The 13th edition of the Interzero Environmental Conference brought together nearly 200 environmental experts and business representatives in Łódź. The event programme included 13 presentations and four panel discussions, with the main topics covering new environmental regulations, including the PPWR, extended producer responsibility and packaging design under increasingly stringent legal requirements. The organiser emphasises that the large number of questions from the audience and the participants' active involvement confirmed the need for an exchange of experience between companies, industry organisations and the scientific community.
As Agata Ryś, Member of the Management Board of Interzero, noted, the event was once again intended to be a meeting place for different perspectives, ranging from business and legislative to scientific and environmental. “This year's Interzero Environmental Conference once again confirmed its position as one of the most important events for the environmental protection sector in Poland. I am very pleased that we managed to invite to the discussion not only environmental experts, but also representatives of business, industry organisations and the scientific community. The many questions from the audience and the interaction between panellists and participants showed that the entire sector currently needs space for exchanging experience and for dialogue on the directions of legislative change. I am proud that we succeeded in creating such a space at the Environmental Conference.” The strategic partners of the event were Woodeco and the Polish Chamber of Packaging Recovery and Recycling, and Bergmann was also a partner.
Packaging regulations and EPR at the centre of discussion
One of the main substantive blocks concerned the effects of implementing new regulations for companies operating in Poland and on the EU market. The discussion on legislative changes was opened by Paweł Lesiak, Vice President of the Management Board of Interzero, with a presentation devoted to the impact of the PPWR and EPR on business operations. The presentation focused on practical examples of solutions already being implemented by companies in response to new environmental obligations, as well as on the opportunities and risks associated with the PPWR and with uncertainty regarding the shape of the future EPR system in Poland.
The topic was continued by Paweł Sosnowski, Director of Environmental Advisory and the Management Board's Plenipotentiary for Environmental Regulations at Interzero. He presented the new packaging regulations in the European Union and the timetable for the introduction of subsequent obligations. The presentation also included information on the implementing acts being prepared to supplement the PPWR.
The agenda also included the topic of Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 on shipments of waste, which came into force on 21 May 2026. The new rules for transboundary shipments of waste and the operation of the EU DIWASS system were presented by Przemysław Kurowicki, an expert in transboundary shipments of waste.
Panels on packaging, e-commerce and producer responsibility
Considerable interest was generated by four expert panel discussions devoted to the impact of the new regulations on the textile, packaging and e-commerce sectors. In the panel on the waste hierarchy, participants pointed out that the recent legislative changes do not relate solely to packaging waste, but to the entire life cycle of packaging. This means consequences for producers, importers, logistics operators and companies active in e-commerce.
Of particular note was the panel devoted to the future of packaging, in which panellists considered whether it is possible to design an “ideal package” that combines the expectations of producers and consumers with logistics and legislative requirements without losing functionality. During the discussion on the green transformation of e-commerce, participants in turn raised the issues of equal treatment of all entities operating on the EU market and the role of authorised representatives in implementing and enforcing environmental obligations for companies engaged in cross-border sales.
Participants in the e-commerce panel included Mateusz Ostrowski and Łukasz Czarnowski from Interzero, Anna Bojja from Allegro, and Jan Banaś from Koceo. After the panel, Łukasz Czarnowski said: “Until recently, waste from e-commerce effectively belonged to no one, and the obligation to manage it fell on consumers and local authorities. Now the EU says clearly: the polluter must pay and take responsibility for what they have placed on the market. This is a step in the right direction; already today e-commerce accounts for 20% of sales, whose hallmark is cardboard boxes, mailing bags and bubble mailers. Our virtual shopping activity will generate more and more tangible waste and will increasingly broaden producer responsibility. As a result, demand for EPR and e-commerce waste management services will grow. As Interzero, we are already ready to provide them, regardless of the scale of the producer's operations.”
Ecodesign, recyclates and digital product passports
The practical consequences of the packaging regulations were also addressed in individual presentations. Dr Manica Ulcnik-Krump from Interzero Plastic Innovations discussed the effects of the PPWR, indicating that one of the first barriers is the sourcing of high-quality recyclate, which remains a scarce raw material. The issue of designing more efficient packaging for e-commerce was presented by Jędrzej Przeździęk, Marketing Director at Paxit.pl, who focused on reducing the empty-space ratio in corrugated board packaging.
The relationship between recycling and the use of virgin wood was discussed by Woodeco representatives Aleksander Majerz and Bogdan Warchoł. They pointed to the importance of wooden packaging in the circular economy, emphasising that it is the main source of recycled wood while at the same time remaining one of the largest users of recovered raw material.
On the second day of the conference, Łukasz Czarnowski returned to the issue of waste related to the development of the digital economy and e-commerce. He drew attention to the effects of legislative delays in implementing an appropriate EPR model and the institution of the authorised representative, summarising the problem by stating that, as a result, everyone bears the costs of waste flowing in from other countries.
Magdalena Fertsch-Ślęk from GS1 Poland presented the topic of digital product passports, their importance for the circular economy, and the practical functioning of DPP in accordance with GS1 standards. Participants were able to review a sample product passport prepared according to these principles. A separate highlight was the presentation by SodaStream representatives Katarzyna Konwińska and Ireneusz Janiczek, devoted to communication with consumers in the context of more sustainable habits.
Partner zone and packaging design exhibition
The conference was accompanied by networking zones and partner displays from Woodeco and SodaStream. Participants could also visit the presentation of Interzero eco-devices and the Interzero Advisory stand, where experts answered questions concerning current regulations, environmental obligations and reporting.
A new feature of the 13th edition was the exhibition “Packaging, necessity or excess?”, prepared by students of the Faculty of Industrial Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. It presented original packaging designs for everyday products, developed in line with the principles of circularity, material minimisation and ecodesign. According to the organiser, many of these concepts addressed the same issues that emerged in the expert discussions on the future of packaging.
The 13th Interzero Environmental Conference concluded with a summary of the key challenges facing the environmental protection sector, including the packaging, e-commerce and waste management segments. The organiser has already announced the next edition of the event for 2027.
