On 15 and 16 September, 200 CEO’s and senior leaders from the carton board and folding carton industry attended the ECMA 2022 Congress in Krakow, Poland – all participants commented on how good it was to be meeting again after COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the last two congresses.
The strap line for the congress was ‘Sustainability Unboxed’ with participants hearing from a range of presenters including Carrefour, Euromonitor, BPO Packaging Strategy & Innovation, EXPRA, CEPI and Suez Circpack, whilst the keynote speaker was the acclaimed TED presenter and UN Champion of the Earth; Leyla Acaraglu. Prime Minister Marek Belka gave a thought-provoking presentation regarding the geopolitical challenges facing Europe whilst Pavlo Klimkin, Ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, spoke about the conflict in Ukraine and his presentation was concluded with ECMA presenting a cheque for €10,000 to a charitable foundation supporting Ukrainian refugees.
A highlight of the Congress was the awards evening when the winners of the European Carton Excellence Awards were celebrated.
Mike Turner, Managing Director, ECMA, commented, “It has been superb to see friends and colleagues for the 1st time in 3 years and to focus discussions on the opportunities in our sector, driven by the sustainability attributes of fibre packaging.”
At the close of the Congress, ECMA President, Jean-Francois Roche of Graphic Packaging International, announced that the 2023 ECMA Congress will take place in Seville, Spain.
