Bringing together the assorted brand owners, technologists and investors who have travelled to Amsterdam for a variety of programs, but with a shared mission to take packaging into a sustainable future.

The middle evening of the Summit, World Congress and other co-located meetings is a melting pot for the thought leaders and entrepreneurs at the forefront of packaging innovation and sustainability. The networking and Sustainability Awards dinner presents an opportunity for relaxed discussions, meet-ups and chance encounters.  

Treat yourself to fine dining and great conversation, during which we’ll be revealing the 2023 winners of the Sustainability Awards – the most important global competition for sustainable packaging innovation.  

Packaging waste, the climate crisis and other environmental challenges demand an urgent and joined up response from consumer goods and the wider packaging value chain. Challenging us to take a rigorous and holistic view, the Sustainability Awards sets the agenda on best practice, turns the spotlight on the most important areas of R&D, and helps separate greenwash from the innovations that make a genuine difference.

“I’m grateful to participate each year in the judging panel of the Sustainability Awards, which I consider to be the ‘Nobel Prize’ for sustainable packaging innovations – both on the market and early developments. It has been great to see the competition growing with each edition, becoming globally recognized as best in class. I also love the interactions with my fellow judges, a group of globally recognized individuals sharing a world of expertise in this ever evolving field.”

Gian De Belder, Technical Director, R&D Packaging Sustainability, P&G

Since its inception, the initiative has not only exponentially grown, but continually evolved its criteria and categories in order to better reflect the innovation landscape and the sustainability demands that industry needs to meet.

However, its core principles are constant: the Sustainability Awards is free to enter, and open to all kinds of organisations throughout the packaging value chain and beyond – from start-ups to global brands and universities to manufacturers.

It emphasizes the importance of holistic and substantive impacts, and watching out for unintended consequences. Its rules and processes are transparent and, though it is organized by Packaging Europe, the Sustainability Awards is independently judged by an diverse, international jury of experts, with zero input from the organizers.