Report Challenges Reuse Targets for Strapping: Recycling May Be the Greener Path

Teufelberger Strap Product

Heidelberg, July 28, 2025 – A new study commissioned by the Project Alliance Strapping Bandansp (PAS) is raising tough questions about the EU’s upcoming reuse rules for transport packaging. Authored by Andrea Drescher and Benedikt Kauertz of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg (ifeu), the report finds that when it comes to pallet strapping, reuse isn’t always the most sustainable option.

EU Rules Driving Change

The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), adopted in early 2025, sets ambitious targets: by 2030, 40% of transport packaging must be reusable, rising to 70% by 2040. For businesses moving goods between company sites, the requirement will be 100% reuse.

But according to the PAS report, strapping bands – the plastic strips that stabilize pallets – may not fit neatly into this vision.

What the Study Found

• Reuse isn’t working – Tests show that strapping bands typically survive only one or two uses before losing strength, especially at welded joints. That’s far below the 20–30 cycles needed to deliver environmental benefits.

• Single-use performs better in transport – Lightweight and adaptable, single-use strapping makes more efficient use of trucks, while bulky reusable systems often waste space and increase emissions.

• Material matters – Reusable options require much more plastic per unit. Without high reuse rates, this added material burden outweighs the gains.

• Recycling is key – The big opportunity lies in closed-loop recycling. Today, most recycled strapping is made from bottle waste. Building a dedicated system to collect and recycle strapping itself could sharply cut emissions without forcing impractical reuse schemes.

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A Call for Smarter Policy

The authors recommend that policymakers apply reuse targets more flexibly. For strapping, they argue, closed-loop recycling should count as an equivalent environmental strategy. They urge investment in collection systems, recycling infrastructure, and “design for recycling” strapping made from single, easily sortable materials.

Why It Matters

The findings challenge a common assumption: that reuse is always better for the environment. In reality, says the report, the most sustainable path for strapping may be smarter recycling – not reuse at any cost.

The full study, “The environmental relevance of selected parameters of single-use and reusable transport packaging”, is available here.

ifeu Final Report PAS.pdf

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