This interview was recorded at The Parliament’s Circular Economy Forum 2026, following a panel discussion in which Konstantinos Malandrinos took part as speaker
How can producers integrate circularity principles across the entire product lifecycle to unlock new value, reduce waste and stimulate market demand for high-quality circular products?
Konstantinos Malandrinos: Well, I would first say that producers need to bring together knowledge from across the value chain into their circular design guidelines, enabling product designers to use this in creating circular products.
Then, they need to take into account the proper selection of materials for those products so that they can be compatible with the current recycling systems and get the circular products back to the economy. Last but not least, ensure that they have a key role within the wider extended producer responsibility (EPR) ecosystem to ensure that the products they design and place on the market come back into the loop.
We need to shift our mindset from designing for circularity to designing packaging with both circularity and, in our case, food resilience in mind
What design innovations, policy frameworks, and industry collaborations are most critical to scaling high-quality recyclability across Europe’s key sectors and accelerating consumer update of circular solutions?
KM : This is an important question. In my view, design innovation and strong EU policy frameworks create the foundation for recyclability, but they are not enough on their own. It is essential to work through trusted industry alliances, like Fibre Packaging Europe (FPE) or 4evergreen, to speak with one voice and build shared credibility across the value chain. We must also partner closely with local authorities, as effective collection - the first and most critical step in recycling - depends on strong local systems.
After all, what doesn’t get collected doesn’t get recycled.
Is design for circularity enough?
KM : Designing for circularity is definitely not enough because it doesn't address ‘the what’ and ‘the whom.’ We need to shift our mindset from designing for circularity to designing packaging with both circularity and, in our case, food resilience in mind.
Producers need to bring together knowledge from across the value chain into their circular design guidelines
Our members at the FBCA are continuously working to make sure that we provide safe food and beverages, from storage to transport, across the entire value chain to the end consumer. We need to consider the system as a whole: not only optimising the materials of our industry’s packaging, but also the food and beverages inside.
From your perspective, what should be the main takeaways from the general discussion of the Circular Economy Forum?
KM : This Forum highlighted two key takeaways for me that, I believe, are crucial to the topic of circularity. First: our sector needs clear and effective legal frameworks to work with and to use them properly to put circular products on the market. This can be supported by clear guidance from EU co-legislators, outlining clear roles and responsibilities. Second, and just as important, is our industry’s continued commitment to the circular economy. We will continue to bring our knowledge and expertise to support effective collection, sorting and recycling systems, so that the materials in our products can be recovered and kept in the loop.
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