News

The company receives the award for outstanding achievements in sustainable production. Swedbrand Poland, a manufacturer of luxury rigid boxes, is proud to announce that it has been awarded the EcoVadis Platinum rating, placing the company in the top 1% of businesses worldwide recognized for their commitment to sustainability. This prestigious accolade highlights Swedbrand Poland’s unwavering dedication to environmental stewardship, ethical business practices, and sustainable manufacturing processes.
Founded in 2006, Swedbrand Group expanded its operations with the establishment of its Polish factory in 2021. The modern, state-of-the-art facility was created with the strategic goal of shifting high-volume production from Asia to Europe, delivering superior quality and efficiency. Since opening, the factory has manufactured tens of millions of rigid boxes for some of the world’s leading luxury brands. Fully equipped to manage every step of the process—from sampling and production to fulfillment—the factory serves as a comprehensive, one-stop solution for luxury packaging.
Co-founder and owner Zaid Bunni expressed his pride in this achievement, stating, "Receiving the EcoVadis Platinum level is a monumental milestone for Swedbrand Poland. It is a reflection of our team's dedication to not only meet but exceed the highest standards of sustainability in our industry. From the very beginning, our mission was to create a facility that embodies innovation, quality, and environmental responsibility. Achieving this recognition is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our entire team."

Exhibitors and educational sessions present latest innovations and best practices Pack Expo International 2024 (Nov. 3–6; McCormick Place, Chicago), will showcase a wide array of innovations to help brand owners minimize energy consumption, waste, and carbon footprint and address circularity. New and expanded education and show navigation resources will help 45,000 attendees efficiently meet their sustainability objectives as they traverse more than 1.3 million square feet of floor space housing 2,700 exhibitors. “With consumers and regulators paying more attention to sustainability, brand owners must step up their efforts to set and meet goals to increase the sustainability of their operations,” says Laura Thompson, vice president of trade shows at PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, and producer of the Pack Expo portfolio of trade shows. “Attendees at Pack Expo International will be able to walk away with the information they need to set and achieve sustainability goals.” Show resources include the launch of Sustainability Central, the Sustainability Solutions Finder, the Pack Expo Green program, The Showcase of Packaging Innovations®, and free educational sessions. Sustainability Central in the West Hall (Booth W-21020) will explore packaging sustainability and what it means to brands. This new show floor destination will provide a look at actionable, sustainable solutions in manufacturing, materials, recovery, logistics, analytics, and design. With over 20 educational sessions, the Sustainability Central stage will deliver critical insights. On Sunday, Nov. 3, at noon, PMMI experts Jorge Izquierdo, vice president, market development, and Rebecca Marquez, director, custom research, will present Navigating Packaging Materials Transitions, an update on PMMI’s 2023 Packaging Compass report and the related Material Transitioning Dashboard, an on-line tool illustrating materials consumer packaged goods companies are using, what they are phasing out, and their likely replacements over the next five years. Sustainability Central also will feature presentations from experts at Amazon, Conagra, Clorox, Dow, Merck, and the Consumer Brands Association and others, as well as opportunities to learn about the latest planet-friendly innovations, research, and best practices from Virginia Tech, University of Florida, Clemson University, AMERIPEN, and more. Educational sessions related to sustainability also will be presented at the Reusable Packaging Learning Center (Booth LU-6737) in the Reusable Packaging Pavilion, the Innovation Stage (Booth N-4560, N-4580, and N-4585), the Processing Innovation Stage (Booth LU-7147), and Industry Speaks (Booth N-4544). Topics include technology and materials innovations, the use of recycled content and renewable materials, transformation of waste, circularity, refill/reuse options, life cycle assessment, sustainable package design, reduction in emissions, extended producer responsibility, and data collection.

His inventive spirit and personality shaped the company from Amerang in Upper Bavaria for more than 40 years. Manfred Bonetsmüller, the founder and Managing Director of the SOMIC Group for decades, passed away on October 10, 2024 at the age of 83. His inventive spirit and personality shaped the company from Amerang in Upper Bavaria for more than 40 years.

Mr. Bonetsmüller recognized the great opportunities of automation for food production when he founded the company in 1974. He continuously developed new technical innovations, and the basic modular principle of Somic end-of-line packaging machines is still one of the keys to the company's success today. It allows maximum output on the smallest footprint and can be individually adapted to any packaging task. From simple tray packers and lid tray packers to complex wraparound packers, SOMIC machines are used in the food, non-food and healthcare sectors.

With his inventive spirit and passion for always offering customers the best packaging solution, Bonetsmüller grew SOMIC from a small four person business to a globally active mechanical engineering company. The company expanded to North America with Somic Packaging in 2014, and added another production facility when Somic Haag was acquired in 2019. Last December, subsidiary Somic  packaging Asia Pacific Co. Ltd opened in Thailand.
The packaging industry has lost an ingenious developer and inspiring visionary. The Somic team intends to honor his life's work and spirit by continuing to develop groundbreaking packaging solutions that are “engineered to perform”. Private services
were held.

