The event attracted a much larger number of visitors from outside Germany than in years past, just one way that FachPack is living up to its reputation as the leading European trade fair for packaging, processes and technology. Attendees eagerly used the chance to network and discuss the best packaging options at the exhibition booths, forums and special shows. The German Packaging Award and the Sustainability Awards honoured particularly innovative solutions.

FachPack 2019 featured a wide-ranging offer along the packaging process chain from packaging mate-rials and machines to printing and finishing, and logistics systems and services. Some 40 % of companies travelled to the event from outside Germany, primarily from Italy (76), the Netherlands (55), Switzerland (47), the Czech Republic (47), as well as
Poland (47).

The first-ever key theme to be chosen – environmentally friendly pack-aging – was right on trend and was a thread running through the twelve exhibition halls and the supporting programme. “There are so many trends, such as digitization, e-commerce and brand experience, and exhibitors are facing up to pressing issues and already presenting marketable products. This is especially true when it comes to sustainability, which has been an issue within the industry for many years, but has now really taken off,” noted Cornelia Fehlner, FachPack Exhibition Director at NürnbergMesse. Almost half of the exhibitors had addressed the issue of environmentally friendly packaging at their exhibition booths and presented packaging, machinery or processes that enable environmentally sound packaging.

With innovative formats like the open workshop area in Hall 9 and the three special areas where national and international start-ups showed off their prowess, the supporting programme proved to be very popular. The PackBox and TechBox forums hosted 120 presentations, half of which covered different aspects of environmentally friendly packaging. Hot topics like design for recycling, the circular economy and bio-based plastics were addressed by speakers from renowned companies. Leading research institutes and associations were also represented. At some presentations, there were four times more attendees than chairs. A total audience of approximately 10,000 attendees (2018: 7,500) listened to sessions at the two forums across the three days of the exhibition.

An award ceremony on the first day of the exhibition honoured 34 outstanding solutions with the German Packaging Award 2019. The winners of the Sustainability Awards, handed out for the first time at the FachPack, were announced on the second day of the exhibition. A total of eight products and projects were recognized. (More information can be found at www.verpackungspreis.de and at www.packagingeurope.com.)

In 2020, the FachPack will take its traditional break. The next FachPack will take place in Nuremberg from 28 to 30 September 2021.

www.packagingeurope.com.