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 …

An issue that is often overlooked in discussions about packaging sustainability and sourcing recyclates is social injustice - and with it human rights abuses. Alina Marm is not only head of global sustainability and circular economy at Siegwerk, but also a PhD researcher at the University College London, and she has been looking into this issue in-…

In the first edition of our snapshot Sustainability Perspectives podcast, where we look at sustainability issues in a compact form, Alex Pitsinos, director of strategic planning at Matrix Pack, explores the current economic, business and packaging landscape and sustainability as a growth driver. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the leading int…

We take another in-depth look at the fast-moving and dynamic e-commerce sector with H.B. Fuller. The company’s global e-commerce manager Tania Montesi discusses recent developments, the impact of sustainability demand and changing legislation as well as innovations and future trends. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the leading international f…

In our latest podcast, we revisit the topic of decarbonisation from a packaging perspective – a topic that is becoming ever more relevant and urgent. Sarah Laidler, senior consultant at the Carbon Trust speaks to Elisabeth Skoda about the complexities around decarbonisation, the UN treaty to end plastic waste and how this ties in with carbon, the i…

In our latest podcast, we take a closer look at Extended Producer Responsibility. EPR policies generally shift the waste management cost or physical collection partially or fully from local governments to producers. Elisabeth Skoda explores recent developments, sustainability issues EPR can help to address and challenges it can pose to businesses, …

CELAB Europe is a collaboration across the self-adhesive label value chain, aiming to create greater circularity by promoting the recycling of release liner and matrix in Europe. Frances Butler speaks to Ophelie Gourdou, project co-ordinator at CELAB Europe, Herma's Ralf Drache, who is also chairman of CELAB Europe, and CCL's Marika Knorr of CCL, w…

What are the key sustainability challenges in packaging, and in particular labelling this year? What does the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Revision mean for the sector? What are the implications for reuse and refill packaging models and downstream demands for innovations, including the wash-off label space? Packaging Europe's Tim Sykes speaks …

The world faces a plastic waste problem. Joint-up thinking is needed to address this considerable challenge. Clem Ugorji is the founder and lead advisor at Circularium Africa Advisory, a partnership which works to join up policies, programmes and partnerships to enable growth and sustainable development, and a consultant to the World Economic Forum…

Flexible packaging offers great functionality, but also faces some sustainability challenges. Justine Hanlon, H.B. Fuller’s Global Marketing Manager for flexible materials, discusses the latest developments and innovations in flexible packaging and adhesives and takes a look at what to expect in the year to come with Elisabeth Skoda. Packaging Euro…

KIND, part of the Mars family, has announced that it is utilising materials sourced from advanced recycling to package its snack bars, aiming to reduce the amount of virgin plastics in its packaging portfolio. Elisabeth Skoda speaks to Liz Jacobsen, who is global technical sustainability director at KIND to discuss how the development of the materi…

Martina Wagner, Constantia Flexibles’ Group Sustainability Manager, discusses the sustainability potential and challenges of flexible packaging and its role when it comes to preventing food waste with Elisabeth Skoda. We also take a look at the recently released Packaging Waste Directive. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the leading internatio…

As the e-commerce sector keeps growing, so are the demands on packaging. In our latest Sustainability Perspectives podcast, we look at the latest trends and developments in sustainability and beyond, the impact of changing legislation and consumer expectations and how this influences brands’ actions. We also explore concrete solutions and future de…

Sustainability demands on flexible packaging, both plastic and paper, have changed over the years. In our latest Sustainability Perspectives podcast, Mondi Group's Fabio Peyer discusses how different requirements on packaging can be balanced, how to address the challenges of designing for recycling and incorporating recycled content, and how the co…

In our latest podcast, we take a closer look at the latest technology and innovation advances in fiber-based packaging. We explore how these advances boost the material's functionality and enable it to cater for ever more sophisticated customer demands. Packaging Europe's Elisabeth Skoda speaks to Francisco Galindo, Head of Technology in Huhtamaki’…

NEXTLOOPP, the overall winner of Packaging Europe’s 2021 Sustainability Awards, set out to close the loop on polypropylene by creating food-grade recycled PP from post-consumer packaging. Professor Edward Kosior, the founder and creator of NEXTLOOPP speaks to Elisabeth Skoda about the project’s work, roadblocks to plastics recycling and the impact …

Sustainability is key when it comes to innovation and developments in both paper and plastic flexible packaging. Many consumers perceive paper as the go-to recyclable packaging material of choice. But is this perception based on facts? Dr. Achim Grefenstein, Senior Vice President of Group R&D at Constantia Flexibles discusses the role of material i…

In the latest podcast in our Sustainability Perspectives series, we speak to Alexander Rauer, Head of Business Development FlexTech at Koehler Paper, about the role of paper packaging in brands' sustainability efforts, and how to navigate the challenges and opportunities associated with making the transition to paper. This content was sponsored by …

The plastic value chain initiative RecyClass has recently published a design book to support the plastics industry to design recyclable packaging, highlighting the importance of using proven technology and materials for designing truly circular packaging. Adhesives expert Bostik contributes to these efforts by providing proven bonding solutions. Wl…

The world faces a range of complex sustainability challenges, and creative minds, as well as financial commitment, are needed to address these. The 100+ Accelerator programme was founded in 2018 with AB InBev and it has set itself the goal to fund and pilot sustainable innovation by giving start-ups a helping hand. Elisabeth Skoda speaks with Carol…

Earlier this year, AIPIA (the Active and Intelligent Packaging Industry Association) and Packaging Europe entered a strategic partnership, aiming to accelerate the uptake of smart packaging innovation. A few months into the collaboration, Elisabeth Skoda catches up with Eef de Ferrante, managing director at AIPIA, and Andrew Manly, AIPIA’s communic…

Packaging Europe's Global Packaging Innovation Forum event helped spark a collaboration between Blue Box Partners and H.B. Fuller, which resulted in a series of dedicated sessions, the Innovation Academies. At these events, partners across the value chain work together on co-designing tomorrow’s packaging solutions. Elisabeth Skoda explores the pow…

In this podcast, Hannah Cole speaks to Dr Geoff Brighty from Mura Technology about what the WWF's recently-released chemical recycling principles mean for the chemical recycling industry as it builds on current opportunities and challenges. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the leading international figures in packaging innovation, sustainabili…

New rules governing the placement and promotion of HFSS foods (high in fat, sugar and salt) will come into force in the UK in October 2022, changing the way these products can be sold and promoted in-store. This will impact manufacturers, brand owners, retailers and packaging producers. Elisabeth Skoda speaks to Mark Patterson, who is Vice Presiden…

UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe represents the interests of consumers and producers of non-alcoholic beverages across Europe and has also set itself ambitious sustainability targets with its Circular Packaging Vision 2030. Elisabeth Skoda discusses progress made towards this vision, the state of the market today as well as plans and goals with UNESDA’s d…

Elisabeth Skoda explores the technology behind fiber-based packaging, a material that has been growing in popularity, looks at challenges and opportunities and discusses potential future developments with Herwin Wichers, Head of FMCG Category, Huhtamaki Fiber and Foodservice Europe-Asia-Oceania. Packaging Europe's podcast, featuring the leading int…