ESRS G1 – Governance
ESRS G1-5 – Political influence and lobbying activities
Policy
The European Commission’s Green Deal pursues the overarching goal of transitioning to a modern and competitive economy that uses resources efficiently by 2050 – and becoming the first climate-neutral continent in the process. The EU believes this can only be achieved with a systematic and efficient circular economy. As one of Europe's leading environmental service providers, Interzero supports the aims of the Green Deal and is actively shaping the expansion of a sustainable circular economy that works to support climate change mitigation and conserve resources. The company is making a constructive contribution to this political discussion and is involved in all issues relating to the framework for the circular economy. In particular, this includes waste and environmental law at a domestic and European level, as well as issues regarding tax law and foreign trade legislation.
The aim of these efforts is to ensure that German and European legislators design the resulting legislation in a way that allows a comprehensive circular economy to succeed – for example, by creating legislation for the collection, transport and processing of recyclables that is as unbureaucratic as possible, as well as facilitating free international trade in sorted recyclable materials. When it comes to opportunities for increasing Interzero’s own revenue potential, the introduction of extended producer responsibility (EPR) systems for a growing number of material flows is extremely important for the company. This is because EPR creates incentives for private-sector companies to organise collection and recycling of the affected material flows. Conversely, all regulations entail risks that responsibility for recycling waste will be shifted to legal entities in the public sector.
Actions
During the year under review, Interzero participated in particular in the discussion surrounding the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) by providing statements at a national level and via its membership of European industry associations. The new EU PPWR sets out the framework for collecting and recycling packaging waste. The company represents these interests to ensure that the regulation is as comprehensive and practical as possible in order to increase the volume of packaging that is collected, reused or recycled and the amount of recyclates produced – and thus make a major contribution to climate action and resource protection.
Interzero plays an active part in the following associations, initiatives and interest groups, among others, and is continuously expanding its involvement in sharing knowledge on the circular economy.
The Federation of the German Waste, Water and Raw Materials Management Industry (BDE) is the most important industry association for Interzero by a wide margin. Numerous employees are represented in a total of 21 of the BDE's working groups – on a wide range of topics including climate and energy policy, electronic waste recycling and hazardous goods.
Interzero also supports the German DIY, Building and Horticultural Trade Association BHB through sponsorships and presentations. This work involves identifying and promoting new circular approaches for the building trade (for example the use of recycled plastics and returnable pooling for building goods pallets).
Interzero has also been a member of the German Packaging Institute (dvi) since 2016. The organisation promotes knowledge transfer and dialogue between industry companies, institutions and partners. Here, Interzero contributes its expertise on the topic of packaging optimised for recycling.
The non-profit German CEO Alliance for Climate and Economy is another key Interzero partner. Its mission is to actively shape and advance the shift to climate neutrality. Comprising CEOs, managing directors and family businesses, the initiative actively campaigns for compliance with German and European climate targets by connecting relevant actors and approaching politicians with tangible proposals. Under the umbrella of this foundation, Interzero works together with other supporting companies in ‘transformation alliances’ on climate neutrality to develop scalable solutions along value chains.
Interzero’s dual system, Interzero Recycling Alliance (IRA), is involved in “Mülltrennung wirkt” (Waste Separation Works!), a campaign created jointly by dual systems. As an active member, Interzero educates consumers on proper waste separation and the importance of packaging recycling on the campaign’s website.
The Recycling Alliance is also actively involved in Forum Rezyklat. Its goal is to connect stakeholders from all parts of the circular economy, design packaging to be recycling-friendly from the outset and use more recycled material in packaging. Interzero contributes its expertise in all areas and is also active with its Executive Management in the steering team.
Memberships are also maintained in a variety of initiatives in the world of plastics, such as the Polyolefin Circular Economy Platform (PCEP), PETCore and Kunststoffland NRW e.V.
Interzero Circular Solutions Germany GmbH is a member of the United Against Waste e.V. association (unitedagainst-waste). The association promotes the sustainable management of food resources in the catering industry.
Interzero is also active in the Building Sector and Environmental/Machine Technology Association (VDBUM) and is a solution provider for Deposits and Pooling at GS1 Germany (GS1). Furthermore, Interzero is a partner and promoter of Markenverband e.V. (Markenverband), which represents the interests of branded businesses in Germany.
Numerous employees from the company’s specialist departments are involved in the associations’ working groups and expert networks. In addition, other activities in the area of public affairs are assigned to the Corporate Communications department, which discusses relevant topics with specialist departments as well as the Communications team and management. The department reports to CEO Jan Kroker, who is responsible for overseeing lobbying activities and political contributions.
Interzero’s administrative, management and supervisory bodies do not currently include any members who previously held a comparable position in public administration.
Interzero is included in the national lobby register under registration number R004178.
