Leading packaging event offers exclusive educational sessions addressing the industry’s sustainability perceptions, trends, and challenges

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 04, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WestPack 2019, the West Coast’s largest annual packaging event today announced its education schedule highlighting the latest trends and developments in the packaging industry, including 3D printing, food packaging, automation technologies and more.

WestPack is supported by Packaging Digest, the voice of the packaging industry since 1963, which just released its exclusive 2018 Sustainable Packaging Study. The findings reveal that although 70% of industry respondents consider environmental concerns for single-use plastic packaging to be at an all-time high, nearly all industry respondents — 93% — believe environmental concerns regarding plastic packaging will continue to grow. Packaging Digest Executive Editor Lisa McTigue Pierce and a panel of experts will offer insight and analysis into the industry-side 2018 Sustainable Packaging Study, as well as a forthcoming consumer survey on sustainable plastic packaging at WestPack 2019.

WestPack runs alongside Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) West, Automation Technology Expo (ATX) West, Design & Manufacturing Pacific, and PLASTEC West. To register as media, please visit here: https://anaheim.am.ubm.com/2019/registrations/Media.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Is The Way To Go:

The Packaging Digest 2018 Sustainable Packaging Study gathers insights about the current state of sustainable packaging from top executives in the packaging industry. The survey found consistent sentiment across packaging companies, as 78% of packaging professionals who responded claim that increasing recycling rates is the most effective way to help alleviate environmental concerns for single-use plastic packaging. In addition, 87% percent of respondents stated increasing recycling efforts are a viable way to prevent plastic packaging from ending up in marine environments.

Other key findings from the survey include:

• 74% say bio-based plastics improves the environmental perception of plastics packaging, while only 42% believe it improves the reality of plastics packaging sustainability.
   
• 64% of respondents state they are already reducing package weight and/or increasing material efficiency. Additionally, 47% say they are willing to consider boosting their use of bio-plastics.
   
• 59% definitely expect to see additional bans on plastic packaging and another 37% believe we might see more bans in the future—a large majority, 96%, will not be surprised by government intervention in the future.
   
• 47% of respondents believe outright banning or regulating single-use plastic packaging is the answer.

A panel discussion at WestPack will delve deeper into the results of Packaging Digest’s 2018 Sustainable Packaging Study, as well as the forthcoming consumer survey on plastic packaging sustainability. Open to all WestPack attendees, the panel will consider what the results mean for the packaging industry as a whole, highlighting companies and initiatives that are ahead of the curve on sustainable packaging, and provide practical steps an organization can follow.

“It will be interesting to see how consumer perceptions about plastic packaging sustainability compare with those of companies. We’ll explore whether the industry is on the right track,” said Lisa McTigue Pierce, Executive Editor, Packaging Digest, who will moderate the panel. “WestPack is addressing the underlying issues fueling today’s plastic waste perception, enabling attendees to learn how to address these challenges and to see successful efforts being made by environmental leaders. We are proud to host an educational program where peers can collaborate to find solutions to this complex situation in plastic packaging.”  

To learn more about the findings of the industry survey, download a copy of the 2018 Sustainable Packaging Study here: https://ubm.io/Sustainability2019.

And plan to attend the related session at WestPack:
Panel: Sustainable Packaging—What Really Matters to Consumers?
Moderated by: Lisa McTigue Pierce, Executive Editor, Packaging Digest
February 7, 11:00 a.m. - 11:55 a.m., Center Stage

More top WestPack 2019 sessions:

In addition to presenting results from the Packaging Digest exclusive industry and consumer surveys on plastic packaging sustainability, WestPack offers educational sessions highlighting hot industry topics ranging from clean packaging, needle-free drug-delivery options, ecommerce packaging concerns, and much more.

Session: A Hot Trend in Packaging
Speaker: Greg Clark, Cofounder & CEO, Inductive Intelligence
February 5, 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Center Stage


This session will speak to the new developments in smart packaging for heat-retentive packaging. Attendees will hear from the purveyor of an exciting new packaging technology that harnesses inductive heat to adjust the temperature of a package’s contents.

Panel: Clean Packaging—The Next Step in Consumer Transparency
Moderator: Weldon Williams, Senior Director, Quality Assurance, Packaging — Global Lead
February 5, 3:00 p.m. – 3:55 p.m., Center Stage

As more and more consumers demand transparency about what they’re eating, some are applying a more critical eye to their food packaging. Given recent examples of food packaging issues such as bisphenol-A (BPA) and fluorocarbons, “clean packaging” is likely to follow behind clean food as a focal point for consumers and an opportunity for brand owners to build trust with them. In this panel discussion, we’ll explore the consumer attitudes driving the shift to clean packaging, look at what companies are doing to meet the demand, and identify pitfalls to avoid."

Panel: Packaging for eCommerce's Toughest Challenges 
Moderator: Packsize
Panelists: Emmy Corman, Package Design Engineer, The Dollar Shave Club, Ellen Kyle, Industrial Designer, Farmgirl Flowers
Febuary 6, 1:00 p.m. – 1:55 p.m., Center Stage

Consumers today are accustomed to getting anything and everything delivered to their doorstep, from razors to meal kits and packaging makes this convenience possible. This session will explore how brands have used innovative packaging to solve some of the toughest challenges in ecommerce.

Session: A Sea Change in Plastics—How New Packaging Could Save Our Oceans
February 7, 2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., Center Stage

With a patch of plastic trash twice the size of Texas swirling in the ocean halfway between Hawaii and California, environmentalists are becoming concerned for the use of plastics. As awareness of ocean plastics pollution grows, the plastic packaging industry is increasingly being called upon to do something about it. In this session, we’ll hear innovative solutions to the growing problem.

To learn more about the content at WestPack, please visit: https://westpack.packagingdigest.com/conference-wpack 

Attendees can register here:
https://anaheim.am.ubm.com/2019/registrations/WP

Connect with WestPack 2019: #AdvMfgExpo
             
      ·Facebook
      ·Twitter
      ·LinkedIn

About Advanced Manufacturing Expos & Conferences:
UBM's Advanced Manufacturing portfolio is the leading B-to-B event producer, publisher, and digital media business for the world's $3 trillion advanced, technology-based manufacturing industry. Our print and electronic products deliver trusted information to the advanced manufacturing market and leverage our proprietary 1.3 million name database to connect suppliers with buyers and purchase influencers. We produce more than 50 events and conferences in a dozen countries, connecting manufacturing professionals from around the globe. The Advanced Manufacturing portfolio is organized by UBM, which in June 2018 combined with Informa PLC to become a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organizer in the world. To learn more and for the latest news and information, visit www.ubm.com and www.informa.com.

Media Contacts: 
Lauren Lloyd, advmanufacturingpr@ubm.com, (310) 266-4792
Tam Nguyen, advmanufacturingpr@ubm.com, (424) 410-9797