FACHPACK 2024: Class reunion for the European packaging industry in Nuremberg

“Transition in Packaging” will be the key theme for FACHPACK at the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg from 24 to 26 September 2024. This describes the powerful currents that are affecting the packaging sector in Europe right now. High expectations in terms of sustainability combined with new packaging regulations, increasing digitalization and artificial intelligence are just three of the driving themes at FACHPACK 2024. Demographic change also poses challenges for the industry. FACHPACK perceives itself as a guide for the sector, offering both interaction and direction. “The dynamics in the packaging industry have never been greater,” says Heike Slotta, Executive Director Exhibitions at NürnbergMesse. “And companies are responding with impressive powers of design and innovation. We will get to experience these first-hand during the three days of the trade fair, and I’m very much looking forward to it.” The key theme of “Transition in Packaging” will be reflected at the stands of the 1,463 exhibitors, in the extensive lecture programme, in the fascinating special shows and themed pavilions, and in the award presentations. Some 35,000 visitors from the consumer and industrial goods industries are expected.

FACHPACK provides a compact yet comprehensive overview of the products and services along the entire packaging process chain for industrial and consumer goods. That means packaging, the associated technology and the accompanying processes. The trade fair extends to eleven exhibition halls this year. Of the 1,463 exhibitors, 47 percent will travel to Nuremberg from outside Germany, the majority from Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, Greece, the Czech Republic, France and Turkey.

About 56 percent of exhibitors represent the packaging sector, in other words packaging materials and packaging accessories. Forty-four percent are from the packaging technology area, i.e. packaging machines, labelling systems and automation. The package printing and finishing segments and internal logistics are also covered at FACHPACK.

New food for thought and solutions for the packaging industry

Following a few challenging years, FACHPACK is back in the form in which the industry knows and appreciates it: 1,463 exhibitors will be present in the eleven exhibition halls, and not only the most prominent names in the packaging industry but also many smaller SMEs which will also find their customers here. “FACHPACK is quite simply a ‘class reunion’ for the European packaging industry,” Slotta observes, adding: “For three days we will once again experience the hands-on mentality that’s characteristic of this sector and feel its momentum. The current transformation in the packaging industry is something we are facing with optimism and a focus on solutions. We are actively involved in shaping this transformation, fully in line with our slogan, ‘We create the future’!

New network: Women in focus

A new feature is the Women4Packaging networking event for women in the packaging industry, taking place in the Brussels Room, NCC Mitte, at mid-day on the first day of the trade fair (24.9). This will give female players in the industry a unique opportunity to network on-site, provide mutual inspiration and interact on current themes and trends in the packaging sector. The whole thing takes place in a relaxed atmosphere. A highlight is the Keynote by Vera Strauch, founder of the Female Leadership Academy and expert in Feminist Leadership, on “Grow Your Influence: How to build a strong network and make an authentic impact”. About 150 participants have registered.

New ideas: Presentations with their finger on the pulse

FACHPACK perceives itself as a driving force for the sector. In addition to the extensive product exhibition and the many innovations on show there, this will also be evident from the lecture programme in the forums PACKBOX (Hall 4), INNOVATIONBOX (Hall 2) and SOLPACK 5.0 (Hall 3). All three draw on themes of current interest to the sector, e.g. dealing with the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations (PPWR), the circular economy, automation and AI, and also alternative packaging solutions and new fibre-based raw materials.

Highlights in the lecture programme include:

• Safe and sustainable? Evaluation of packaging materials with a focus on recyclates
• Quo Vadis Packaging?– what does the new EU packaging regulation mean in terms of practical business examples
• Digital packaging data: A must-have to handle complexity and new legal demands
• How AI is driving the circular economy
• Digitalization – smart packaging for greater transparency and sustainability
• Future-Ready Packaging – How to make your packaging fit for the future: Best practice examples of paper-based packaging solutions!
• The future of retail: new insights and their impact on the packaging industry

In the PACKBOX forum, moderated on this occasion by industry experts Matthias Mahr (LebensmittelPraxis magazine), Dr Johannes Bergmair (Pack Experts and World Packaging Organisation) and Oliver Berndt (Deutsches Verpackungsinstitut (German Packaging Institute, dvi), key partners to the packaging industry will give shape to the programme and invite visitors to listen in and join the discussion. SOLPACK 5.0, moderated by Peter Désilets and Volker Muche (sustainability agency pacoon GmbH), is devoted to sustainable packaging solutions. At INNOVATIONBOX, moderated by Nina Schönrock and Petra Bindl, registered exhibitors will introduce their new product developments and process innovations in short, punchy presentations. 

Good packaging design: Special show “Outside the Box”

Anyone interested in packaging design should be sure to look in on the special design show “Outside the Box” in Hall 4. Organized for FACHPACK by bayern design, this illustrates the drafting and design process from idea through to good packaging design, and offers valuable insights into the impact of design on development processes. Unusual exhibits, e.g. innovative packaging for fitted sheets or a reuse system for domestic products such as detergents or soaps, are used to show design processes that make packaging more suitable for the circular economy, improve awareness of the brands behind products, and create a sense of identification and awareness among customers and users.

