In October 2024 Plastics Recyclers Europe issued a statement warning that "The increasing lack of demand for recyclates produced in Europe, the reduced investments in domestic recycling, and the increase in imports of recyclates from outside the EU have been suffocating the European plastics recycling industry in the last few years. These issues ar…

Demand for sustainable packaging, whether it’s plastic or paper, is growing. How can coatings help with fulfilling this demand? Siegwerk’s Gilles Le Moigne shares with Elisabeth Skoda how the company innovates and tackles challenges particularly around paper and plastic packaging in the area of food packaging. He also discusses collaborations and t…

At this year’s Fachpack, Elisabeth Skoda caught up with Wipak’s Food Division Commercial Director Michael Martin. They discussed the transformation towards more sustainability in flexible packaging, innovations, Wipak's plans beyond flexible packaging, wider industry trends and much more. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the leading internatio…

How far has the packaging industry come in accessible design, and how can it do better? Victoria Hattersley spoke with Gordon McCulloch and Allan Mabert from the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RiDC) to find out. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the leading international figures in packaging innovation, sustainability and strategy, …

Avoiding plastic waste is an important piece of the packaging sustainability puzzle. In our latest podcast interview with Dr. Alexander von Niessen, Managing Partner and CEO at Chocal Sustainable Packaging, we hear how the company addresses this challenge through innovative packaging machines that work with renewable raw materials that are both rec…

PulPac and PA Consulting have set up a partnership to create the “world’s first” Dry Molded Fiber bottle under the umbrella of the Bottle Collective. PulPac’s Sanna Fager and PA Consulting’s Tony Perrotta discuss the technology, the collaboration’s journey so far, highlights from 2024 and future plans. The two companies will be exhibiting at our Su…

What are the challenges and possibilities around switching to recyclable packaging materials particularly in the pharmaceutical and food space? Jonathan Cage, Director for Business Development at ICPG, a division of Impact Plastics, speaks to Elisabeth Skoda about the company’s XPP® Polypropylene solution. ICPG will be exhibiting at Packaging Europ…

Ton Knipscheer of the European Co-Packers Association talks to Tim Sykes about the reasons why contract manufacturing is more and more central to the strategies of not just retailer's private label products, but also to delivering the innovation to brands. We also discuss the need for dialogue between the co-packing sector and the wider packaging-F…

NVC's Michael Nieuwesteeg and Tim Sykes discuss the importance of open and rigorous communication in the context of the Gouden Noot competition, as well as how packaging approaches both the wide possibilities and the risks associated with Artificial Intelligence - which is the subject of Michael's talk at the Sustainable Packaging Summit. The winne…

Elvire Regnier, founder of the Regenerative-Advisory, "Shaping the future of Procurement and Sales through Regenerative Operating Models" chats with Libby Munford, Editor, ahead of speaking at the Sustainable Packaging Summit in a key panel. We delve into the importance of using a 360 degree approach, and nurturing a balance between key partners, w…

Our first every crossover podcast, collaborating with North America's leading packaging podcast Cory Connors, who interviews our very own Tim Sykes, along with Olga Kachook and Tom Pollock, as we discuss the co-located events the Sustainable Packaging Summit and SPC Engage, which together make Amsterdam on 11-12-13 November the not-to-miss opportun…

What are the benefits of using plant fibre-based packaging, what have some of the recent innovations been, and what is the potential for fibre-based packaging beyond wood? Howard Ma, vice president of Yuto Group and Yutoeco discusses this and much more with Elisabeth Skoda. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the leading international figures in …

As one of the world’s biggest recyclers by volume, Gemini Corporation has been working to establish scrap materials as a valuable, traceable resource for the past 35 years. Emma Liggins sits down with Chief Sustainability and Strategy Officer Vikas Chhajer to hear more about the organization’s efforts to improve collection, sorting, and livelihoods…

The importance of sustainability is steadily growing, especially in in Europe, due to regulations like the European Commission’s CSRD-based ESRS. Mitja Brgant, Director of European Operations at sustainability analytics specialist Trayak talks us through the importance of a holistic, data-driven approach and what steps companies can take to achieve…

The e-commerce sector is steadily growing. Adhesive tape producer monta’s Sylvia di Felice discusses e-commerce market conditions, challenges, the opportunities that come from choosing the right adhesive tapes, reducing CO2 emissions, recyclability and more. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the leading international figures in packaging innova…

What are the key trends in the flexible packaging market right now? How does a machinery manufacturer tackle the sustainability demands on flexible packaging such as design for recycling and novel materials? How does collaboration help tackle these challenges? Bobst’s Sara Alexander discusses this and much more with Elisabeth Skoda. Packaging Europ…

