The 9th Speciality Film and Flexible Packaging Global Summit by ElitePlus Business Services held on 5-6 September 2022 in Mumbai attracted over 1,600 delegates representing 680 companies from 18 countries, making it probably the largest packaging summit in the world.
The theme of the Summit was ‘Flexible packaging – moving to a sustainable reincarnation’, a topic immensely relevant in the current context. The 2-day Program included nine power-packed business sessions and interactive Q&A sessions. The huge push towards sustainability in Europe was outlined through a panel discussion giving overview on R-Cycle. The most important issues facing the world today were deliberated in depth by outstanding professional and business leaders.
Panel discussion on ground realities of environment issues, EPR and sustainability demystified PWM and other relevant topics on circular economy, sustainability and carbon footprint print, and the challenges and opportunities arising out of them provided deep insights into these vital areas.
The third panel discussion on ‘Brand Owners’ Perspective’ served as the weather-vane, a direction pointer to the industry, as the real users – the leading FMCG companies’ leaders shared their thoughts and path forward for sustainability hand in hand with the plastics industry.
The summit brought another unique angle by bringing in the role of private equity in spurring growth explosion in the flexible packaging industry and India’s role in consolidation through M&A and evaluating takeover opportunities and risks in the flexible packaging industry by Blackstone and Premji Invest leaders. The optimistic view of India’s economic landscape was addressed by Nilesh Shah, group president and MD, Kotak Mahindra Asset Management.
The richly curated content was the main highlight of the Summit with a distinguished speaker line-up, covering gamut of latest technologies and application aspects such as mono polymer family laminate, transparent metallizing with coatings, plastic barrier paper, MDO film or BOPE or even PET/PET laminates. The government’s perspective on EPR and raw materials was shared by the Food and Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Nidhi Verma, founder and MD, ElitePlus Business Services, who was at the helm of the 2-day summit opened the summit with the inaugural keynote speakers outlining the future of circular economy and packaging from machine makers’ perspective by Peter Steinbeck, CMD W&H; converters view by Ashok Chaturvedi, CMD UFlex; and brand owners’ view by Sitapati, MD and CEO Godrej Consumer Product and RS Sodhi, MD, Amul.
Developments in oriented films were presented by the CEOs of Cosmo First and Max Speciality Films; and converters’ perspectives by leaders from Constantia Flexibles, Paharpur, and Jupitor Laminators.
The latest trends and innovations in technology were brought by Bobst, Colines, Reifenhäuser, Hosokawa Alpine. Innovations in printing and slitting were presented by DuPont, Comexi, Uteco, Siegwerk, Pelican, SP Ultraflex, Brückner and GOEBEL.