Empack in Stockholm featured many exciting and informative speakers and seminars.
A standout moment was undoubtedly the panel discussion on the future of the packaging industry, moderated by none other than Per-Stefan Gersbro, a veteran with over 30 years of experience in the international packaging market.
The 45-minute panel offered an insightful discussion about the industry’s future and the demands that tomorrow’s leading players will face. We spoke with Per-Stefan after the event, who shared positive reflections on the panel.
Per-Stefan described the debate as “An insightful discussion about the future of the industry and what will be required from tomorrow’s winners.”
Among the topics discussed were the journey towards circularity and sustainability, and how increasing requirements for recyclability and reuse will influence the choice of packaging solutions. The conversation also covered digitalization and automation, highlighting their potential to open up new business models.
“Packaging is an industry for the future.” More and better packaging will be needed to handle growing trade, both in physical stores and online. The challenges are significant, and the importance of collaboration and openness towards shared environmental and climate challenges cannot be overstated.
With new legal requirements (primarily the CSRD – Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) and an economic downturn on the horizon, the need for tools to analyze and visualize data is increasing, all to support decisions in sustainability reporting. Competence supply is also a key factor, according to Per-Stefan. Enhancing attractiveness to recruit the right talent to the industry will be crucial in a future where competition for workers is expected to increase. Per-Stefan also emphasizes that the courage to invest in the right technology is an important prerequisite for meeting environmental and climate goals in an economically and socially sustainable way.
Panel participants included:
Maria Wahlgren – Huhtamaki
Maria Svantemark – SustainLab
Jan-Olof Jungersten – VISUTECH
Christian Håkansson – TMR
We thank Per-Stefan and the other panelists for their participation, and we look forward with great anticipation to Empack 2025 in Stockholm.
Photo: Sandström Media AB
