FACHPACK 2025: Nuremberg becomes the rallying point for the packaging industry once again

• Around 1,400 exhibitors in 11 halls
• Main theme: “Transition in Packaging”
• High-calibre supporting programme on pressing issues

Save the date: From 23 to 25 September 2025, the European packaging industry will gather once again at FACHPACK – the region’s leading trade fair for innovative packaging solutions, modern technology, and efficient processes. The around 1,400 exhibitors at Exhibition Centre Nuremberg will not only showcase packaging materials, accessories, machines and technology but will also present the key processes associated with automation, marking and labelling, packaging printing, finishing, and intra-logistics. Once again, FACHPACK will focus on the highly topical theme of “Transition in Packaging”, which aptly describes the changes currently taking place in the industry and which will be reflected in the 11 exhibition halls and high-calibre supporting programme. Visitors from the consumer and industrial goods segments can look forward to an extensive programme of presentations in the PACKBOX, INNOVATIONBOX and SOLPACK 6.0 forums as well as interesting special shows and awards ceremonies.

An elated Phuong Anh Do, Director of FACHPACK at NürnbergMesse, had this to say: “We are now on the home straight for FACHPACK 2025. The preparations are in full swing and everything is coming together. Nuremberg will shortly become the melting pot for the European packaging industry yet again. I cordially invite all packaging specialists to come to FACHPACK in the Exhibition Centre in September. We’re creating the future, so make sure you’re part of it!”

FACHPACK 2025 is a continent-wide event that brings Europe together. As Phuong Anh Do says: “Fifty-four percent of exhibitors come from the strong German-speaking economic area, while the rest hail from all over Europe.” Around 60 percent of exhibitors work in the packaging segment, i.e. packaging, packaging materials, and accessories. Some 40 percent cover the packaging technology segment, i.e. packaging machines, marking and labelling technology, and automation. The packaging printing and finishing, and internal logistics segments are also represented at FACHPACK. More information on exhibitors and their products is available in the Exhibitor and Product Database.

A driving force for a resilient and innovative sector

What sets FACHPACK apart is that it is a “working” trade fair with a hands-on mindset, where packaging always takes centre stage. It is not a sideshow, but a strategic driver for sustainability, automation, and resource efficiency. “FACHPACK doesn’t just present ideas; it actively develops and refines them. But it is about much more than showing innovations. It’s about working together, sharing ideas, and developing concrete solutions,” explains Phuong Anh Do.

In 2025, visitors can once again look forward to exciting developments along the entire process chain – from sustainable packaging solutions and raw material innovations to new packaging technologies, automation, and digitalisation. “But it’s not just a matter of trends. The trade fair delivers concrete solutions to meet real-life requirements. The packaging industry can be genuinely proud of itself: It is responding with impressive pace and innovative strength to the most pressing challenges of our time. We are seeing how, with great agility and creativity, companies are developing new solutions that are making a real impact. As the event director of FACHPACK, I experience at close quarters how much commitment, expertise and forward-thinking there is in this industry. And it is precisely this dynamism that makes the packaging industry a strong, resilient and viable part of the economy,” Do stresses.
The market performance in the European packaging industry is currently highly dependent on the situation in the various customer segments, and at the moment, it presents a mixed picture. According to market research institute GfK, there was still no distinct trend in consumer confidence in Germany in July, as rising income expectations come up against a severely clouded economic outlook. The latest tariff agreement with the USA is having a different impact depending on the sector affected. Whereas parts of the automotive industry are more optimistic, export-driven companies (e.g. producers of special-purpose and packaging machinery) without a US location continue to experience uncertainty. For the packaging industry in Europe this means that sputtering consumption is slowing down demand, increasing costs for raw materials are driving packaging prices up, and unfavourable competitive conditions in the machine manufacturing sector are impeding investment. These are issues that will also play a major role at FACHPACK 2025, especially in the supporting programme.

Three forums exploring interesting topics

FACHPACK sees itself as a driver of the industry. Alongside the extensive product display, this is also reflected in the programme of presentations in the three forums PACKBOX (Hall 4), INNOVATIONBOX (Hall 7) and SOLPACK 6.0 (Hall 3). All three forums address topical issues affecting the sector, e.g., the challenges of the PPWR regulations, climate change, the circular economy, digitalisation and AI, or alternative packaging solutions and new or alternative fibre raw materials.

Key partners from the packaging industry are designing and moderating the programme for PACKBOX and invite interested participants to come along and listen in or get involved in the discussions. In the INNOVATIONBOX forum, registered exhibitors will introduce their new products and process innovations in a series of brief and concise presentations. The programme will be hosted by popular moderator Petra Bindl. The SOLPACK 6.0 forum is devoted to sustainable packaging solutions and will be conducted and moderated by Peter Desiléts, the managing director of packaging design agency Pacoon GmbH. For more information on PACKBOX, INNOVATIONBOX and SOLPACK 6.0, please visit the sub-page Forums.

