Welcome to the Sustainable Packaging Summit 2025.

The value chain is preoccupied with meeting a range of pledges, and binding targets within the EU, before the end of this decade. But 2030 is just a stepping stone. In this panel, we take a step back to consider a bigger picture, and larger ambitions: what’s the end point of our sustainability journey? How can we work back from that to inform the decisions we make today in order to face the future with strategic certainty? And what competencies does your company need in order to meet the demands of the next twenty years?

Europe’s PPWR has set challenging targets for recycling levels and PCR content, but the circular economy is currently falling well short of the volumes required to meet them. Could harmonization in collection help us accelerate recycling rates? What regulatory levers and EPR approaches are available to support this journey? And what lessons are there in Europe’s experience that other regions can learn?

2025 has seen the greatest rise in global tariffs since the onset of the globalization era. Meanwhile, the European plastic recycling industry is in recession at the very moment that it ought to be expanding to meet the demand generated by PPWR – and recyclers are calling for regulatory protection from what they view as market dumping of materials lacking a transparent chain of custody. In this panel we explore the dynamics of international trade in recycled content, debate the impacts of protecting markets, explore the challenges for different regions, and imagine what a global market in PCR could look like.

Not only is reuse a prerequisite component of a waste-free future, but brands will be increasingly compelled by regulators to convert portfolio away from single-use formats. Despite many impressive projects, much of today’s activity is still confined to pilots and niche applications. Serial circularity entrepreneur Dagny Tucker and Tom Domen of Eunomia explore the commonalities and contrasts between their experiences scaling up implementation of reuse systems. As co-founder of Perpetual Dagny partners with cities, service providers and other stakeholders to facilitate city-wide immersive systems. Meanwhile, Tom will share insights from his ongoing collaboration with Belgian retailers to launch universal reusable formats.

Kick back on the first evening to chat with old friends and make many new ones, as we host an internationally themed party in the networking zone. Sample a range of cuisines, explore the booths and research posters, hear from start-ups, and meet that potential collaborator over a drink.

These are particularly volatile times: geopolitically, macroeconomically and in trade. Decades of globalization have stalled and perhaps reversed. Cooperation and harmonization encounter new forces of fragmentation and isolationism. Meanwhile, as much of the world looks to Europe for leadership in transformation of manufacturing, the Draghi report outlined a stark warning of deindustrialization. Is business and political leadership as committed to sustainable development as it appeared two or three years ago? In what ways does protectionism impact the green revolution? How does industrial policy fit into this picture?  Senior FMCG business leaders and Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for the Environment, explore the strategic landscape that contains and constrains our packaging sustainability community.

What does the global regulatory landscape look like? In this session, we assemble experts from around the world to brief the audience on the packaging sustainability legislation, regulation, EPR and industry pacts in the pipeline in their regions. And to map out what is getting banned, where and when!

Public perception on plastic, international packaging policy, and the global plastic treaty discussions have impacted the dialogue on materials. Although progress on a global plastics treaty stalled at the end of 2024, there were notable positions taken by a coalition of nations and — fleetingly but meaningfully — the US These countries pushed for international caps on plastic production and the elimination of certain harmful chemicals used in plastic manufacturing. Meanwhile, more companies are setting material-specific goals and touting their progress to move away from certain materials, typically plastic. Join this panel to hear how nonprofits, coalitions, and brands with virgin plastic in their portfolio are changing their approach to plastic considering these global dynamics.

We review the progress of the landmark CEFLEX consortium in its mission to build a universal circular economy in flexible packaging in Europe. What were the relatively easy wins, what are the pain points, and what are lessons that other regions can apply?

In this panel we explore the barriers to incorporating recycled content in packaging, and survey the innovations throughout the supply chain that are driving increased utilization of PCR.

An evening of entertainment, inspiration and unrivalled networking opportunities in a relaxed and friendly setting. Enjoy the food, drink, conversation, music and (possibly) dancing. And partway through we’ll invite you to sit back and get acquainted with the finalists and winners of the global packaging Sustainability Awards – the ‘Nobel prize’ for packaging sustainability.

Innovation is both pushing the functional boundaries of fibre-based packaging and addressing the environmental footprint of the production of paper and board. In this panel we explore the direction and impact of R&D in paper for packaging.

Consumer enthusiasm and regulatory pressure on plastics are pushing global brands to migrate from plastic to paper packaging materials across many product categories. What is the impact of the paperization trend on availability of feedstocks, and does the forestry industry have the resilience to keep up with demand without negative environmental impacts? Should packaging embrace a broader range of fibre sources, and what are the challenges and implications of this?

Hear from R&D leaders, VCs & incubators about the state and trajectory of sustainable packaging innovation today – and meet their curated selection of what they consider to be the most exciting start-ups around the world that are poised to become a feature of our packaging landscape.

Tim Sykes assembles thought leaders to reflect, interactively with the whole sustainable packaging community assembled in Utrecht on what we have learned from each other over these three packed days, and on concrete steps we can take, as individuals, businesses and collaborators, to transform concepts into impact.