Some 1.5 billion batteries, both single-use and rechargeable, are sold in Germany each year.

Since 1998, the GRS Batterien foundation has been working to achieve efficient recycling of the resources. That includes some 170,000 collection points, including 140,000 at retail locations alone.

There are various different container types available for collection, with the central collection element comprising a transport box of specially coated corrugated board that is set out at the retail location. It is then retrieved by the disposal company, meaning it must be designed to meet the strictest logistical requirements. The batteries are classified as a hazardous material for transport purposes, requiring the packaging to also meet up to the requirements of the hazardous materials regulations.

Several months ago as part of a continuous improvement process, the development team at the STI Group updated and improved the packaging design on the existing collection box. The result is a design that requires almost 30 percent less material. At the same time they managed to create a solution that no longer requires a separate plastic carrying handle, allowing the entire packaging unit to be created from one single type of material. That provides a double benefit to the environment. The new packaging also bears the FSC seal denoting paper harvested through sustainable forestry.