Libby Munford chats with Daniel Friedmann, who has recently been announced as Solutum's Corporate Director and Board Member. Friedmann has been tasked with global scaling of company’s sustainable material with holistic End-of-Life for flexible packaging. Friedmann previously served as Chairman and then also as CEO of Carbon Engineering, the pioneer…

What are the fashion and textiles industry's biggest problems when it comes to sustainable packaging and where do the solutions lie? To help answer these questions, Victoria Hattersley spoke with Georgia Parker, Innovation Director at Fashion for Good – an organization whose mission is to unite the fashion ecosystem to bring about positive change. …

Libby Munford chats with Marius Tent, Director & founder, ViaPackaging; Benoit Piette, Founder - Packaging Ecodesign and Circularity Consultant, Bluenote Pack; and Thibaut Mirieu de Labarre, Founder, InspireCo - to find out why they have united to combine their expertise. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the leading international figures in pa…

Like much of our audience, Packaging Europe has been following the ongoing news around Suzano’s potential takeover of International Paper, and how this may in turn affect the potential takeover of DS Smith. But what are the more general implications of such huge mergers for a wider value chain? Victoria Hattersley spoke with Tim Galpin, author and …

“Plastic is a problem when you make it a problem.” Dana Mosora and Hilda Addah set up ASASE Foundation to enable Ghanaian women entrepreneurs to cash in on the plastic waste in the country’s capital Accra to benefit their own communities. They discuss challenges and opportunities and also the broader picture of tackling plastic waste across the wor…

What really happens at the Global Plastics Treaty INC negotiations, how did the most recent INC-4 unfold and what work is left to do before INC-5 in Busan? Victoria Hattersley finds out from Magnus Løvold of the Norwegian Academy of International Law. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the leading international figures in packaging innovation, s…

On the eve of drupa 2024, HP's Eli Mahal discusses the landscape around print for packaging and labels, why advances in speed and productivity means digital print is poised to go mainstream, how HP is addressing packaging's sustainability demands, and what challenges will define the innovation agenda over the coming years. Packaging Europe's podcas…

Women are a prominent presence in the packaging industry, but face challenges in what sometimes still is a male-dominated sector. Elisabeth Skoda speaks with two women who have made their mark on the industry – Nerida Kelton, Vice President Sustainability and Save Food for the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) and Executive Director for the Austra…

Libby Munford catches up with Koon-Yang Lee, Professor of Polymer Engineering at Imperial College London and Lead of the Future Materials Group - a dynamic research group consisting of scientists and engineers proficient in the development of chemical engineering-driven materials innovations to create a sustainable, resource efficient, low-carbon a…

Why can it be so difficult to scale up some of the more novel or ‘niche’ feedstocks for packaging materials, what role can investors play and how can startups secure this investment? Victoria Hattersley explored these questions with Fredric Petit of Emerald Technology Ventures. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the leading international figures…

“I believe that the word ocean plastic is an overreach of a statement.” Prevented Ocean Plastic’s founder Raffi Schieir speaks to Elisabeth Skoda about challenges and myths around ocean plastic and explains why prevention through high quality collection and sortation systems is key to solving the problem. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the l…

"...The building blocks are moving, all the CPGs are developing this. They might not openly talk about it, but it's definitely happening behind the scenes." Libby Munford chats with CEO and founder of CLUBZERO, Safia Qureshi, to catch up on the latest news behind the scenes of Returnable Packaging Systems. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the …

Tuomas Mustonen from Paptic and Fredric Petit from Emerald's sustainable packaging fund reflect on the long journey of a renewable flexible packaging start-up from spin-out to a fast growing business with a mix of VC and corporate backers, what (apart from a winning technology) makes a start-up an investable proposition, and the benefits of a diver…

In the second episode of our reuse two-parter, Victoria Hattersley speaks to Stephanie Northen, PhD Researcher in Microplastics and Research Associate for Revolution Plastics and the Global Plastics Policy Centre at the University of Portsmouth, about how reuse can be implemented on a wider scale within the current regulatory landscape and where co…

Bridging the gap between academia, industry and government in issues surrounding waste. Libby Munford talks with Calvin Lakhan, co-investigator of "The Waste Wiki" university run research project, which uses evidence based and scientifically informed decision making to promote the principles of a circular economy and sustainable approach. Packaging…

When it comes to the retail sector, what action is needed to scale up reuse and refill? Victoria Hattersley speaks with circular economy consultant Chris Baker who, in the course of his career, has worked with a wide range of organizations such as Terracycle, Algramo and, most recently, Fyllar. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the leading inte…

Pro Carton commissioned a series of studies that explore consumer attitudes towards and perception of packaging, covering a wide range of topics around sustainability and other global concerns such as the economic crisis and war in Ukraine. Pro Carton’s Winfried Muehling discusses insights and takeaways from the 2024 report with Elisabeth Skoda. Pa…

