interpack

Some packaging only comes once a year. Foil-wrapped chocolate eggs. Decorated cardboard boxes. Ribbon-tied gift bags. At Easter, packaging becomes part of the celebration itself — not just a vessel for what's inside, but a reason to pause before opening. The materials, formats and production technologies behind these seasonal classics reflect broader trends shaping the industry — from sustainable substrates and fiber-based solutions to flexible machine concepts and premium finishing. The same developments that make Easter packaging special can be explored live at interpack 2026 in Düsseldorf this May. ⚙️ From everyone at interpack: Happy Easter. We hope your weekend is well wrapped. ♻️

The packaging industry in 2030 will not look like today. Three industry leaders share where they see the decisive shifts and what it will take to stay ahead — and will showcase their solutions at interpack 2026. Tobias Wetzel, Managing Director Sales and Service at KHS Group, points to the convergence of sustainability, flexibility and cost-efficiency as the defining challenge: processing high rPET content reliably, managing energy and material consumption intelligently, and viewing the production line as a complete system rather than a collection of isolated solutions. Dr. Stefan König, CEO at OPTIMA packaging group, sees fiber-based technologies and regulatory pressure — particularly the EU Packaging Regulation — as structural accelerators. By 2030, he expects market-ready solutions that integrate new material combinations, data-driven processes and digital transparency. The skills required will increasingly span material sciences, circular economy, automation and data analytics. ⚙️ Steve Jones, Marketing Director at Ishida Europe Ltd, frames volatility itself as the constant. Future machines will need to handle more SKUs, faster product launches and new materials — with scalability, modularity and short changeovers as baseline requirements. The persistent shortage of skilled labor adds operational risk, making intuitive user experience and real-time machine insight not optional extras but operational necessities. 🔍 Three perspectives. One direction: the industry is in structural transition — and the companies that navigate it will be those building for resilience, not just efficiency. 👉 The full article is available here: https://bit.ly/3NNpnqP What does your organisation's roadmap to 2030 currently look like?

A friend told Konstantin: "Work there, and you can call yourself Willy Wonka." He was curious. Eight weeks in, he had his first project. 🤝 Konstantin Kuhl studied electrical engineering at TU Dresden with a focus on automation. Today, he designs electrical concepts, programs machines, adapts customer options and creates assembly documentation — with full responsibility for the entire machine, not just one component. He has supported installations in Utah and Dubai. Most of the time, he works locally and supports technicians remotely. His description of the job: a bit technical, a bit artistic. He is one of six Young Talents of interpack 2026 and will be on site in Düsseldorf at the Theegarten-Pactec GmbH & Co. KG stand — representing where the next generation of the processing and packaging industry is heading. 🌍 The Young Talents Day on 13 May is designed exactly for people at the start of this path: students, apprentices and young professionals who want direct access to companies, honest insight into career entry points and conversations that go beyond the job description. Watch the full video above — and find all information on the Young Talents Day via the link in the first comment.

We are proud to announce Caroline Babendererde, Head of Sustainability Mid Europe at Tetra Pak, as keynote speaker at Women in Packaging at interpack 2026. 🤝 Women in Packaging brings together professionals from across the processing and packaging industry to exchange perspectives on careers, leadership, diversity and community — in a format designed for genuine conversation, not just presentations. Caroline Babendererde brings nearly 30 years of experience in environmental and sustainability management to this stage — 23 of them at Tetra Pak, where she leads sustainability with a focus on circular economy. She holds a diploma in Physical Geography, Landscape Ecology and Spatial Planning from Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, serves on the Board of Trustees of the Horstmann Foundation for science and environmental education, and shares her expertise as a guest lecturer on sustainable packaging at multiple universities. Her passion for empowering women in the industry is woven throughout her career — and it is precisely this combination of long-term practice and personal commitment that makes her the right voice for this event. ♻️ The programme includes a keynote, panel discussion and topic hubs on leadership, skills, work-life balance and personal branding, followed by networking over drinks and snacks. 📅 Monday, 11 May 2026 · 10:30 a.m. · Congress Center Düsseldorf, 2nd floor, rooms 26–28 All information and registration are available in the first comment. What does meaningful progress on gender diversity look like in your organisation — and who is making it happen?

Düsseldorf is ready. And so are we. 🌍 interpack 2026 opens its doors on 7 May — and the city that hosts the world's leading trade fair for processing and packaging is welcoming visitors from every corner of the globe. From the contemporary art of K20 K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen to the vibrant market stalls of Carlsplatz and Feinkost Fladi, from the concert halls of the Tonhalle Düsseldorf gGmbH to the shopping floors of Breuninger — Düsseldorf offers a city experience that goes well beyond the fairgrounds. Whether you unwind at The Cloud One Hotel, discover the legendary ramen of Takumi First, raise a glass of Altbier at Uerige, or find your rhythm at the KIT Café — there is a side of this city for every visitor. Watch the welcome video above — and get ready for Düsseldorf. 🤝 🗓️ interpack 2026. 7–13 May. Düsseldorf.

