The Body Shop, WWF, Atom Bonds, True Skincare, and Juni Cosmetics are just some of the big names set to inspire the future of packaging when they take to the stage at Packaging Innovations and Luxury Packaging London 2021 at Olympia on 1 & 2 December.
The show’s two seminar stages, the Packaging Innovations Stage and the Luxury Packaging Stage, will be packed with cutting-edge content covering everything from design and sustainability through to innovative materials, refills, new regulations, smart packaging, digital consumer experiences, e-commerce and a range of other key issues facing packaging designers and developers today.
Each stage will feature a mix of design-focused sessions from top branding agencies curated by the Pentawards, the world’s leading packaging design competition, alongside panel discussions and keynote talks given by a range of leading brand owners, packaging innovators, and experts.
Renan Joel, Divisional Director at Easyfairs, comments: “As the UK’s only premium packaging event, our educational content is key to our offering. We want to inspire industry professionals from across the food and drink, fashion, beauty, and gifting sectors to break the mould and innovate their packaging. We are thrilled to have so many fantastic speakers on board already, from those leading the sustainability debate through to the brightest design minds. With more speakers still to be announced, it is sure to be an unmissable event.”
The £10bn Debate
New for 2021, the Packaging Innovations Stage will play host to ‘The £10bn Debate’, a series of talks on the first day of the event, produced in partnership with the Foodservice Packaging Association and OPRL. The talks will outline the huge financial challenge facing the UK packaging supply chain in the coming years as new initiatives such as the Deposit Return Scheme and Extended Producer Responsibility come on stream in the coming years; and will ask key questions about who will bear the costs and the impacts on packaging development and business for designers, brands, and packaging manufacturers.
The Sustainability Agenda
Elsewhere at the event, sustainability will be a key talking point. Mike Webster, Director of 3D Experience & Sustainability at 1HQ Global, will focus on the transition to reusable packaging systems and how to successfully drive the adoption of reuse behaviours by incentivising consumers.
Will Connolly, Head of Packaging Innovation at The Body Shop, will talk as part of a panel debate on the topic of refills and the post-Covid retail experience, while indie beauty brand founders Emma Thornton of True Skincare and Madeleine White of Juni Cosmetics will discuss the packaging challenges for the new wave of clean beauty brands.
Meanwhile, Paula Chin, Sustainable Materials Specialist at WWF, will discuss the challenge of measuring the full environmental impact of packaging and how the packaging supply chain can engage with reducing its impact both in terms of carbon and biodiversity.
Packaging Design
The crossroads between packaging, digital experiences, and consumer insights will also be on the agenda. James Harmer, Planning & Innovation Strategy Leader at the Cambridge Design Partnership, will explore how brands can achieve deeper insights from their consumers through packaging using digital channels.
Meanwhile, branding trends will take centre stage when Paul Williams, Executive Creative Director at Springetts, delves into the importance of the look and feel of a product to foster a truly loved brand. And Rosie Milsom, global head of NPD at Atom Brands, will join a panel on the Luxury Packaging stage to discuss the latest trends in product and packaging development for the spirits market.
Each conference will open with an overview of the key innovation trends in the market, with talks from leading packaging consultants Paul Jenkins of The Pack Hub on the Packaging Innovations stage and Neil Farmer on the Luxury Packaging stage.
The Innovation Lab
In addition, a series of ‘Innovation Lab’ sessions given by materials and technology suppliers will shine a light on a range of innovative packaging possibilities, with sessions planned from exhibitors including Tetra Pak and Inspectron.
Joel concludes: “There is sure to be something for everyone on stage this year. From our new £10bn Debate, through to the Pentawards sessions and the Innovation Labs, the agendas are designed to answer the community’s most burning questions. I can’t wait to hear what these leading packaging experts have to say.”