The Sweet Week Production Summit as part of ISM and ProSweets Cologne 2025 offers top-class speakers and presentations. On Monday, 3 February 2025, the Sweet Week Production Summit will celebrate its premiere in Cologne from 13:30 to 17:00. The focus will be on AI developments. The organiser of the summit is Koelnmesse. It is committed to bringing visitors up to date with the latest AI solutions to ensure that companies remain competitive in the future.

Specifically, the focus will be on innovative ways in which AI optimises production processes and how trends and innovations are shaping the future of the industry. Best-practice examples and innovation pitches provide inspiration and offer the opportunity to network with industry experts and speakers.

Afterwards, the organiser invites you to a ProSweets Cologne party from 18:00 with live music, cool drinks, and delicious snacks in a relaxed atmosphere. With this summit, Koelnmesse is pursuing, among other things, the goal of stronger networking between ISM and ProSweets Cologne. The event is also a further building block in establishing ProSweets Cologne as the leading content and networking platform for the industry in Europe.

Please note: places are limited (first come - first serve).

Details on the content and speakers: here.

Hall: 10.1, Stand E 80; Stage: Sweet Week Talks & Tasting.

Daniel Bloch, CEO and chairman of the board at Chocolats Camille Bloch SA, Switzerland, has received the 2024 European Candy Kettle Award. The award-ceremony took place at the Hotel Bellevue Palace in Berne on 18th of October.

The European Candy Kettle Club (ECKC) is proud to look back on a great history of over 50 years now. Founded in 1973 by the French publisher and chief-in-editor Guy Urbain the ECKC´s purpose is to support the development of great and innovative sweets and confectionery all over Europe. Consisting of 30 machinery and ingredient suppliers from different European countries, the club awards the prestigious European Candy Kettle Award to a company in Europe every year.

To win the award the companies should be outstanding in criteria such as product quality, development in production, research and technology, performance in sales and marketing as well as international cooperation.

The launch comes as the gluten-free category continues to experience remarkable growth, driven by increasing consumer awareness of gastrointestinal health. Synevo uses a specialised hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) blend that mimics the properties of gluten, meaning it can be incorporated into existing recipes with no reformulation required. “We know many of our baking industry customers are looking to upgrade their gluten-free options,” said Trish Fellowes, Food Sales Manager at ACI Group. “We’re delighted to unveil Synevo as a solution that delivers enhanced product quality for many gluten-free bakery applications, from sliced loaves to cakes, cookies, pasta, and more. “The exclusive HPMC formula eliminates the need to stock multiple HPMCs, and offers improved process stability, encourages a resilient crumb, and eliminates the irregular crumb holes that are a hallmark of many gluten alternatives,” continued Fellowes. “We’re always looking for innovations that can level up our offer to our customers, and we’re excited to introduce our baking industry partners to the limitless possibilities unlocked by Synevo.” The launch of Synevo adds to ACI’s remarkable portfolio of food ingredients and additives, which already includes added fibre solutions, plant-based proteins, functional ingredients, and more. “At a time when supply chains around the world are volatile and margins are being squeezed, the addition of Synevo GR1 to our portfolio means we’re in a stronger position than ever to support the baking industry with our expertise and leading suite of innovations,” concluded Fellowes.

The company will demonstrate the potential of its plant-based Exberry® colors with a build-your-own rainbow snack experience at Food Ingredients Europe. Exberry® colors are made from non-GMO fruit, vegetables, and plants using sustainable production methods. They can deliver a complete spectrum of shades in almost any food and beverage application while allowing manufacturers to maintain natural ingredient lists. At Fi Europe, GNT will give attendees the opportunity to explore the possibilities first-hand. Guests will be able to select from six seasonings to create their own eye-catching Exberry® potato chips. Each seasoning will feature an on-trend flavor as well as different colors from across the rainbow to provide a range of bold sensory experiences. In addition, GNT will showcase the latest coloring solutions in the Exberry® portfolio through a range of food and beverage products. Petra Thiele, Sales Director EMEA at GNT, said: “Exberry® colors are trusted by the world’s leading food and beverage brands to deliver vibrant, stable shades. We’re excited to be able to give Food Ingredients Europe visitors a glimpse into the power of Exberry® with our colorful snack bar experience. We want to inspire manufacturers to think creatively about how they can use plant-based colors to develop exciting food and drink products that really stand out on the shelf.” Throughout the event, visitors will be able to talk to GNT’s experts about the latest industry trends and how Exberry® can be used to meet individual project requirements. GNT’s sustainability team will also be present at Fi Europe. In 2022, the company set out 17 ambitious targets to optimize its environmental and social impacts over the course of the current decade. These include training all contract farmers in sustainable agriculture and cutting the environmental footprint across Exberry® product ranges by 25% by 2030. GNT also secured an EcoVadis silver medal last year and was the first food color supplier to publish a third-party Greenhouse Gas Verification Statement. Rutger de Kort, Sustainability Manager at GNT, said: “We’ve set out a bold sustainability vision to futureproof our supplies and we’re making excellent progress on many of our aims. Thanks to our family ownership, we’ve been able to establish a robust supply chain that will help us to deliver high-quality, sustainable colors for generations to come.”

Hall 3.1, Stand G32