Packaging Matters Webinar: Rethinking The Future Of Packaging In The Humanitarian Sector

Packaging is a critical consideration for entire humanitarian sector, so the Environmental Emergencies Centre set up the Joint Initiative for Humanitarian Assistance Packaging Waste Management: bringing together worldwide non-governmental organisations and suppliers of relief aid items to rethink packaging in the sector.

Given the rising demand for humanitarian aid, the need for finding more sustainable packaging methods is also increasing. Relief aid items require sturdy packaging to get to where they are needed in perfect condition during disasters. These packages are then usually left behind in regions where the infrastructure or management at that specific moment does not allow for socially and environmentally responsible disposal, having consequences for both people and nature.

That’s why all organisations within the humanitarian sector are encouraged day after day to handle packaging and logistics innovatively and sustainably. Not only should the problem be tackled at the source – meaning limiting the amount of packaging to the bare essentials -, but ways of recycling or reusing packaging materials for other purposes should also be sought.

The Joint Initiative for Humanitarian Assistance Packaging Waste Management has launched ‘Packaging Matters’, a series of webinars in which organisations active in the humanitarian sector are invited to reflect, share insights, knowledge, and resources with each other to jointly address this global issue to have a bigger impact.

Sustainability is an important driver of innovation at Alpinter. With more than 30 years of experience in the industry, we’re convinced that we have to lead by example and set new standards within the sector. Optimising our pallets, recycling and reusing packaging materials, reducing the initial use of plastic, and thinking about ways to give packaging a second life, … are just some of the initiatives that keep us busy at Alpinter every day. Our colleagues Agathe Tiberghien (Director of Operations) and Tim Van Cauwenberghe (Technical Account Manager) are happy to participate in this webinar to help reinvent the future of packaging within the humanitarian sector.