Packaging innovation, differentiation and sustainability are the driving forces behind today’s new product introductions. Those topics, as well as emerging equipment technologies and ecommerce, will be the focal points of The Packaging Conference 2018, February 5-7, Wyndham Grand Orlando - Bonnet Creek, Orlando, FL.

While the conference offers a range of technologies and markets of interest across the broad spectrum of packaging—among others, Campbell Soup (Camden, NJ) will discuss how packaging is used to address evolving grocery requirement to exceed the consumer’s product experience expectations and PepsiCo (White Plains, NY) will be discussing Snack Packaging Sustainability Imperatives in an Era of Advancing E-Commerce—PlasticsToday presents highlights for the plastics community:

Pretium Packaging (Chesterfield, MO) is presenting an innovative PET container that features the first integrated handle, shown above. The company’s SureHandle 64-ounce container offers food/beverage and household/industrial brand owners significant shelf differentiation, handling convenience and aesthetics that were not previously possible.

Loop Industries’ (Terrebonne, Canada) breakthrough technology enables waste PET to be upcycled into high purity, food-grade PET for applications including water bottles. The company’s transformative technology is set to disrupting the plastic manufacturing, waste management and consumer goods packaging.

rPlanet Earth (El Segundo CA) will be the first vertically-integrated bottle grade rPET plant in the world that produces multiple types of packaging products under the same roof. The company’s innovative production practices will allow its packaging products to have the lowest carbon footprint in the United States and one of the lowest in the world. 

DuPont (Wilmington, DE) will be discussing why a renewably-sourced furan-based biopolymer is the right choice for packaging applications. DuPont and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM, Decatur, IL) have jointly developed a breakthrough process to produce furan dicarboxylic methyl ether (FDME) from fructose utilizing a chemical process that integrates the dehydration and oxidation steps.

Avantium BV, (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) will be presenting what it views as a truly greener PET with positive economic impact. The company has identified a process which makes a drop-in mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) from glucose in a single-step, high-atom efficiency process which is competitive with petroleum-based MEG.

Synvina BV (Amsterdam, Netherlands) will be exploring how it can improve packaging performance via its high-quality polyethylene furandicarboxylate (PEF) production operation. Compared to conventional PET, PEF can extend product shelf life, reduce package weight and eliminate the need for additional barrier materials. PEF is expected to open up new plastic packaging opportunities.

For more information, visit www.thepackagingconference.com.

Ron Puvak has been the managing director of The Packaging Conference since its inception in 2008.  The conference is dedicated to bringing leading-edge technology and market information to packaging supply chain participants in beverage, food, household/industrial/agricultural chemicals, toiletries and cosmetics, health and beauty aids, pharmaceuticals and more.