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The German Packaging Congress took place for the 18th time this year, 2023 under the motto „VUCA“. packaging journal was there live and found informative presentations, lively dialogue and lively discussions.
VUCA - Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity. This was the motto of the 18th German Packaging Congress held on 30 and 31 March at the dbb Forum in Berlin, organised by the German Packaging Institute (dvi). The topic could not have been more fitting, as the world has changed fundamentally on several levels in the last three years. The climate crisis, pandemic and war have also left their mark on the packaging industry. About the Ways and means for brands and companies to find their way in this new, challenging world and to survive on the market was the subject of lively discussion in the German capital.
The first day of the event was opened and skilfully moderated by Claudia Fasse, Managing Director of Fasse + Bieger Strategische Kommunikation. „There is hardly an industry that can claim that everything is the same today as it was five years ago. So much is being remodelled, there is so much to achieve. The Not losing competitiveness and at the same time recognising and seizing opportunities - that's what we want to focus on today“, Fasse pointedly outlined the agenda.
Willingness to engage in dialogue
After it was initially unclear whether he would make it on time - the Berlin traffic was still characterised by the royal British visit - Michael Kellner was on stage in time for the first lecture of the day.
The Green member of the Bundestag and Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) was the mouthpiece of politics at the congress in his role as the federal government's representative for SMEs. And, perhaps surprisingly for some, this mouthpiece did not come to the dbb Forum with a raised index finger. „The Packaging performance and the use of resources must be made more visible“, it sounded from the stage. „We need a close dialogue, a close exchange with the packaging industry,“ said Kellner.
The subsequent discussion with dvi Managing Director Kim Cheng, which also included comments from the audience, showed that There is a willingness to engage in dialogue and a need for discussion.
In two presentations, Frank Heinricht, Chairman of the Schott AG, and Peter Biele, CEO of thyssenkrupp Rasselstein, the respective companies' path to climate neutrality. The fact that these are two of the energy-intensive industries - glass and steel production - made the insights even more impressive.
Schott, for example, is already planning to produce climate-neutral glass by 2030 - using green electricity and hydrogen. At thyssenkrupp, climate-neutral steel production is not on the programme until 2045. However, given the savings required to achieve this, it is still an impressive target. „You have to realise that: We [meaning the entire steel division at thyssenkrupp, editor's note] cause ten times the CO2-consumption of all German air traffic. We would need around 3800 wind turbines for this alone,“ says Biele. We are not closing our eyes to the existing problems.
The solution is obvious to the CEO. „We simply take the Take coal out and put hydrogen in.“ Green hydrogen as a beacon of hope for an entire industry.
Dieter Berndt Prize for Alfred Theodor Ritter
But it's not just packaging producers that are under pressure, users are too. This was emphasised in the presentation „Disruption as an opportunity“ by Thomas Reiner, CEO of Berndt+Partner Group, more than clear. „The The basic task of the brand is to provide orientation and decision-making certainty. In the digital context, however, people can orientate themselves differently and exchange ideas on online platforms,“ says Reiner.
In addition, brands are too trade-orientated, i.e. quasi B2B-orientated, and are not in direct contact with consumers as much as start-ups are.
However, the awarding of the Dieter Berndt Prize to Alfred Theodor Ritter, entrepreneur and owner of the Alfred Ritter GmbH, Most people are probably familiar with the „Ritter Sport“ chocolate brand. „You allow yourself the luxury of your own opinion. You understand business management and you understand people,“ said Oliver Berndt, Head of Event & Marketing at dvi, in his successful laudatory speech to the newly honoured award winner.
Born in 1953, Ritter, who initially worked as a psychotherapist in Heidelberg after studying psychology at the beginning of the 1980s, moved into corporate management in the mid-1980s. The reactor accident in Chernobyl in 1986 was decisive for his personal values as well as his trend-setting decisions in the company - The hazelnut harvest in Turkey was destroyed as a result, which also affected chocolate production.
„For me, Chernobyl pretty much turned the world upside down. I have realised that we have to treat this world more carefully“, says Ritter.
A successful event
Eva Bredehorst, Global Packaging Sustainability Manager at Beiersdorf.
While packaging such as the classic Nivea tin is already suitable for efficient recycling due to the material, this is more difficult with shampoo bottles and cream tubes, but is nevertheless necessary. „It is our Mandate as distributor that packaging can be recycled again are,“ says Bredehrost. „At the same time, we also need to work together with recyclers to ensure that packaging is actually recycled and not just designed for this purpose.“
Overall, the selection of speakers at the Packaging Congress provided a broad and balanced picture of the industry. Critical voices were also heard, such as the journalist Benedict Wermter („Die Recyclinglüge“, 2022) and Jan-Niclas Gesenhues (Bündnis90/Die Grünen), member of the Bundestag and head of the Working Group on the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.
Hans-Lothar Domröse, retired general and former NATO commander, provided a completely unusual view of the global situation at the end of the first day of the event. „China is the greatest economic threat, Russia the greatest acute threat,“ said Domröse, shedding light on an aspect that had previously only been discussed in passing at the congress.
On the second day of the event, visitors were then able to take part in various workshops. The focus was mostly on Cooperation between companies and start-ups - A relationship that does not always run smoothly.
In the workshop „Success factors in collaboration between companies and start-ups“, which was led by Melissa Ott and Bianca Mok from the start-up platform Futury, one participant commented: „Start-ups often start before they realise all the risks involved. We often take a critical view of this, but perhaps we also need to see it in a positive light.“ Overall, the participants showed a strong urge for discussion and exchange. The workshop format was perfect for this.
In short, the 18th German Packaging Congress was a complete success. Visitors will certainly be able to draw on the presentations for a long time to come and are likely to have expanded their network considerably. Crisis or no crisis, everyone left this event with a good feeling.
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