Food Drink Bulgaria  Association participated in the conference "Green Transformation: Circular Economy and Sustainable Development - People, Materials and Business Models", organised by Enterprise magazine and the Bulgarian Industrial Association.

 

Improving the efficiency of the economy, reducing its resource intensity and developing a circular economy that brings results for the whole society are the topics that were discussed during the forum.

Iana Ivanova, FoodDrink Bulgaria Association Executive Director, took part in the discussion of the deposit system for the collection and recovery of single-use packaging (plastic bottles, aluminum cans, etc.).

She commented that the deposit system does not exhaust the process of collecting recyclable waste. Iana Ivanova presented the initiative Plastik PACT Bulgaria, which unites manufacturers, traders and other interested parties, one of the goals of which is to identify and find a way to collect plastic packaging. "All of our companies are working to reduce the volume of plastic packaging thrown away, and another of our goals is to make all plastic packaging recyclable," she added.

Iana Ivanova also pointed out that work is also underway on a project for the recycling of flexible packaging - for example, the packaging of various waffles, sweets, etc. She also talked about the possibility of manufacturers getting the material back to close the packaging production circle, as well as the need to inform the population about the possibilities of recycling packaging and other waste. She believes that it is also important to introduce fair taxation on the "polluter pays" principle, because the biggest incentive for people is financial.

The panel dedicated to the legal framework for food waste and bio-waste was attended by Alexander Ivanov, Head of the "Household, Biodegradable and Construction Waste" Department of the Ministry of Environment and Water, and Tsanka Milanova, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Food Bank / BG Food Bank. The moderator of the discussion was Iana Ivanova, Food Drink Bulgaria Association.