Mona Arnold wants to put the needs of the ecosystem on the agenda

Mona Arnold is Principal Scientist at VTT (Technical Research Centre of Finland) and expert in the processes and technologies of circular economy. Her research focus mainly on the circularity, development, and innovation of the sustainable system. Something which she will bring to the talks at Scanpack Summit, where she will share her expertise and in-depth knowledge. 

– I am very much looking forward to the opportunity to discuss these issues with representatives from the industry. To hear about their challenges. This dialogue is absolutely necessary and needs more emphasis. To achieve a goal, such as sustainable packaging, we need to include representatives from the entire value chain, and we need support and initiative from public organisations, including research and decision-makers. Together, we need to work towards win-win solutions, Mona Arnold says.

Mismatch in the packaging industry

Mona Arnold has been highly committed to environmental issues throughout her life and has extensive experience in valorisation of various waste materials and scrapped products. In recent years, however, her research has focused mainly on the circularity, development, and innovation of the sustainable system. Something which she will bring to the talks at the Scanpack Summit.

– I want to talk about the inclusion of sustainable packaging in an ecosystem. And emphasise sustainability from start to finish, from packaging design to end of life. I want to highlight and support various circular processes and new solutions for recycling that are necessary for the ecosystem.

Mona Arnold’s work includes providing both the private and public sectors with research. In her role, she gains comprehensive insight into development and the challenges facing the packaging industry.

– Packaging is at the heart of the European circular agenda, and the challenges are many. First of all, we need to review packaging functionality. Today, we view it as something unnecessary and negative. However, packaging plays an important role for sustainability. It serves, for example, to reduce waste. Sometimes, we forget why we started using packaging to begin with. Also, there is currently a mismatch in the industry. Packaging is rapidly developing, and it’s given more and more functionality for various areas, such as logistics, but the recycling systems have not come far enough to efficiently recycle more complex materials.

However, Mona Arnold believes that it’s only a matter of time before today’s mismatch disappears.

– The packaging industry is working hard with new materials and new innovations related to packaging, thus reducing the amount of plastic in the contents. I’m hopeful. In 20–30 years, I don’t see us having this mismatch anymore.

An international holistic perspective

Many companies in the packaging industry are global players. This fact presents a challenge and means a greater need for cross-border cooperation.

– Recycling and waste systems are different in different countries. Companies in this industry need to comply with different rules and requirements in different markets, which is a major challenge. I hope that at the Scanpack Summit, we will inspire visitors and encourage a holistic perspective. I want to motivate companies to develop their own business and their products, and inspire a common international approach in the industry, Mona Arnold concludes.

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About Mona Arnold
Ms Mona Arnold (Lic. Tech., MBA) has her expertise in circular economy processes and technologies and interest in developing circular and sustainable business models and value chains. She acts as a principal scientist at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. She has a wide experience in the valorisation of different waste material and end of life products, such as municipal sludge and end of life vehicles. Lately she has been involved in several projects relating to the management of plastic waste and waste prevention and she is, among others leading a project on solutions for floating plastic debris, and analysing the formation of plastic waste valorisation innovation ecosystems. She is also involved in water management and its digitalization and active member of the European technology platform Water Europe.

About the Scanpack Summit
A strategically oriented conference with an international outlook, the Scanpack Summit brings together top-level decision-makers in both the packaging industry and politics. The Scanpack Summit is part of Scanpack, the key packaging trade fair in northern Europe. Learn more about Scanpack Summit >>