Annual Conference

Registration: $3,150
Spouse: $400
Late Registration: $3,450 (begins September 1)

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4

3:00 – 6:00 PM CT Registration
6:00 – 7:30 PM CT Welcome Reception

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5

7:30 – 8:15 AM CT Registration & Breakfast
9:00 – 9:30 AM CT Conference Opening Remarks
9:00 – 10:30 AM CT Speaker Session
10:30 – 11:00 AM CT Exhibitor & Networking Break
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT Breakout Sessions*
12:00 – 1:30 PM CT Lunch
1:30 – 2:30 PM CT Speaker Session
2:30 – 3:00 PM CT Exhibitor & Networking Break
3:00 – 4:00 PM CT Breakout Sessions
4:00 – 5:00 PM CT Breakout Sessions
5:00 – 5:30 PM CT Membership Meeting
6:00 – 7:00 PM CT Cocktail Reception (with cash bar)
7:00 – 8:30 PM CT Dinner

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6

7:30 – 8:15 AM CT Breakfast
8:30 – 9:15 AM CT Keynote Speaker
9:15 – 10:15 AM CT Speaker Session
10:15 – 10:45 AM CT Exhibitor & Networking Break
10:45 – 11:45 AM CT Breakout Sessions
11:45 AM – 1:00 PM CT Joe Grygny Award & Closing Remarks
1:00 PM CT Lunch (on your own)
2:00 PM CT Golf Outing (18-Hole, Par-3)**

All times are subject to change.

*What is a Breakout Session?: A breakout session is a continued conversation following its speaker session. There will be a moderator in each breakout session to start and lead the conversation, and panelists will participate in the conversation. All registrants may ask questions during these sessions.

**Registration required. $125pp, includes cart rental

Packaging Megatrends – Sustainability and Opportunities in Molded Fiber

Abhinav Goel, Partner, McKinsey & Company
Daniel Nordigaarden, Partner, McKinsey & Company

Sustainability in packaging has finally hit a tipping point globally, regulations are accelerating and consumer preferences are shifting as their understanding of sustainability evolves. Molded fiber is emerging as an alternate packaging substrate for various applications and has witnessed significant investment and growth recently. In this session we will share our latest thinking on the key mega-trends affecting the $1Trillion Global Packaging Industry, including trends in molded fiber space and opportunities ahead.

About Daniel Nordigaarden and Abhinas Goel

Abhinav Goel is a Partner with McKinsey & Company based in Pittsburgh, USA. He is a core leader of McKinsey’s Packaging Service Line and serves clients across all packaging types: plastic, paper, glass and metal. Abhinav serves packaging clients globally on topics such as: strategy, M&A, sustainability and growth. Prior to McKinsey, Abhinav has worked in consumer packaging industry in India for 6 years across various leadership roles. He also co-leads McKinsey’s Sustainable Packaging Hub that provides cutting edge insights on packaging including consumer trends.

Daniel Nordigaarden is a Partner with McKinsey & Company based in Toronto, Canada. He is a core leader of McKinsey’s Packaging Service Line and serves clients globally, focused exclusively on the paper & packaging industry. Daniel has deep expertise across packaging substrates, end uses, and regions as well as extensive experience in strategy, operations, sustainability, and private equity. He also co-lead McKinsey’s global work around “Packaging 2030” and “Sustainability in packaging”.

 

4evergreen Alliance: Fibre-based Packaging Industry in Action for a Circular Future

Susanne Haase, Program Director, 4evergreen Alliance

4evergreen is a unique alliance bringing together more than 100 companies from the entire value chain, all committed to perfecting fibre-based packaging circularity for a greener world. Their goal is to increase the recycling rate of fibre-based packaging up to 90& by 2023. Together, they are working in four key areas with exceptional intensity: evaluating packaging recyclability, designing for circularity, advising effective collection and sorting, and exploring innovative recycling and sorting technologies and techniques. For each area, they are developing a series of guidelines and protocols that will help the industry develop increasingly sustainable packaging solutions.

