Sustainability to be key topic at virtual Greiner Packaging Innovation Days on June 9 and 10, 2021

Plastic packaging producer Greiner Packaging is hosting its first virtual trade show experience in its virtual Packworld. Top speakers will present a wide range of keynote speeches, live talks, and material sessions focusing on various aspects of establishing a circular economy for packaging.

Program highlights:

• CEO talk with Manfred Stanek and panel discussing sustainability goals
• Live talk with representative of the European Commission on the legal framework for packaging
• Numerous material sessions about sustainable materials
• Representatives from RecyClass and SUEZ.circpack will discuss design for recycling
• Representative from dm-drogerie markt (dm) will address the #ForumRezyklat initiative
• Live talks with David Katz, CEO of Plastic Bank, and Jacob Duer, CEO of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste
• Exciting workshops and opportunities to speak with experts

Kremsmünster, Austria, May 2021. This year, Greiner Packaging is responding to the restrictions on interpersonal contact and travel bans caused by the pandemic with an ideal digital solution – the Greiner Packaging Innovation Days in the “Virtual Packworld.” The event on June 9 and 10 will offer attendees exciting opportunities to gather information and speak directly with recognized experts from the packaging industry and beyond – all in an online environment. Read on to learn about a few items on the engaging program:

Manfred Stanek, CEO of Greiner Packaging, will kick off Innovation Days on June 9 at 10 a.m. CEST – with a live talk on the future of packaging and the crucial role innovation plays in meeting the requirements for sustainable packaging solutions. Immediately following the CEO talk, Mr. Stanek will join Dannielle Borger (head of packaging sustainability for laundry and home care at Henkel) and Gilonne Traub (network manager at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation) in a panel discussing the question of how businesses can achieve the sustainability targets they choose to adopt. In the session after the panel, David Buhé, an expert on packaging waste at the European Commission, will provide an overview of the legal situation for packaging in the EU and highlight the approaches that could help to boost the sustainability of packaging solutions going forward. 

On the afternoon of June 9, the digital Innovation Days will focus exclusively on the topic of sustainable materials. After starting off with a general introduction to the topic, various material sessions will look at the challenges and potential opportunities surrounding (r-)PET, (r-)PS, (r-)PP, biocircular materials, and ocean-bound plastic. Once again, experts from Greiner Packaging will be joined by well-known specialists from the industry in these sessions, including Jens Kathmann, secretary general at Circular Styrenics Solution (SCS) on the topic of circular PS and Trevor Davis, head of marketing for consumer products at Borealis on biocircular materials. David Katz, CEO of Plastic Bank, will also discuss ocean-bound Social Plastic® in a separate live session.

The second day of this year’s Greiner Packaging Innovation Days will continue with another high-caliber lineup, featuring keynote speaker Jacob Duer, CEO of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, an organization Greiner Packaging joined in 2020. During additional live talks focusing on design for recycling, experts including Paolo Glerean, president of RecyClass, and Vincent Mooij, director of SUEZ.circpack, will talk about packaging design requirements that have to be fulfilled to establish the ideal conditions for a closed loop.

When competitors become partners, this is known as “coopetition.” And the #ForumReyzklat initiative is an example of coopetition in action. In a talk on June 10, Dagmar Glatz, who oversees the sustainable packaging area at dm and founded the forum, will address the challenges facing the packaging industry and the approaches that #ForumReyzklat and its members are pursuing to bring about a circular economy.

Innovation Days will also address other exciting topics with live sessions on various aspects of the (digital) future of the waste management sector, the role played by barrier packaging solutions in a circular economy, connected packaging, digital watermarks, digital purchase processes for recycled materials, and new packaging innovations.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to take part in interactive workshops focusing on life cycle assessments. These workshops will combine theoretical insights with clear, practical methods for using the life cycle perspective to design more sustainable packaging solutions. Places are limited, and registered guests can book now on the event platform.