The German Packaging Congress is inviting executives and decision-makers from the industry to Berlin for the industry summit on 14 March 2024 with a top-class line-up. Speakers at the congress include executives from Nestlé, Ikea, Lidl, Rewe, Procter & Gamble, Metsä Group, Mondi, R-Cycle, WWF, FDP and a number of start-ups.
For the 19th time, the German Packaging Institute (dvi) is organising the German Packaging Congress. „Rarely has it been as important as this year to be at the industry's networking summit,“ says dvi Managing Director Kim Cheng with conviction. „In Brussels and Strasbourg the regulators are on the home straight shortly before the European elections in June. They will make far-reaching decisions, of which the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation is certainly of particular importance. But a lot is also happening at national level in the area of packaging. The big picture is becoming increasingly complex and challenging.“
There will be keynote speeches on the topic of transformation and cooperation in the value chain as well as a joint panel discussion with PreZero International, WWF Germany, Metsä Group and the environmental and consumer protection spokesperson for the FDP parliamentary group in the Bundestag, the take a look at the European perspective. Heike Vesper, Head of Transformation Policy and Economics, WWF Germany, says in her outlook: „Our approach to packaging is currently unsustainable. We need a systemic transformation towards a holistic circular economy. This can only be formulated and implemented together with politics, business and civil society.“
Best practice in sustainability and supply chain
Cheng has announced top decision-makers from Ikea, Nestlé, Rewe, Henkel, Lidl and Mondi for the topic block on sustainability and the supply chain. „We will be discussing, what role packaging plays in a changing world, what potential it offers and how it can be realised. We will get to know the circular economy as well as the opportunities and challenges from the perspective of a branded goods manufacturer, learn how sustainable packaging solutions can be considered holistically, what innovations look like and how reusable packaging can become a real alternative in terms of the circular economy,“ says Cheng.
Pia Schnück, Head of Sustainability at the Rewe Group, has a clear message on the subject of reusable packaging: “In order to establish reusable packaging as a real alternative in terms of the circular economy and to utilise the enormous sustainability potential of reusable packaging, we need to common standards and scalable systems. Cross-company and cross-sector reusable solutions are an important prerequisite for this.“
„Digitalisation has played a central role for our industry, and not just since the massive penetration of artificial intelligence into the public debate. At the congress, we will be discussing advanced technologies and opportunities in sorting and digitalising the circular economy with Procter & Gamble and R-Cycle, among others, and will also be taking a dedicated look at the digital product passport.“
Kim Cheng, dvi Managing Director
For Dr Benedikt Brenken, Director of R-Cycle, one thing is clear: “The reporting requirements for packaging are increasing enormously. The digital product passport is the central tool, to fulfil regulatory and industrial information obligations across companies. The required data is transmitted in a secure, simple and standardised way, which significantly reduces the workload for the companies involved.“
Best practice and cooperation projects with start-ups
The congress will also feature the „waste and packaging ecosystem“ Futury, start-ups such as Scalize and circolution and the Head of Corporate Packaging at Nestlé Germany will jointly present a series of best practices. They will show how innovations and transformative processes can be established, initiated and implemented. „In order to implement sustainable innovations in the packaging industry, all players along the value chain, from packaging manufacturers to recyclers, need to pull together. Start-ups can break through established thought patterns, As a „neutral“ party, we can unite the interests of the value chain and enrich it with new solutions,“ Melissa Ott and Annika Schoofs, Managing Director and Programme Manager of Futury respectively, are convinced.
Source: German Packaging Institute
