ORGANISERS of London Packaging Week have hailed the success of the inaugural event, held recently at Olympia.
Thousands of visitors discovered the latest innovations in packaging across four co-located exhibitions: Packaging Première for the luxury packaging sector; PCD for beauty and personal care; PLD for wine, spirits and premium drinks; and Food & Consumer Pack for the food, drink and FMCG markets.
On day one, Stefan Casey, innovation lead at Nestlé, joined the Food & FMCG Future Makers stage to urge the packaging community to wake up to digital inclusivity. Casey said, “It is not all about attracting Gen Z, in fact I think no demographic should be ignored. They are all opportunities. By pushing boundaries, and avoiding gimmicks, you can break convention, and break rules, in an authentic and credible way. Sometimes it just takes a leap of faith.”
The Big Debate made its return after previous sessions at Packaging Innovations London, exploring whether the UK population can afford the government’s packaging reforms. The debate argued people vs the planet, with Martin Kersh, director at FPA, commenting, “The packaging taxes and various reforms are adding to household expenditure, estimated to be about £160 per household each year. That’s on top of already rising food, energy, and general living costs. Whilst the packaging reforms are pitched at helping the environment, why are the alternative materials always more expensive for consumers?”
Jane Bevis, executive chair at OPRL, stated, “Climate change is here. The UK lost more homes to house fires in one day during the heatwave than we had since the end of World War II. We’ve been talking about Extended Consumer Responsibility for four years; instead of hot air we need to act.”
Meanwhile, Jude Allen, chair at IOM3, argued there can’t be a compromise. “We can’t put one problem in a box and shelve it whilst we focus on the other. The problem won’t go away.”
Other headline speakers included representatives from WRAP, DEFRA, CTPA, and XO Consulting.
Elsewhere, the show floor presented the latest packaging concepts, while The Pentawards and Innovations Showcase galleries provided inspiration to visitors.
Abbie Randall, brand manager at Holy Moly, said, “The show has been so insightful, and it seems like everyone is here with a purpose. The sustainable focus has been great and having so many quality exhibitors has been brilliant. If one doesn’t quite meet your needs, there will certainly be one just around the corner. Away from the suppliers, the seminar sessions give you time to break away and reflect.”
Nigel Mann, sales & marketing manager at Lil Packaging, added, “It’s interesting having the four co-located events at London Packaging Week. We’ve been constantly busy, with enquiries from start-ups and big players alike. We’ve had lots of interest in sustainability too, which fits our entire ethos.”
Renan Joel, MD of Easyfairs’ packaging division, said, “London Packaging Week has truly created a new home for the packaging community in London. It felt like the right time to re-evaluate our Packaging Innovations and Luxury Packaging London event, and it’s fantastic to see everyone embrace the new future of packaging in London.
“The show has been a buzz of interesting conversations on the future of the industry, whilst old and new connections have formed, and visitors have left armed with new contacts to power their packaging in all sectors, from FMCG to the crème de la crème of luxury.”
