By Dr. Bernhard Reichenbach

The man-made environmental problems can no longer be denied, and there is a rethinking. For example, eco-friendly packaging is an integral part of the buying process for younger generations – especially Generation Y, whose members are not willing to compromise when it comes to sustainability.

This is reflected in the packaging show FachPack, on which we report in this issue. For example, Bayern Design presents the special show “Environmentally-friendly packaging in the premium sector”. It shows how design in conception and realization enables different approaches with regard to sustainable packaging design.

Packing is also part of our “sp portrait”: The company Somic has developed into one of the leading manufacturers of end-of-line packaging machines. At FachPack, the company will be presenting an interesting new development: a compact and cost-effective system for standard tasks.

No standard task is the automatic sorting of sensitive sweets. In the “Technology” section, we show how the British manufacturer Swizzels Matlow was able to successfully realize this with the help of a Tomra optical sorting system.

An interesting personality dominates the section “Ingredients”: Dr Frank Heckel, new head of the Food Chemistry Institute (LCI) of the Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI), tells in an interview about his plans. We also report on the meeting of the IVLV Chocolate Technology Working Group, where experts covered a wide range of chocolate-related topics.

Dr Bernhard Reichenbach, Editor-in-chief