The 11th Speciality Films & Flexible Packaging Global Business Summit 2024 was a grand success. Reaffirming its status as the world’s largest business summit focused on flexible films and laminates for packaging and niche applications, the event was held from 30 September to 1 October at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai. This year’s summit was attended by 2100 attendees from 825 organizations, representing 28 countries, With over 100+ exhibition stalls, the Summit showcased global technological advancements in flexible packaging and other applications, and their production technologies.
The summit was supported by the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals (DCPC), under the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India, along with major Indian and global industry associations and media partners. The focus of this summit was on the sustainable growth of this packaging segment and new advances in technology and packaging design to embrace sustainability.
The 11th edition of the Summit introduced several new and innovative content elements such as:
- A special focus on global brand owners and plastic waste processors collaborating on cost-effective post-consumer recyclates (PCR) utilization.
- Insightful discussions led by policy-makers on existing and upcoming regulations set to shape the future of the industry.
- Exploration of new business opportunities in environmental initiatives and innovations in sustainable practices including ongoing international standardization efforts.
- Cutting-edge applications in renewable energy and current and power storage sector.
- For the first time in the history of the Summit, an exploration of alternative flexible packaging materials that coexist or form composite materials with plastics, supported by advanced conversion technologies.
Attendees represented a cross-section of the industry across five key verticals – raw materials, machinery and auxiliary, converters, brand owners, and plastic waste processors (PWPs) & Recyclers in addition to regular participation from policy-makers and industry associations.
Awards and recognition
The summit celebrated industry excellence with Amit Ray receiving the Professional Excellence Award for his significant contributions to the Indian plastic fraternity, specialty films, and flexible packaging. Shiv Kishan Agrawal, founder and group chairman of Haldiram’s, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his transformative impact on the Indian snack industry and flexible packaging segment.
Day 1 highlights
The opening day of the summit featured an inspiring line-up of luminaries, industry thought leaders and government representatives who shared their insights on the future of packaging. Luciana Pellegrino, president of the World Packaging Organisation, kicked off the event with a keynote address emphasizing the need for Humanising Packaging and the industry’s journey toward Packaging 5.0. Her address highlighted the importance of innovation rooted in sustainability.
Nadir Godrej, chairman and managing director of Godrej Industries, delivered a captivating poetic address, calling for a collective responsibility toward social and environmental impacts through purposeful packaging. His call for circularity was a recurring theme throughout the day’s discussions.
Saugata Gupta, CEO of Marico, spoke about the evolving role of packaging, from driving differentiation to enhancing customer experiences, with a focus on leveraging AI and digitalization for sustainable packaging solutions.
International perspectives were shared by Jacob Duer, president and CEO of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, who highlighted global collaboration in sustainability initiatives, with India playing a key role through 12 ongoing projects aimed at advancing circularity and waste management.
Ashok Chaturvedi, founder, chairman, and managing director of Uflex Group, delivered a compelling keynote address advocating for realistic sustainability programs. He emphasized that while promoting circularity is crucial, product preservation must not be compromised, and certain applications require specialized multi-payer packaging. He urged the industry to prioritize compliance with regulations and follow both the letter and the spirit of the law.
Plenary sessions and key discussions
The plenary session, chaired by Prashant Mehra, president and CEO of SRF, featured notable addresses from industry leaders. Anand Kripalu, MD and global CEO of EPL, emphasized India’s role in the global packaging industry. Amit Chaturvedi, president of petrochemical operations at Reliance Industries, discussed the rapid growth of the polymer industry, highlighting its expansion from USD 33 billion to USD 100 trillion since 2000, driven by economic growth and increasing demand. Nick Vafadis, vice president of Global Polyolefins Chemical Market Analytics at OPIS, offered an in-depth outlook on global plastics and packaging, predicting polymer demand to rise to 428 million metric tonnes by 2035, with significant growth potential for India’s polyethylene production. He also emphasized regional cost dynamics as key to determining competitiveness in the evolving market.
The day continued with a high-impact panel discussion on Brand Owners’ Perspective: Challenges and Opportunities, moderated by Ramaiah Muthusubramanian, co-founder and CEO of Packflora. Industry leaders explored key trends such as personalization, AI-driven customer engagement, and the shift in consumer behavior due to the rise of eCommerce. The discussion also addressed evolving trends like premiumization and polarization.
Satyendra Kumar, director at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, provided the government’s perspective on policy frameworks aimed at achieving a plastic waste-free environment through collaboration between stakeholders. India is far ahead in policy regulations concerning reduce, reuse of recycled plastics.
The second panel discussion on Drivers, Challenges, and Barriers to Recycling, moderated by Jeevaraj Pillai, president of packaging and director of sustainability at Uflex, delved into critical issues surrounding recycling in India. The panel addressed ISO standards, FSSAI regulations, and hybrid solutions to promote circularity in packaging.
Business Session II, focused on niche applications and new business opportunities, highlighted innovative solutions such as mono-material structures and high-temperature-resistant films. Pankaj Poddar, Group CEO of Cosmo First, shared transformative approaches to replacing multi-material structures and enhancing product properties for diverse applications.