About Susanne Haase

Susanne Haase is the Program Director of the 4evergreen Alliance since May 2020. The goal of the alliance, an initiative of Cepi (Confederation of European Paper Industries), is to boost the contribution of fibre-based packaging in the circular economy. Susanne Haase, an experienced editor, and award-winning journalist has been enthusiastically reporting on the international pulp and paper industry, its supply chains and product converting, for more than 15 years. Susanne has authored numerous articles in her career that have underlined the importance of cross-value chain collaboration to drive circularity and the role of fibre-based products in mitigating climate change. As Program Director of 4evergreen, she is in a good position to help drive the mission forward. Publications for which Susanne has been responsible for as Editor-in-Chief include journals like ipw (International Paperworld), Paperazzo and Biofibre Magazine. In addition, she has worked as chief reporter for APR (Aktuelle Papier-Rundschau).

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Regulatory Compliance: Access to the Market

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Huqiu Zhang, Senior Chemist, Sevee & Maher Engineers

The presentation will briefly introduce global regulations on paper food packaging and food contact materials with a focus on the US, EU, China, and other markets. Discuss strategies how to ensure safety and regulatory compliance, manage safety perceptions and keep up with the regulatory landscape changes, play ahead of the game to access global markets.

About Huqiu Zhang
Huqiu Zhang holds a PhD in organic chemistry. She provides regulatory and technical consultation to consumer product and food industries, chemical and food contact material industries, and their supply chains in the areas of chemicals safety, global regulatory compliance, and sustainability. Her expertise includes regulatory compliance strategies and implementation; new materials and recycled materials pre-market clearance, approval, and compliance; supply chain chemical management program and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP); business Due Diligence, chemical hazard identification, exposure evaluation and risk assessment.

Huqiu is currently a senior chemist at Sevee & Maher Engineers.  Her more than 25 years of working experiences extends to the whole supply chain of food packaging and consumer product, with chemical industry (BASF/Ciba Specialty Chemical); material and compounding industry (GE Plastics/SABIC); food/beverage industry (The Coca Cola Company); Testing, Inspection and Certification Industries (Intertek). She played the critical role in opening technical communication channel between the US FDA and China MOH agencies.  She is on Board of Technical Advisor for Zymtronix, and past board members for industry associations.

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New Technology for Thin Film Lamination of Molded Fiber Products

Conor Carlin, Managing Director, ILLIG North America LP

Over the past several years, public pressure combined with new governmental regulations has led to an increased interest in non-fossil-based packaging materials. As such, paper-based materials including cardboard and molded fiber are being explored for a wider range of packaging applications. The functional benefits of polymeric materials, however, can be difficult to replicate in their cellulosic counterparts, especially with regard to shelf life and barrier properties, e.g., oxygen, water, and greases.  Furthermore, legislation regarding PFAS chemicals, previously used in many coatings, has forced converters to find alternative pathways to sustainable package designs. New developments in plant-based or other bio-based films combined with existing pulp manufacturing techniques offer a potential new substrate structure that meets market needs.  In 2022, ILLIG developed a new modular machine concept for laminating pulp and cardboard packaging with very thin-film bio-based materials. In May 2023, the new PLU40 was introduced at Interpack in Dusseldorf. This “pulp laminating unit” will be explored in greater detail at IMFA 2023.

About Conor Carlin

Conor Carlin is the Managing Director of ILLIG North America LP, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ILLIG Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG., a Germany-based designer and manufacturer of thermoforming, tooling, and packaging systems. Carlin has 20 years of international experience in packaging machinery, tooling, and advanced materials. Carlin is a member of the Executive Board of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) and a member of Institute of Packaging Professionals (IOPP). In 2020 he was elected as the first VP of Sustainability for SPE and edits publications for their Thermoforming and Recycling Divisions. Carlin has delivered papers and contributed articles on plastics and sustainability for international industry press in the US, Europe, and Asia. He is the co-author of “Plastics & Sustainability: Grey is the New Green” published by Scrivener/Wiley. Carlin holds a BA from Boston University (Boston, MA) and an MBA from the FW Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College (Wellesley, MA). He lives in the Greater Boston area with his wife and three children.

