In the fully booked pavilion, 13 companies will be exhibiting and showing alternative packaging options to conventional materials such as wood fiber, glass, plastic and metal. Products such as compostable film bags, cushioning material made from grain husks, compostable tea bags, packaging made from sugar cane and much more will be on display.
The exhibitors' presentation in Hall 3 will be accompanied by the SOLPACK 5.0 forum, which is dedicated to sustainable packaging solutions and will be held and moderated by Peter Desiléts and Volker Muche, Managing Directors of the packaging design agency Pacoon GmbH. A varied program and exciting presentations await trade fair visitors on all three days of the fair. n the SOLPACK 5.0 Forum, each day of the fair will be dedicated to a key topic. A total of 35 experts as well as the pavilion exhibitors will give short presentations.
On the Circular Economy Through Reusable Packaging
The first day is dedicated to the topic of reusable packaging. Peter Desiléts is certain: "Reusable packaging is the most promising long-term solution on the road to environmentally friendly packaging and the circular economy." However, new logistics and take-back models, such as those currently being developed, are a prerequisite. The pool system established in Germany is to be welcomed, but should not be transferred linearly into the future; it needs to be expanded. "The pool system in Germany has unfortunately deteriorated over the years. Initially, there were uniform, standardized bottles and crates in the beverage sector. These were increasingly customized by the respective bottlers. As a result, the entire logistics process has become more complex and less profitable and not all steps have been automated. Together with many networks and partners, a new system is therefore being developed to eliminate the weaknesses internationally and make the system attractive again," says Desiléts. The fact that more and more products are being integrated into reusable systems is a positive development. One example is the Berlin-based company dotch, a system provider that has developed a standardized, shatterproof reusable bottle specifically for edible oils.
At FACHPACK, André Pietzke from dotch will report on the new reusable system in the SOLPACK 5.0. forum.
Potential of Grass, Straw and Co.
On the second day of the trade fair, the focus will be on innovative fiber materials. Experts from packaging companies will present new solutions, talk about barrier papers and coatings, present alternative food packaging and discuss possible areas of application. According to Desiléts, more and more materials are suitable for packaging. Grass, bagasse, hemp and straw are considered promising. Rice straw, bamboo, seaweed and algae could also be used as materials to replace wood as a raw material. "It will be crucial that the packaging works in the waste paper stream and that fiber recycling is achieved. Then fiber-based packaging will have a bright future." The speakers will also be available for talks and discussions in the forum afterwards.
Recycling as a Topic For The Future
The third day of the trade fair is all about recycling. The overarching goal of the new PPWR is to strengthen the circular economy and promote innovation in the area of sustainability. Many companies have therefore already set themselves high targets in terms of the recyclability of their packaging or moving away from certain materials. "One goal is to reduce the proportion of plastic in packaging or to replace it completely. Fiber-based packaging solutions play a particularly important role here," explains Desilets. The aim here is to compensate for the natural lack of barriers against oxygen, water vapor, grease and oil that these papers or fiber materials bring with them with new solutions. For example, an expert from PreZero will speak about recycling optimization.
