On Friday, 19th September, we hosted our exclusive event: Digitalisation for Packaging Sustainability, at the Loft Zurich in Switzerland.

This invite-only Business Breakfast brought together leading sustainability leaders from the FMCG sector and the wider packaging value chain. The focus was on how digitalisation and data can accelerate progress towards a more sustainable, circular economy. Beyond the presentations, the morning offered an excellent opportunity to connect with clients, exchange ideas, and openly discuss how to overcome today’s challenges around data silos and evolving regulations.

In this recap, we highlight the main presentations and insights shared during the event.

How to Get There: The Digitalisation of Flexible Packaging

Michael Martin, Commercial Director, Food Division at Wipak Group

Michael provided a flexible packaging producer’s perspective on the opportunities and challenges of digitalisation in packaging. He noted that while producers hold vast amounts of valuable data, accessing and sharing this information effectively remains a significant hurdle.

Key points he shared included:

• Producers own a significant amount of data, but it is often fragmented across different systems.

• The urgent need to prepare data for compliance with PPWR.

• Becoming both digital-ready and data-ready is essential to meet recyclability and regulatory requirements.

This perspective sparked an engaging discussion between suppliers and customers on how data should be handled in the future

Beyond the Buzzword: The Real Transformation Needed for Digital Change and Packaging Sustainability

Konstanze Smith, Packaging Manager at Geberit

Konstanze examined whether “transformation” is truly taking place or if it remains a buzzword in sustainability and digitalisation discussions. She stressed that real transformation happens through many smaller shifts across organisations, teams, and individual roles.

She highlighted:

Shifting responsibilities for packaging professionals, including:

• Interpreting and translating legislation for internal stakeholders.

• Understanding technical requirements and software purchasing.

• Developing expertise in system integrations and new digital tools.

• Learning new terminology to work effectively with IT, data experts, and solution providers.

• Navigating challenges such as understanding AI’s potential and limits, and prioritising between PPWR, EPR, and other regulatory requirements.

Her talk underlined that transformation requires discipline, continuous skill development, and restructured teams to adapt to fast-changing demands.

From Chaos to Control: A Winning Packaging Data Strategy

Christian Resch, Senior Pre-Sales Engineer at Recyda

Christian focused on how a structured packaging data strategy can bring clarity to complex compliance requirements. He explained that different guidelines- such as RecyClass, Cotrep, and KIDV-  require different data points, and addressing one does not automatically resolve the others.

He explained that Recyda’s solution enables companies to:

• Cover all major guidelines

• Build reports that prioritise gaps

• Identify the real impact of closing specific gaps

The audience agreed on the urgency: companies need to act now, not later, to build strategies that ensure compliance and recyclability.

Conclusion

The event highlighted both challenges and opportunities in the digitalisation of packaging sustainability. From producers preparing their data systems, to companies reshaping roles and skills, to building actionable data strategies, the event delivered valuable insights and sparked lively discussion.

We thank all our speakers and attendees for their contributions, ideas, and energy. Most importantly, thank you for your valued efforts in actively supporting us in forging the path towards a more digital, data-driven, and sustainable packaging future.

Want to network and gain exclusive insights at our next event?

Our next Business Breakfast event has limited seats; sign up now to receive an invite for our early 2026 edition!