Sustainability top of agenda at 2018 Packaging Innovations

Packaging Innovations, Empack and Label and Print 2018 opened its doors to Packaging professionals from all over the UK at Birmingham’s NEC.

Attendees were exposed to over 300 industry suppliers, with sustainability top of the agenda.

Over two days more than 100 products were launched, including Colpac launching its Cookpack hot boxes and compostable ovenable trays and Greenearth Food Packaging introduced its new range of biodegradable wooden food trays.

Coca Cola, Co-Op, Marks & Spencer and Iceland formed an expert panel, as part of a new feature, ‘The Big Plastics Debate’. The discussion, posed the industry’s plastic questions to the UK’s retailers, with innovation, collaboration and ambition coming up as the key themes.

The panel agreed that more needs to be done to battle the use of plastics and highlighted that litter plays a major role in bringing the subject of packaging to the public’s attention.

Nick Brown, Head of Sustainability at Coca Cola European Partners said: “Our aim is to make our packaging as sustainable as possible. I think it is fair to say that all of the panel have the same ambition. This will not be a quick process, as we must not compromise on safety or hygiene as we go, but through collaboration with the other big brands we will get there. Also, we must use our brand power in a positive way, contributing the right recycling and littering messages, as well as showing the public that we are doing more.”

Due to the success of last year, the Ecopack Challenge returned. Companies competed for the chance to further develop their sustainable packaging concept with M&S, with VTT Technical winning for its fully biobased cellulosic alternative to plastic packaging.

The sustainability trail provided visitors with the opportunity to discover the latest ‘green’ innovations within the marketplace and the new sustainability wall saw visitors share their thoughts on sustainability, with a professional artist on hand to turn these ideas into art-reality.

Visitors were also given the chance to get hands on with an array of ground-breaking products, materials and services from both exhibitors and non-exhibiting companies in the innovation zone.