, in line with DIN EN 13430 and ZSVR.
PE HB ECO WITHOUT ZIPPER
✅ Recyclability certified based on mixed polyolefin fractions.
✅ High compatibility with mechanical regranulation processes for PO.
Complementary certifications
Each structure we certify not only meets the current regulatory framework but is designed to anticipate the new European regulatory environment (PPWR), supporting our clients in legal compliance and integration into the circular economy.
ISO 14001
Certified environmental management
ISO 9001 / BRCGS
Total quality and food safety
ISO 50001
Energy efficiency
ECOVADIS
Comprehensive ESG assessment
FSC
Healthy, resilient forests for all, forever
These assessments cover key countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands, where regulatory and technical requirements are especially demanding. International references such as APR (USA) and COTERP (France) are also considered upon request.
Success stories with clients
Lactogal: Flexible packaging is changing the game.
FAQS
Frequently Asked Questions about Sustainable Packaging
When can packaging be considered recyclable?
We would consider packaging to be recyclable when it successfully passes all classification stages in packaging sorting facilities (for example: Ecoembes) and this sorted material then reaches a recycling company that transforms it into raw material for reuse.
For example, a transparent PET bottle with dimensions greater than 6 cm (clears the screen in the trommel*), is effectively classified into the PET stream. From there, it is made available to the recycling company, which is capable of transforming it into flakes, which will allow plastic material manufacturers to transform it back into new packaging, such as SPG. Or to other industries that will manufacture other applications (textile, construction, etc.). However, if that bottle had a sleeve** that completely covered its body and was also made of a different material, effective sorting would not be possible and it would not reach the recycler.
*It is a mechanical screening machine used to separate materials, mainly in the mineral and solid waste processing industries.
**A label that completely surrounds the bottle, adhering to it thanks to the sleeving process.
What does the European Commission consider sustainable packaging?
cycled, reusable, or compostable. In their guidelines, they primarily promote the recyclability of plastics, both from the concept or way they are designed and in the production stage. To achieve this, all members of the value chain must work together on the following points:
Improve design and support innovation so that plastic and plastic products are more easily recyclable.
Expand and improve plastic waste collection and separation systems to ensure quality input for the recycling industry.
Modernize and expand waste management and recycling capacity in Europe.
Create a viable market for recycled and renewable plastics.
What kind of "messages" or codes can be incorporated into designs to inform about packaging recyclability?
Currently, there is no regulation that controls what information and the type of messages that packers can put on their packaging about how sustainable that packaging is. However, there is a standard, ISO 14021:2017 on environmental labels and declarations, which provides many indications on how to communicate this type of information correctly and simply to final consumers.
There is also a very useful guide on eco-labeling that has been published by the ECOEMBES organization along with IHOBE (Public Environmental Management Company of the Basque Government) and the Basque Government.
What kind of “messages” can be incorporated into designs to inform the final consumer about how sustainable the packaging is?
We understand that as long as the published messages do not mislead or cause confusion, any type of information relating to the origin of the raw material, recyclability, recycled content, etc., could be communicated.
For example, if the packaging is made of a material that is compostable and is also supported by a certificate that accredits it, the accredited seal demonstrating this could be added to the design. It is normal to find an accredited seal when the message is verified and certified by a third party (compostability, carbon footprint, environmental product declaration, etc.). However, so far there is no way to certify the recyclability of packaging, although it is true that we can communicate it following the ISO-14021 standard.