What made you decide to take on the position of managing director of the German Packaging Institute?
As a network for the packaging industry, the dvi plays an important role with a meaningful mission in a fascinating industry with products that are very exciting and fundamental to all of us. The idea of being able to contribute and make a difference in this immediately appealed to me.
I previously worked as a consultant on strategy and organizational development processes for many years. A key insight I gained was how crucial it is to think and act across the entire value chain. This is exactly what the dvi embodies, as the only network in the industry that brings together companies from across the entire value chain. I am firmly convinced that networks such as the dvi are needed now more than ever to shape the issues of the future in collaboration with member companies.
I also find the industry and its products extremely exciting. Packaging is not only often judged one-sidedly and incorrectly in the public perception but is also usually massively underestimated. Our industry not only has many highly innovative companies and “hidden champions,” but its products are also “hidden champions” in and of themselves. Each and every one of us relies on packaging several times a day.
In addition, as the sixth-largest industry, the packaging industry is important for Germany as a business location and also plays a leading role internationally, particularly with regard to the compatibility of economy and ecology. Since I have a background in sustainability, this also appealed to me greatly from the outset.
What experience do you bring to the packaging industry?
In the packaging industry in particular, innovation and successful entrepreneurial work are teamwork that must involve the entire value chain. I can contribute a good deal of expertise in this area. Through my background in mediation and project management, I have also learned the great value of open and clear communication. And I have learned to allow for different perspectives. A multi-perspective approach is indispensable, especially in the highly diverse and heterogeneous packaging industry.
Building bridges and connecting people has always been a genuine personal concern and an important aspect of my professional career to date. This also fits perfectly with the profile of the dvi and its remit for the industry. My training in public policy also brought me into contact with the interface between business, politics, and law at an early stage.
Last but not least, I want to contribute my experience in the field of sustainability. This is a major focus for our industry, which is called upon to be a pioneer in the circular economy. Even though I have not previously worked directly for packaging manufacturers, as head of the sustainability competence team at a consulting firm, I have dealt intensively with topics such as regulation, carbon footprint, and the circular economy.
Where do you see your focus over the next two years?
The main areas of focus for our work will certainly be promoting young talent and strengthening expertise in our industry, improving the public image of packaging, and, last but not least, cooperation along the entire value chain.
When it comes to strengthening expertise in our industry, we have been offering high-quality seminars and workshops at the Packaging Academy for many years. We want to expand this further. We have recently started offering eleven basic modules as web-based training through a cooperation with the Packaging School at Clemson University in the USA.
Those who complete all modules and a final exam receive a “Certificate of Packaging Science.” This is an excellent opportunity, especially for career changers entering the packaging industry.
We also want to expand our work around recruiting young talent and skilled workers. With Student Day, free participation for students at the Dresden Packaging Conference, a separate category for young talent at the German Packaging Award, and PackVision as a cooperation project between companies and universities, we already have a good foundation.
We are once again holding Student Day this year in cooperation with FACHPACK. We invite companies to hold workshops with students at the trade fair. There will also be another speed dating event, where participating companies can present themselves as attractive employers and establish contacts at an early stage.
Apart from these already established initiatives, we want to expand our activities with a focus on school students. If the industry succeeds in getting young people interested before they choose their course of study or training, that would be a significant step forward.
Do you want to improve the image of packaging? If so, how?
As an industry, we need to focus much more on the social value and indispensable services of packaging. Packaging protects, informs, enables transport, and is a key lever for greater sustainability. Packaging is not a problem, but part of the solution. It offers scope for creativity, technology, sustainability, and entrepreneurial thinking. It is high-tech, circular economy, design freedom, and indispensable for supplying people and businesses and protecting the environment. That's an attractive package. The more positive the public image of packaging and the industry, the more successfully we can work and operate.
When it comes to cooperation in the value chain and across all materials, it is obvious that an industry as diverse as the packaging industry needs a table where everyone can sit down together, exchange ideas, and work on solutions. This was already a fundamental idea when the dvi was founded almost exactly 35 years ago. This need is greater today than ever before. We reflect this through our well-known events, but also through the numerous expert forums in which we bring stakeholders together. The wealth of topics, materials, products, and services in our industry still too often means that we do not always pull in the same direction. Speaking more strongly with a common voice for packaging is a major and important concern for the dvi and for me personally.
What are your expectations for your first FACHPACK?
FACHPACK is a premium partner of the dvi, and I have already had the opportunity to get to know and appreciate a good part of the team. This will be my first FACHPACK and I am really looking forward to it. It is the trade fair event of 2025 and offers a unique opportunity to meet the major and minor players in the value chain and gain even more concrete insights into the immense range of services offered by the industry.
During the pandemic, there was much speculation about the end of trade fairs. It has since become clear that personal interaction is still the most important factor and that, despite all its advantages, the digital space cannot replace a direct face-to-face conversation.
Of course, dvi will also be present on site, not only with the Student Day, but also with its own booth, with the ceremonial presentation of the German Packaging Awards, and the announcement of the Gold Awards, as well as as part of PACKBOX. Therefore, I have high expectations for FACHPACK and am confident that they will not be disappointed.
About the interviewee: Natalie Brandenburg holds a Bachelor of Arts in German Philology, History, and Anthropology and a Master of Public Policy (MPP). She received her doctorate in Conflict Studies from the University of Kent and subsequently worked as a Senior Consultant and Mediator for Sedlák & Partner and, most recently, as Senior Project Manager and Head of the Sustainability Competence Team for S&P Consulting SE. Dr. Natalie Brandenburg is married, has two children, and lives in Berlin.
By Anna Ntemiris, Editor