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Global Capacity Outlook for Type 3 Molded Fiber Packaging

Alexander Koukoulas, Director, Afry Management Consulting, Inc.

In response to growing demand, newly announced capacity expansions and capital investments in molded fiber have been seen, with more are expected in the near future. Since molded fiber production is dominated by small and fragmented producers, visibility to global capacity development is limited. In this presentation, we will examine the drivers for growth and discuss the expectations for capacity developments in response to continued growth. We will also discuss how technical challenges in meeting certain end-use performance requirements may limit growth potential, especially in food service applications, and discuss how these may be overcome.

About Alexander Koukoulas
Alexander Koukoulas is a Director in the Bioindustry Division of AFRY Management Consulting, a global consulting, design, and engineering services company employing over 19,000 analysts, scientists, and engineers in over 50 countries. Dr. Koukoulas joined AFRY in 2022, where he is responsible for providing strategic advisory services to clients in the pulp & paper, packaging, nonwovens, biofuels, biochemicals and related industries. Prior to joining AFRY, Dr. Koukoulas held senior leadership positions at International Paper and Albany International. He was founder of A2K Consultants LLC and president and CEO of the Herty Advanced Materials Development Center.

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The Relevance of Molded Fiber Lamination in a Plastic-restrictive Framework

Salvador Diaz, Sales Director, Hamer Packaging Technology
Pol Casado, Ecological Business Unit Manager, Hamer Packaging Technology

The molded fiber industry is becoming increasingly significant while the growing the regulatory landscape limits the use of plastics in single-use packaging. However, certain functions still require a specific amount of plastic to be incorporated. Although basic barrier requirements can be met by adjusting the fiber mixture composition, high barrier properties can only be attained by laminating with a thin layer of plastic, complying with the most recent legal standards.

About Salvador Diaz
Sales & Marketing Director and Board member at Hamer with over 10 years of experience in the engineered packaging solution’s market. In the past 5 years, he has led the company’s expansion into new markets and territories and is now a key part of strategic management, with a focus on pushing the Ecological division forward.

About Pol Casado
Business Unit Manager of the Ecological Division at Hamer, leading the development of fiber thermoforming and lamination projects and the expansion of this division worldwide. Pol brings the skills and knowledge of his previous experience as Sales Area Manager for packaging projects, with a focus on European markets.

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Microfibrillated Cellulose (MFC): A Bio-Binder Enhancing Strength and Barrier Priorities In Fiber-Based Systems

Tom Larson, Head Of Business Development, Fiberlean Technologies

As the packaging industry urgently needs more sustainable, yet functionally and economically viable alternatives to plastic and PFAS, there are not many options available. However, MFC can be used to radically enhance the strength properties of molded pulp products whilst concurrently improving the effectiveness of any sizing agents or barrier products being used. The net effect is the potential to reduce article weight with maintained mechanical properties, and lower the consumption of barrier products and coatings. In some cases, it is possible to completely eliminate the use of petroleum or fluorochemistry-based technologies. These advantages, taken collectively, can significantly improve the sustainability, performance, and economics, enabling the molded fiber producer to bring a unique offering in the evolving fiber-based molded product market.

About Tom Larson

Based in the UK, Tom is Head of Business Development for Paper and Board for FiberLean. Tom holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and has over a decade of experience implementing MFC innovations in the paper and packaging industry. Tom is primarily responsible for leading the industrial scale-up and commercialisation of MFC for surface coating and moulded fibre applications.

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