Editorial

EDITORIAL |

Libby Munford Editor Working from home

I’ve become immune to the effects of buzzwords within the packaging industry. For example I have seen ‘innovation’ and ‘sustainable’ parroted more times than I care to remember, to the point where the words lose their weight and intended meaning. Today, there’s a new buzzword in the mainstream media tied to the coronavirus pandemic that is fast becoming overused: ‘unprecedented’. Of course, we will be covering the rapid developments occurring in the packaging industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic within this edition. However, I’d like to take a step back from this ‘new normal’ (another buzzword there) and try to find some wider context to our situation.

Victoria Hattersley follows on from our continuous coverage of the crisis to explore how it has impacted the packaging industry thus far, dipping into long-term implications and pondering what we have learned. Our wider focus is on the noticeable shift we have witnessed within our industry from the physical (events, conferences and face-toface meetings) to the digital (such as webinars and virtual launches). In the absence of events such as interpack and drupa, how is the industry coping and adapting to share its latest announcements? Make sure you head to our YouTube page and subscribe to keep up to date with our new medium of live broadcasts. This is in no way against the curve of other industries, but it will be interesting to see how this shift in the paradigm of sharing packaging progressions will propel our industry going forwards. Again, is this the ‘new normal’ or a flash in the pan?

And while mainstream media has tentatively started to tilt its head to cover other news asides from coronavirus as front page and headline worthy, we’re also keen to keep our eyes focused on the big trends and announcements continuing to impact the packaging industry. Packaging Europe’s Sustainability Awards 2020 has seen another huge increase in submissions this year, with an impressive 275 entries stepping up to the plate. We’re eager to share these solutions with our readers going forwards and open up the sustainability debate to lead discussions again this year – watch this space. Elisabeth Skoda invites Henkel to focus on this vital issue within these pages; she interviews Tilo Quink, global head of Henkel Packaging Adhesives. Meanwhile, Tim Sykes delves into Lifecycle Analysis with Smurfit Kappa and the nuanced findings emerging from their recent work on LCA.

Fin Slater scooped an interview with Syntegon’s (formerly Bosch Packaging Technology) new CEO to discover the company’s strategic priorities and challenges in rebranding an iconic organization. And I pin down the accomplished global explorer Emily Penn during lockdown to learn about eXXpedition, the scientific research mission’s vital investigation into the causes of and solutions to ocean plastic pollution, which lest we forget is another huge concern to the future of the human race, our health, and that of the planet. n

Libby Munford

Libby Munford

lw@packagingeurope.com @PackEuropeLibby