Empack: better sustainable packaging methods

The 14th edition of Empack, the leading Dutch packaging trade fair, will be held from 12 to 14 April in Utrecht at the Jaarbeurs venue. This annual event for the packaging industry is a central meeting point for professionals looking to learn about the latest developments in packaging materials, packaging machines and packaging-related services.

Whether you’re looking to reduce your packaging costs or add value to your products through packaging, you will find countless ideas and opportunities at Empack, which will feature around 40 speakers and more than 375 exhibitors.

Confidence and growth

Statistics Netherlands (CBS) forecasts further growth for the Netherlands in 2016 and that will boost optimism and new initiatives in the packaging sector. On the supply side, significant growth of more than 20% is expected. Reasons for this include renewed confidence in the market, a strong previous edition of the event and the fact that, since the discontinuation of Macropak, Empack is the Netherlands’ only trade show dedicated to packaging. Empack is underpinned by a clear mission: to stimulate the packaging industry to seize all future opportunities with both hands.

‘Seize the opportunities’

Top-level seminars

The event includes a high-end seminar programme aimed at inspiring visitors and offering companies throughout the packaging chain concrete, practically oriented tools. Over the course of the three days, 40 seminars will cover a wide range of topical and interesting subjects such as biobased packaging, personalisation through print, web-retail packaging, printed electronics and improving the sustainability of the packaging chain. For the complete seminar programme, please visit www.empack.nl.

Label&Print

Label&Print is an important part of Empack. It features more than 80 exhibitors who take visitors on a journey into the future of labelling, printing and converting. In addition, in conjunction with the industry expertise of the Grafimedia Studiegroep networking platform among others, Label&Print presents carefully selected high-profile speakers and experts who share their knowledge and visions of the future. They inform attendees about the latest trends relating to current themes such as digital printing, personalisation, linerless labelling, added-value techniques, new technological advancements and labelling laws.

More international exhibitors

Together, Empack and Label&Print attract around 375 exhibiting companies, spanning all sectors within the packaging industry. This offers visitors the perfect combination, with around two thirds made up of familiar faces and the rest comprising new exhibitors. The event is also becoming increasingly international; more than 50 exhibitors from abroad have chosen this year’s Empack and Label&Print as the ideal platform for them to come into contact with the Dutch-speaking packaging market.  

Career point

It is Empack’s aim to stimulate and facilitate the Dutch packaging community. For a company to grow sustainably it is important that the right people are in the right roles. Therefore, Empack is providing a full-service career point (‘CarrièrePunt’) for exhibiting companies and visitors alike. The career point will include a wall presenting plenty of relevant vacancies, and recruitment specialists from the firm Lytz will be on hand to provide career and vacancy advice, all completely without obligation.

E-commerce packaging

In 2015 the number of parcels shipped in the Netherlands reached the mind-boggling figure of 190 million, and webshops have demonstrated clear growth over the past year. The packaging materials that are used for parcel shipments by the e-commerce sector are not yet optimal. As a result of the diversity of products handled in the sector, the packaging must meet a wide range of different demands to ensure the safe and effective shipment of goods. Needless to say, the right volume is a major cost driver, but factors such as shelf life, sustainability and communication value are gaining in importance too. Empack provides countless opportunities and new insights into smarter ways of shipping.

For example, Thuiswinkel.org has commissioned a study in collaboration with the Netherlands Association of Paper and Cardboard Manufacturers (VNP) into the best practices, innovations and trends and developments for packaging materials used by the e-commerce sector. Margreeth Pape, Advisor on Logistics and Sustainability, will reveal the findings from this study for the first time at Empack. Furthermore, keynote speaker Joseph Hotchkiss, former Director of the School of Packaging at Michigan State University, will provide visitors with insights into e-commerce packaging trends in the USA. For the complete programme, check the website

www.empack.nl