Networking spaces – where the industry comes together

With its slogan “We create the future”, FACHPACK offers the ideal platform for networking. On 22 September, the day before FACHPACK, Futury GmbH joins forces with FACHPACK and EIT Food to gather leading players from the European packaging start-up scene at the FuturePack Summit. The aim is to offer packaging innovators a powerful platform where they can present their solutions shortly before the official start of FACHPACK 2025. This is designed to close the gap between groundbreaking innovation and genuine market access. FuturePack is a place where research-driven ideas, companies in their early stages, and scalable start-ups can meet industry players, investors, and decision-makers.

The networking event WOMEN4PACKAGING for women in the packaging industry goes into its second round on the first day of the fair (Tuesday, 23.9, 12 noon, NCC Mitte, Brussels Room). It offers female players from the sector a unique opportunity to network at the venue, inspire one another, and discuss the latest topics and trends in the packaging industry. Participants can look forward, for example, to discussions with Steffanie Rainer, CEO and founder of reo, and Simone Mosca, Managing Director of Mosca GmbH.

Also on the first day of the fair, a total of 37 winners of Europe’s biggest packaging showcase, the German Packaging Award, will be invited to take the stage. More than 200 submissions were received from 15 countries to be individually assessed and evaluated. The German Packaging Award is presented by the German Packaging Institute (dvi) and the winners in ten categories will be announced starting at 16.30 in the Munich Room in NCC Mitte. As a premium partner, FACHPACK will once again present the special award for young talent, which honours the best packaging concepts by school and university students or trainees.

The STUDENT DAY on the third day of the fair (25.9.) brings companies and young packaging talent together. At the invitation of FACHPACK and the German Packaging Institute (dvi), a large number of students from the German-speaking regions will take part in workshops with professionals from packaging firms and branded companies. The event guarantees to provide lively discussions on the key topic of sustainability, the opportunity to establish valuable contacts, and information on specific jobs in the packaging industry. In 2025, the STUDENT Day will also feature an interactive FACHPACK “scavenger hunt” competition with prizes, as well as a casual meet & greet.

On all three days of the fair, FACHPACK.TV will also be broadcasting live from the exhibition centre, with packaging journal presenters Matthias Laux and Jan Malte Andresen reporting from the “glass studio” in Hall 4. The team from Germany’s leading packaging trade journal will present conversations, interviews, discussion panels and presentations on packaging – by and with interesting people from the sector, as well as news and trends direct from the exhibition floors. FACHPACK visitors can come along and see for themselves how television is made. FACHPACK.TV is also supported on the web and social media channels of FACHPACK and packaging journal. All content is also available in the online media library. For more information on the networking spaces, go to the sub-page Networking Spaces.

Pavilions: premiere of new stand “Converting meets Packaging”

The fully booked “Converting meets Packaging” pavilion, featuring seven exhibitors, will make its debut in Hall 7. It has been organised by FACHPACK 2025 in partnership with M2N Media, the publisher of the media hubs PRO Flexconvert and PRO Flextronics. This innovative platform puts the spotlight on the close links between the converting industry and the packaging sector. The aim is to facilitate communication between converters, packaging machine manufacturers and packaging producers and identify potential for improved collaboration. In particular, the pavilion offers companies operating at the interface of these sectors – whether in finishing, coating, printing, lamination, bonding technology, or flexible packaging material development – a curated platform to present their products and services in an appropriate, topic-specific product environment and work together to shape the future of converting and packaging.

The “Alternative Packaging Solutions” pavilion will make its second appearance at FACHPACK 2025. It will showcase examples of alternatives to commonly used materials and provide insights into what might be possible in the future. Fourteen companies will present their solutions in the fully booked pavilion in Hall 3, including lawn and leaf paper products, compostable plastic bags, upholstery material made from grain husks, and many other innovations. The SOLPACK 6.0 Forum is also part of this pavilion and offers visitors a diverse programme on all three days of the fair with around 30 interesting presentations in total.

Anyone looking for fresh, unconventional ideas and products to resolve packaging issues will find them again this year among the start-ups of the packaging segment in Hall 3. Here, visitors can look forward to the “Young Innovators” pavilion for innovative young companies that is subsidised by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). In addition, the “Newcomer Pavilion” gives FACHPACK newbies or international newcomers to the industry a platform for presenting their companies and innovative products or services to a professional audience.

And naturally, FACHPACK 2025 would not be complete without the popular “Labels & More” pavilion in Hall 7. You’ll find more information on the FACHPACK sub-page Pavilions.