In this presentation, Mintel’s Global Packaging Insights Director, Benjamin Punchard, will explore how packaging innovation is taking center stage, as:
- Rising costs and supply chain chaos make brands more cautious, focusing on renovations rather than risky new launches. Instead, brands are leaning into packaging to stay fresh.
- The European Commission’s PPWR comes into force, driving high recycled content expectations and a future where all packaging is reusable or recyclable.
- Consumers demand more functionality, think easy-to-use, freshness-preserving, and convenient designs, while sustainability has shifted from a selling point to a baseline expectation.
- AI enters packaging design, optimizing for material use and supply chains, while boosting the consumer experience through the potential for personalized, premium experiences
This session promises valuable insights for professionals seeking to enhance their packaging management practices. Whether you are embarking on a new digital journey or refining existing processes, our Packaging Maturity Model offers a strategic roadmap for transitioning from uncertainty to comprehensive control. Participants will be invited to discuss their unique positions within the digital maturity model.
Esko Category Specialists & Antony Conway
Interactive roundtable sessions within the conference offer a unique opportunity to come together with your peers, share best practice and develop solutions to critical challenges facing the industry as a whole. Hosted by industry experts and each focused on a single issue, roundtables are an energizing way to meaningfully build your professional network and learn from the experience and expertise of others.
Each roundtable session lasts for 40 minutes and delegates may attend up to 2 roundtables.
Roundtable 1: Hosted by Aquacycl
Session 1: Turning High-Concentration Wastewater Into ROI: How One Beverage Facility Reduced Costs and Increased Operational Stability
- A major beverage producer achieved a 5-month ROI by treating high-concentration batches on-site instead of hauling.
- Why bad batches and variable-strength flows strain existing systems and increase operational risk.
- How a modular, low-operator-burden system stabilized daily operations and reduced administrative workload.
- Strategies to manage limited holding-tank capacity during peak production periods.
- A practical decision framework beverage manufacturers can use to evaluate whether on-site treatment is the right fit.
- Lessons learned that apply broadly across beverage operations of all sizes.
Orianna Bretschger, CEO and Founder, Aquacycl
Session 2: Beyond a Single Product Line: Consistent, Reliable Treatment Across the Full Beverage Portfolio
- How advanced bioelectrochemical treatment handles the full beverage range: juice, tea, coffee, sports drinks, energy drinks, spirits, and carbonated products with predictable performance.
- Why traditional systems struggle with high variability and how decentralized treatment reduces this burden.
- Maintaining efficiency even as product mixes shift, SKUs expand, or production schedules fluctuate.
- Designing for growth by building treatment capacity that scales with innovation and seasonal demand.
- Strengthening plant safety and asset protection, including how SulfideFix mitigates odors, corrosion, and exposure risk.
- Simplifying internal workflows for operators, EHS teams, and plant managers when managing diverse waste streams.
- Key considerations for implementing a consistent treatment approach across multi-site beverage operations.
Orianna Bretschger, CEO and Founder, Aquacycl
Roundtable 2: The Three Levers of Hidden Energy
- Using Waste Steam to Generate Power
- Reusing Waste Heat in the Process
- Decarbonising Heat: Electrification & Onsite Generation
Aujla, Strategic Energy Partner, DCC Energy
Greg Brown, Strategic Energy Partner, DCC Energy