Fascinating approaches: Alternative packaging solutions

FACHPACK will offer inspiration this year with a special item on the programme: the “Alternative packaging solutions” pavilion. This is where examples of alternatives to traditional materials will be presented, along with an insight into what could be possible in the future. In the fully booked pavilion in Hall 3, for example, exhibitors will display compostable film bags, padding material made of grain husks, compostable tea bags, packaging made of sugarcane, and much more besides. The SOLPACK 5.0 forum is also part of this pavilion.

Fresh wind: Start-ups conquer the industry

Anyone on the lookout for fresh, unconventional ideas and products to resolve packaging questions will also find these this year among the start-ups in the packaging sector in Hall 2. Awaiting visitors are the “Young Innovators” pavilion for young, innovative companies, sponsored by the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK), and the “Newcomers Pavilion”, which provides a platform where first-time exhibitors at FACHPACK and international newcomers to the sector can introduce themselves and their innovative products and services to the experts.

New industry talents in focus: Students Day on Thursday

The STUDENTS DAY on the third day of the fair (26.9) brings together prominent companies and new talents in the packaging industry. At the invitation of FACHPACK and the German Packaging Institute (dvi), students from the German-speaking region will meet in workshops with professionals from the likes of DALLI Werke, Henkel, Tchibo, Smurfit Kappa and Beiersdorf. An animated exchange of ideas on the demands of the future and the specifics of working in the packaging industry is guaranteed.

Achievements honoured: German Packaging Award

On the first day of the fair, the stage will once again be set for a total of 41 winners of the German Packaging Award, Europe’s top showcase for all aspects of packaging. Almost 250 submissions from 13 countries were submitted in advance for personal inspection and assessment. The German Packaging Award is presented by the German Packaging Institute (dvi) in ten categories. The presentation will take place in the Munich Room, NCC Mitte, from 16:30. As a premium partner, FACHPACK will present the special award for young talents. This distinction recognises the best packaging designs by school pupils, apprentices and students.

Industry development: Caution and optimism for 2025

The results of a current survey among associations in the German packaging industry show that weak economic conditions and growing regulatory demands are particular sources of concern for the packaging sector. According to the associations, however, an initial recovery in the economic situation in Germany is making itself felt. A cautious optimism is in the air for 2025. “As an industry platform, FACHPACK can assist the packaging industry with its challenges,” says Slotta. “Together it’s possible to develop ideas and solutions to encourage economic success for the industry. A trade fair that represents an entire sector can achieve more than individual companies on their own.”

According to the Food and Packaging Machinery Association at VDMA, incoming orders for packaging machines in the first four months of 2024 increased by 16 percent in real terms. Positive development overall is expected for the second half of the year. Global demand remains huge, and the potentials in the emerging economies in particular are far from being exhausted.

IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen (the Plastic Packaging Industry Association, IK) expects a slight economic recovery in the second half of 2024. The strongest drivers of hope in its view are the stable export expectations and adaptation strategies on the part of companies to secure supplies of raw materials and the circular economy. The Industrieverband Papier- und Folienverpackungen (IPV), the German association representing producers of packaging made from paper and plastic films, perceives major opportunities in the strong trend toward light, customizable and easily recyclable packaging. The folding box segment sees the possibility of an upswing in the future substitution of packaging based on petrochemicals with fibre-based recyclable packaging. A slight upturn in business from autumn 2024 is expected in the wooden packaging sector. In addition to the economic situation in Germany, the Bundesverband Holzpackmittel, Paletten, Exportverpackung (the German association for wooden packaging materials, pallets and export packaging, HPE) is looking toward foreign trade, since it perceives that a decline in foreign trade is causing a downward trend in demand for wooden packaging. As for glass containers, the Bundesverband Glasindustrie (the German glass industry association) assumes that the situation will continue to stabilize during 2024. The Verband der Wellpappen-Industrie (German Corrugated Board Industry Association, VDW) expects to see a gradual process of recovery for 2024. In the first five months of 2024, VDW members experienced revenue growth of 1.6 percent compared to the same period last year. Further information, figures and graphics on the packaging market in Germany and Europe can be found in the FACHPACK360° news portal.

For Germany.

For Europe.

About FACHPACK

FACHPACK (Nuremberg, 24-26.9.24) is the European trade fair for packaging, technology and processes. Exhibitors cover the entire packaging process chain for industrial and consumer goods: packaging materials, packaging and accessories, bottling and packaging machinery, labelling, marking and identification technology, machines and equipment for the packaging periphery, packaging printing and finishing systems, palletizing technology, intralogistics and services. With its new slogan: “We create the future”, FACHPACK 2024 will be devoted to the trending topic of “Transition in Packaging”. Trade visitors come from all packaging-intensive sectors such as food/beverages, luxury food, pharmaceuticals/cosmetics, chemicals, health care, non-food, pet food, other consumer goods as well as automotive, technical articles, medical technology and other industrial goods.