The “Pavilion Alternative Packaging Solutions” will take place for the second time at FACHPACK in 2025 and will be presented in cooperation with the Munich-based agency pacoon GmbH. This show is dedicated to alternative packaging solutions and materials such as wood fiber, glass, plastic, and metal. Companies will be presenting various packaging options, ranging from compostable film bags and padding materials made from grain husks, to packaging made from sugar cane.
The Future of Packaging
The exhibitors’ presentation will be supplemented by the SOLPACK 6.0 forum, where FACHPACK is once again cooperating with the Pacoon agency, which will moderate and present focus topics relating to alternative and sustainable packaging solutions in the SOLPACK 6.0 forum.
“After the great success of SOLPACK 5.0 in cooperation with FACHPACK, we are looking forward to the new edition SOLPACK 6.0. With SOLPACK, FACHPACK offers another forum for innovative concepts and developments as well as the discussion of core topics,” says Peter Désilets, Managing Director of Pacoon.
PPWR as a Central Challenge
“SOLPACK has always been a window into the future of packaging with topics that will be important in the coming years. The most important driver at the moment is, of course, the PPWR, in which, contrary to popular opinion, most of the requirements have already been clarified and are foreseeable,” says Désilets. As an expert in sustainable packaging concepts, Pacoon offers a global, digital tool for identifying and managing packaging portfolios with its new PPWR Check web tool. What impact does the PPWR have and how is a company equipped for it? A question that concerns everyone in the industry, explains Désilets.
From 2026, packaging will have to fulfil the first requirements for labelling and hazardous substances. “Many people are not yet aware of this, but it means a lot of work on the packaging artwork,” says Désilets. These and other topics will be discussed during the SOLPACK 6.0 forum on the three days of the trade fair.
From recycling to AI and Reusable Packaging
There are five thematic blocks for conference participants:
- transport packaging and supply chain safety
- alternative packaging solutions
- laws, recycling, and recyclates
- AI in the company
- reusable packaging in B2C and best case projects, start-ups.
The first day will focus on the supply chain and alternative raw materials. The second day will focus on legislation, AI, and reusable packaging. On the third day, new projects from the packaging industry will be presented and discussed, and around 35 experts from science and companies such as Mondi, Prezero, Evonik, and Plastik Bank will address key issues and give keynote speeches on all three days of the trade fair. There will also be panel discussions in the individual topic blocks.
For example, the panel on “Recyclates – Requirements in the PPWR” will take place on the second FACHPACK day, 24 September, starting at 10.30 am. The panelists will include Patrick Neumann, Director of Product Management at the circular economy service provider Interzero, Timothy Glaz, Head of Corporate Affairs at Werner & Mertz, manufacturer of the "Frosch" brand products, and Ansgar Schonlau from Maag. Maag is an internationally active family business that specializes in recyclable plastic packaging. Its range of services includes flexographic printing, lamination, and perforation.
In addition to technical knowledge, the SOLPACK forum also deals with practical questions. How can companies ensure that the ingredients for products can be transported hygienically in reusable packaging? How do member states deal with the minimum recycling requirements for fiber packaging if they now demand higher fiber content? There will also be examples of how AI is already being used in the packaging industry today.
The detailed program can be found on the FACHPACK website.
By Anna Ntemiris, Editor
