1st International Conference on Circular Packaging
Pulp and Paper Institute and Faculty of Polymer Technology in cooperation with SRIP (Strategic Development and Innovation Partnership) - The circular economy of the Styrian Chamber of Commerce successfully concluded with the 1st International Conference on Circular Packaging, held in Ljubljana on September 26-27, 2019.
The conference was attended by over 90 participants, who witnessed more than 20 expert contributions from domestic and foreign experts. There were presented many of the latest developments on innovative materials, eco-design, environmental solutions and packaging development opportunities for the circular economy. The conference was also a great opportunity to exchange good practices on the sustainable management of packaging waste, bringing together researchers, academics, industry representatives and designers.
The keynote speakers at the conference were Dr. Maurizio Crippa, CEO of gr3n, who spoke about plastic circularity, Julio Vidal Navarro, researcher at the Spanish AITIIP Technology Center, who presented development trends and strategies for moving packaging from linear to circular, and dr. Gregor Radonjic from the University of Maribor, who explained many false and realistic perspectives on sustainable packaging.
An overview of basic technologies and trends has been provided by Dr. David Ravnjak from Vevče Paper Mill and Silvester Bolka from the Faculty of Polymer Technology.
The following companies presented their approaches to sustainable packaging solutions; DS Smith Slovenia, Gorenje, Amba CO, Skazka Plastics, Evegreen, MakeGrowLab, etc.
The world is facing an increasing share of packaging waste as a result of the growth of the packaging market. According to forecasts from leading packaging research and consulting firms, Smithers Pira and Packaging Europe, the European packaging market is projected to grow by as much as 1.9% annually in 2018-2023, which is more than the total market growth over the previous five-year period. As awareness of environmental concerns and environmentally-friendly materials is increasing, businesses are being forced to think and act sustainably in the packaging field.
By bringing together knowledge carriers from the wider region and leading companies from the manufacturers and users of packaging, the conference thus contributed to the creation of new partnerships and circular value chains.
