On 29 and 30 May and under the theme “Sustainability trends in barrier packaging: towards Objective H2030”, the fourth edition of MeetingPack, a technology event on innovation in plastic materials and food and beverage barrier packaging will take place.
Organised by AIMPLAS and AINIA, MeetingPack2019 will discuss sustainable solutions for food and beverage plastic packaging and more than 300 experts from the entire value chain are expected. From material, packaging and machinery manufacturers to certification bodies, recyclers, food manufacturers and supply companies will attend the event. In addition to a complete agenda, the event will have a networking space and exhibition area where the most innovative packs will be showcased.
Strong business support
The IV edition of MeetingPack will have strong support from companies, associations and mass media. Companies such as Knauf Industries (gold sponsor), Polyram, Kuraray, Plásticos Romero, Mitsui Chemical, Mondi, Grupalia Pack, UBE and TPL will take part as sponsors.
Moreover, food companies such as Acesur, Angulas Aguinaga, Carretilla, Coren, DCOOP, GAC, Hero, I+DEA (Cerealto Siro Foods Group) and Noel will collaborate too.
In addition, associations and bodies such as ANAIP, ATEF, AVEP, Cicloplast, Ecoembes, ASOBIOCOM, EFE, Fedacova and Fundación Plastic Sense will also offer their collaboration.
Media such as Packaging Europe, EPPM, Eurocarne, Futurenviro, Plast21, Gestores de Residuos, Retema, Revolve, and Tecnopack will also participate as media partners.
The Circular Economy challenge marked by the European Union
“The European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy poses the major technological and innovation challenge of the last few decades”, Carlos Enguix, head of packaging technology at AINIA, points out. “The challenge is to ensure that, in less than ten years, all the plastic food packaging marketed in the EU are recyclable, reusable and compostable. Furthermore, packages should meet sustainability but also food safety (essential for food manufacturers and distribution), comfort and functionality requirements (for distributors, manufacturers and consumers), while being cost-competitive”, Enguix explains.
“With the new Circular Economy strategy, MeetingPack 2019 has become an unmissable forum since sustainability solutions in all areas of research will be addressed, so that companies can implement them to their products. The aim of the Congress is to talk about all the current options in the market so that companies can choose among all the available options”, Sergio Giménez, business manager at AIMPLAS explains.
A complete conference programme
MeetingPack 2019 offers an interesting programme divided into five sessions. In the first one, multinationals in the sector will introduce their innovations in packaging materials with which manufacturers could provide added value to their products. Companies like Kuraray and Nippon Goshei, leading companies in the development of biodegradable barrier materials, will participate in this session. Their materials are perfectly suitable to be incorporated in multilayer barrier materials that extend the shelf life of products and avoid waste. In this way, they allow having fully biodegradable barrier packages that could replace the plastic packages currently used for packing perishable food such as meat and fish.
The second session will address films, sheets and trays. In this case, companies such as UBE, SP GROUP Plásticos Romero and Klöckner Pentaplast will introduce their solutions and strategies to make packages with lower environmental impact thanks to more recyclable and biodegradable materials. They will also talk about how innovation can lead to sustainable packages without compromising on performance.
On 30 May, there will be a session aimed at injected packages with a reduced environmental impact in which Lanjarón (Danone group) will present a bottle completely made of recycled PET (r-PET) which is 100 % recyclable, a product that is already on the market and a clear example of how sustainability is compatible with business.
Fundación Plastic Sense will participate in the Ecodesign, recyclability and certification session, where it will introduce the RETRAY project, focused on the recycling and recyclability of PET food trays. Ecoembes will introduce Pack CD, a tool that will be ready by the end of this year. It will allow companies to assess the recyclability of their packages.
Moreover, certification bodies such as TÜV Austria Ibérica will talk about the importance of certification for bioplastics as a key element to guarantee the material properties and ensure food safety. Companies with interesting technologies to improve the quality of recycled materials such as APK, Cadel Deinking and Filigrade will be present too.
The meeting will conclude with a session focused on success stories, in which Unilever will talk about a sustainable plan.