In the panel discussion on the Critical Role of Flexibles in Green Energy, moderated by Anshul Khandelwal, Strategy Lead at Reliance New Energy, the panelists discussed developments in film encapsulation, competitive pressures, and strategies to enhance the industry’s global standing.
Day 2 highlights
The day opened with Sasha Mirchandani, founder & managing partner at Kae Capital, who delivered a compelling presentation on The Ecosystem of Start-ups in India. He explored how India’s start-up ecosystem, with its 127,000+ active start-ups, is driving innovation, particularly in sustainable technologies.
The business session IV, Flexible Packaging Industry – Inflexion Point, was chaired by Rakesh Mehta, director at ExxonMobil. The session featured Kunal Bajaj, director of Jupiter Group, who addressed the global challenges in flexible packaging and emphasized the need for sustainable solutions to combat environmental concerns. Dr. Surendra Gupta, head of product and application development at LyondellBasell, followed with his talk on innovative solutions in flexible film that aim to enhance circularity, particularly focusing on advancements in mono-material packaging that allow better recyclability without sacrificing functionality
The panel discussion on Aligning Product Development to Circularity Needs, moderated by Marzban Thanevala of SB-Constantia Flexibles, emphasized aligning product development with the demands of circular economy, touching upon challenges and opportunities in achieving a sustainable lifecycle for packaging materials.
The business session V, Alternative Materials – Paper & Foil – Paradigm Shift, began with Christoph Wachter, director of Koehler Paper, who presented on Developments in paper-based packaging. He introduced Koehler NexFlex paper products as an innovative solution to replace plastic in flexible packaging, focusing on the advantages of paper’s recyclability and lower carbon footprint. This was followed by Ankit Jain, senior VP at Flipkart, who discussed how eCommerce is shaping sustainable packaging through innovations in materials, specially paper packaging, and technology that aim to reduce waste and optimize packaging processes.
The panel discussion on Flexible Packaging with Alternative Materials, moderated by PN Sridharr of ITC, further explored alternative materials and their potential to reduce the environmental impact of packaging, while maintaining performance and cost-efficiency.
The business session VI, First Impression Counts – Part 1, chaired by Deepak Ganjoo of SB-Constantia Flexibles, featured a dynamic session on Enhanced Printing, where Hermann Veismann from Windmöller & Hölscher emphasized balancing cost, quality, and sustainability through cutting edge technologies in machine designs enabling lower carbon footprint, waste reduction and higher efficiency.
Appadurai A from Hewlett-Packard discussed digital printing’s impact on sustainable packaging. The development of digital printing in flexible film packaging by HP is a disruptive change. This can reduce the cycle time to market to few hours and one single roll of flexo print can have 8-10 different SKU where change of print ant and filling of packages in managed on running line in a continuous process. Anan Hiyasat of Uteco highlighted advancements in high-automation technologies for flexo printing, followed by insights from Vasu Shrimanker and Yash Shrimanker of Pelican Rotoflex on the future of sustainable printing solutions.
Business Session VI, First Impression Counts – Part 2, led by Pau Xifra of Comexi, focused on automation and efficiency trends in printing, demonstrating how smart factories can drive efficiency.
In the business session VII, Advances in Coating Media and Technology, chaired by Ruturaj Kamthekar from Huhtamaki, Gaurav Talwar from Brilliant Polymers introduced new solvent-free laminating adhesives, which are transforming flexible packaging. Rick Michelman of Michelman discussed the role of coatings in sustainable packaging design, while Norbert Runn from Matthews Industrial Technologies emphasized the importance of advanced process technologies for greener solutions. Andrea Glawe from Kroenert concluded the session with insights into coating and laminating machines optimized for energy efficiency
The business session VIII, Enhancing Converting Process, chaired by Ashish Pradhan of Siegwerk India, provided a deep dive into automation for EV battery manufacturing by Dr. Michael Proeller of Erhardt+Leimer, and a discussion by Biku Kohli from SP Ultraflex on how advanced slitting and rewinding technologies enhance sustainability Lorenzo Sambri of Bieffebi demonstrated the need for automated plate-mounting technology in flexible packaging.
The day’s last panel discussion on Advanced Technologies for Product Authentication, moderated by Cyril Ruiz-Moise of Bobst, where experts discussed innovations in ensuring product authenticity across the packaging industry.
Innovations in materials: Bubble Guard
The event also showcased Bubble Guard, a multi-layered recyclable polypropylene solution, presented by Francesco Peccetti. This technology, described as the material of tomorrow, is being used in diverse applications, including construction, automotive, and event management, providing high aesthetics, durability, and sustainability.
The summit provided ample networking opportunities to the participants during lunch and coffee breaks, an exclusive area for speakers and panelists, and, for the first time, a networking lounge in the exhibition area.
Concluding Address
In her closing remarks, Nidhi Verma, co-founder & managing director of ElitePlus++ Business Services, expressed gratitude to all participants, speakers, and partners for their role in making the 11th edition a tremendous success. She highlighted the industry’s progress in innovation and sustainability and reaffirmed ElitePlus’s commitment to continuing this transformative journey. Nidhi Verma thanked the Dept. of Chemicals & Petrochemicals (DCPC), industry associations and Media partners for their support in making the summit an invaluable platform for shaping the future of flexible packaging.