Many people end up in the packaging industry by chance, but what makes a career in packaging rewarding and exciting, and what are the options for getting into the industry? Elisabeth Skoda speaks to Peter Macqueen, who is course leader for the Packaging Professional BSc at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK and explores pathways into the packagi…

Güneri Tugcu, senior partner manager, Transparency at Amazon, and Jenny Stanley, managing director at Appetite Creative, sit down with Packaging Europe to discuss the connected packaging industry – its continual evolution, current roadblocks, how it might move forward, and who is responsible for driving change. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring…

The experts from Stora Enso Packaging Materials discuss microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) as an innovation that enables lightweight paperboard. Elisabeth Skoda speaks to Kati Ekman, Tuomas Puonti and Mateo Saavedra del Oso about MFC, its role in lightweighting and how it supports the efficient use of fibres. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the…

Newly elected chair of 4evergreen, the European platform bringing the entire fibre-based packaging value chain together to advance circularity, discusses the journey, opportunities and challenges for paper-based packaging in 2024. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the leading international figures in packaging innovation, sustainability and str…

With the global packaging Sustainability Awards and Dow's Packaging Innovation Awards opening for submissions, Mintel's David Luttenberger - the world's foremost Packaging Geek and jury member on both competitions - speaks to Tim Sykes about key trends on the innovation landscape, and the advances we hope to see emerging in the coming year. Packagi…

Printing inks and coatings not only add colour to product labels and packaging, but also ensure their functionality and safety. Siegwerk’s Alina Marm discusses the product journey and the material aspects that play a part in each step of the production process with Elisabeth Skoda, looking at innovations in the areas of ink and coatings with a part…

Hatzopolous’s Eleftherios Kassianidis and Lefki Prountzou take a close-up look at the challenges and opportunities around plastic films that incorporate post-consumer recycled and bio-circular content, using the example of the company’s X-LOOP range. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the leading international figures in packaging innovation, su…

In our latest podcast, Huhtamaki North America’s VP for Sustainability and Communications Michael Hodges and Sales Account Manager Tyler Hodges discuss fibre-based packaging, and in particular fibre-based egg packaging in the US market, highlighting challenges and opportunities around sustainability and legislation. To learn more about Huhtamaki’s …

“The whole industry is working to improve the quality of recyclates, and we can only do that together without too much compromise.” Constantia Flexibles’ Achim Grefenstein talks to Elisabeth Skoda about challenges and opportunities around recyclability and using recycled content for packaging films and spotlights new developments and innovations. P…

Following the HolyGrail 2.0 member meeting just ahead of Packaging Europe’s Sustainable Packaging Summit and an insightful panel discussion at the event, Elisabeth Skoda catches up with Jan 't Hart, the European Brands Association’s project manager for the HolyGrail project, and Pranav Goenka, one of the Alliance’s senior advisors. Together, they l…

Following the European parliament's adoption of amendments to the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), Tim Sykes speaks to Avery Dennison's policy specialists Emilie Bartolini and Alena Maran to get their take on implications for the value chain, challenges and opportunities and the company's actions to 'PPWR-proof' itself and …

What is the potential of moulded fibre packaging? Hartmann Group’s Kati Ørskov talks about the company’s new Greenpack MAP packaging, a fibre-based tray for meat, with Elisabeth Skoda. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the leading international figures in packaging innovation, sustainability and strategy, is now weekly! Be sure to subscribe so …

Stefano Rossi has been CEO of DS Smith's packaging division since 2014 and has some 35 years of experience working in the paper industry. He chats to Packaging Europe's Tim Sykes about key changes and developments in the industry, challenges the sector faces and strategies to address these, and looks at innovation opportunities in the areas of exte…

In our latest snapshot Sustainability Perspectives podcast, we take a closer look at how label innovation can support the transition to a circular economy, from reusable packaging to recyclability and food waste prevention. Elisabeth Skoda speaks to CCL Labels’ Marika Knorr and Checkpoint Systems’ Julien Thibult. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuri…

The landscape of packaging and brand packaging design has changed remarkably over the last decades. Industry stalwarts David Hodgson and Andrew Eyles, co-founders of bluemarlin brand acceleration agency, share their insights on how the industry has transformed, discuss what makes this such an exciting industry to be in and take a glimpse at future …

With increasing sustainability demands, companies have to find ways to make their packaging more sustainable without sacrificing functionality. Dirk Gabriel, COO Consumer Flexibles at Mondi, sheds light on how including post-consumer recycled content (PCR) can help companies reach their sustainability goals, and will discuss what challenges have to…

In our latest podcast, we discuss how growing demands on packaging functionality can be tackled and how companies can honour both their own sustainability commitments and consumer demands with David Clark, vice president of sustainability at Amcor, and Jeremy Wallach, partner at McKinsey & Company. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the leading …