Some industry conversations only happen in Düsseldorf. 🌍 interpack brings together the full value chain of processing and packaging — suppliers, customers and technology partners — in a density that no digital channel replicates. Relationships that seem out of reach become concrete meetings. Technology assessments that take months to build elsewhere are compressed into days. Market orientation sharpens when the entire industry is in one place. Professionals who have experienced it describe it consistently: it is where new contacts become partners, where innovation becomes tangible and where the broader direction of the industry comes into focus. ⚙️ Hear it directly from those who were there — watch the video above and get ready for May 2026. 📍 interpack 2026. 7–13 May. Düsseldorf. Secure your ticket via the link in the first comment.

Few trade fairs cover a single sector. interpack covers eight. ⚙️ Food, beverages, confectionery, bakery, pharma, cosmetics, non food and industrial goods — the entire value chain represented under one roof. For decision-makers navigating cross-sector sourcing, innovation benchmarking, or supply chain evaluation, this breadth is not incidental. It is structurally significant. No other trade fair in processing & packaging brings together tailored solutions across such a range of materials, formats and industry applications. 🌍 For visitors arriving with specific sector challenges, the sector structure at interpack 2026 provides a framework for targeted preparation — helping teams allocate time, identify relevant exhibitors and connect with the right counterparts across the value chain. Understanding which sectors are represented — and how they intersect — is a practical first step in planning a visit that delivers real operational value. The full sector overview is available via the link in the first comment. Which sectors are most relevant to your organisation's agenda for 2026? 🔍

From cocoa nib roasting to chocolate moulding — the processing steps that define product quality are becoming more integrated, more modular and more precise. 🏭 Bühler Group is presenting its latest developments at interpack 2026: a reinvented processing line for chocolate, compounds, spreads and coatings; the next generation of cocoa nib roasting; the OptiBake inductive wafer oven; and ChocoX, a new approach to modular chocolate moulding technology. Across segments — from bean to bar chocolate processing to grain-based snacks — the focus is on seamless integration along the full production chain. ⚙️ Mike Häfeli ,CEO Grains & Food at Bühler Group, outlines what the company is bringing to Düsseldorf this May. Watch the full video above. What aspects of integrated confectionery and food processing are currently driving investment decisions in your organisation?

Plastic has long been considered indispensable for confectionery packaging. That assumption is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain. ♻️ The technical barriers that once made alternative materials impractical — oxygen transmission, moisture resistance, fat migration, heat-sealability — are being systematically addressed. Paper-based barrier solutions, monomaterials and home-compostable films have moved from niche applications into industrial-scale production. Koehler Paper and Futamura (Cellulose Films) are among the suppliers driving this transition at industrial scale — with functional papers and home-compostable films that already meet the performance requirements of confectionery production. Two dynamics are converging here. Consumer expectations are shifting toward products with functional and health-oriented benefits — plant-based, organic, sugar-free — placing new demands on recipes and, by extension, on processing and packaging technology. Confectionery is among the most technically demanding categories in food production: high fat content, sticky surfaces and temperature-sensitive recipes set stringent requirements for materials and machinery alike. Regulatory and brand-driven pressure on packaging sustainability adds a further layer of complexity. ⚙️ Modularity and material flexibility are becoming defining criteria for machine investment in the sector. Processing chocolate bars, pralines or protein snacks in sustainable substrates — while maintaining output rates and sealing integrity across format changes — requires platforms designed for that level of operational variability. Theegarten-Pactec GmbH & Co. KG, Rovema GmbH and APLIX - HOOK & LOOP are among the exhibitors at interpack 2026 presenting concrete responses to exactly this challenge. Digitalisation adds a further dimension. Traceability solutions that connect cocoa origin data to consumer-facing packaging are beginning to reframe what confectionery packaging communicates — extending its function well beyond protection and presentation. 🔍 How is your organisation currently navigating the transition to sustainable packaging materials at operational level?

interpack 2026 takes place 7–13 May in Düsseldorf. For international visitors, preparation starts well before arrival. 🌍 Accommodation is available across all categories — from hotels near the fairgrounds to options in the city centre. As a service for visitors, interpack offers a dedicated booking platform in cooperation with KUONI Tumlare Congress via HotelMap, providing a structured and reliable way to secure rooms during a period of high demand. Düsseldorf is part of a well-connected metropolitan region. Well-known cities such as Cologne offer additional accommodation options. At the same time, numerous surrounding cities and towns — including Essen, Duisburg, Wuppertal, Ratingen, Krefeld, or Moers, and many more — provide further alternatives, all with convenient public transport links to the fairgrounds. For those extending their stay, the DüsseldorfCard offers free use of public transport across the city and surrounding region, alongside discounts at more than 80 attractions. The DüsseldorfCard Plus expands that coverage to the wider Rhine-Ruhr area — a practical option for visitors arriving via regional rail connections. Planning early reduces friction. For a trade fair of this scale, early decisions on where to stay are part of effective visit preparation. The full hotel and city information overview is available in the first comment.