# 101 - EU recycling and David Hasselhoff with Julian Thielen from Interseroh

- Show: [People of Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging)
- Published: 2022-01-26
- Length: 36m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2022-01-26-101-eu-recycling-and-david-hasselhoff-with-julian-thielen-from-interseroh
- Listen: https://encase.substack.com/p/101-eu-recycling-and-david-hasselhoff-f59

## Summary

Julian Thielen, a packaging engineer at Interseroh, explains how Germany’s dual system for lightweight packaging collects flexible and rigid materials in yellow bags, contrasting this with the UK’s retailer-only LDPE collection. He details how retailers like Aldi and Lidl drive brand owners to design for recyclability by banning non-compliant materials, while new government fines penalize packaging with low recycled content. Thielen distinguishes between technical recyclability and useful recyclability, noting that while PET bottles have an end market, PET trays often do not, and highlights the emerging role of chemical recycling for complex waste streams.

## Chapters

- [0:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2022-01-26-101-eu-recycling-and-david-hasselhoff-with-julian-thielen-from-interseroh#t=12) Introduction: Julian Thielen and Interseroh
- [4:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2022-01-26-101-eu-recycling-and-david-hasselhoff-with-julian-thielen-from-interseroh#t=241) Thielen's Background: Flexible Packaging and Carbo Development
- [8:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2022-01-26-101-eu-recycling-and-david-hasselhoff-with-julian-thielen-from-interseroh#t=539) German vs. UK Flexible Packaging Collection Systems
- [16:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2022-01-26-101-eu-recycling-and-david-hasselhoff-with-julian-thielen-from-interseroh#t=1015) Retailer Pressure and the German Packaging Act
- [20:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2022-01-26-101-eu-recycling-and-david-hasselhoff-with-julian-thielen-from-interseroh#t=1225) Technical vs. Useful Recyclability: PET Bottles vs. Trays
- [26:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2022-01-26-101-eu-recycling-and-david-hasselhoff-with-julian-thielen-from-interseroh#t=1575) Government Fines and Financial Penalties for Non-Compliance
- [33:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2022-01-26-101-eu-recycling-and-david-hasselhoff-with-julian-thielen-from-interseroh#t=2032) Future of Recycling: Mechanical vs. Chemical Technologies

## Topics

- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Interseroh (company)
- Carbo Development (company)
- Alba (company)
- Plastic Bank (company)
- Aldi (company)
- Lidl (company)
- Tesco (company)
- PET (material)
- LDPE (material)
- PP (material)
- PE (material)
- PLA (material)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [From Make-Use-Throw Away to Circular: Plastics Manufacturing’s Next Chapter w/ Ross Eisenberg](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2026-06-03-from-make-use-throw-away-to-circular-plastics-manufacturings-next-chapter-w-ross) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [Making garbage useful with Tom Szaky of TerraCycle](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-08-17-making-garbage-useful-with-tom-szaky-of-terracycle) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2022-01-26-101-eu-recycling-and-david-hasselhoff-with-julian-thielen-from-interseroh. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to People of Packaging.