PACK EXPO International 2008 will be November 9-13, at McCormick Place in Chicago. We recently asked Joe Angel, Vice President and Publisher of Packaging World, about the show, especially in terms of sustainable packaging. This year’s show promises to be as good as ever, with green packaging perhaps topping the list as a key theme.

How is Pack Expo shaping up in terms of exhibitors and attendance?
From what I hear from PMMI, they are ahead of 2006 PEI pre-registrations. This is a good sign, particularly with the economy the way it is now. Bu it’s also a function of more total internet registrations, so only time will tell. The one consistent take-away I hear when speaking with consumer packaged goods companies (CPG’s) is that they feel they cannot afford to significantly reduce R&D…developing new or improved products, thus new packaging. PACK EXPO is a great place to see a lot of packaging ideas. While it is no secret companies are sending less people to events these days, the key people still attend and those that cannot attend will send someone or a buying team to the show or conference.

Who should attend Pack Expo, and how will attending help their business?
Any packager (CPG), distributor or supplier who wants to keep abreast of new packaging developments – particularly machinery where they can “kick the tires” – will not want to miss PACK EXPO.

Do you see more emphasis on sustainable packaging than in past shows?
Yes, definitely. On a personal note, we’ve (PW) been reporting on sustainable packaging and “cradle-to-cradle” since 2003 and it has taken a long time for the packaging industry to catch on. The addition of Amy Zettlemoyer-Lazar, packaging director of Sam’s Club and co-manager of the Wal-Mart Sustainability Value Network, to keynote the Conference at PACK EXPO further solidifies the sustainable theme at this year’s show.

What’s driving it? As we’ve seen by our own readers of Packaging World, the interest in sustainable packaging continues to grow and has not even scratched the surface. It is not a trend, but will be an ongoing way of doing business and companies who have not climbed on board would be smart to do so. In fact, at the show Packaging World will be launching a new online sustainable packaging community, GreenerPackage.com. This will be an extension of our print, Web and e-mail initiatives and will be a true forum for sustainable ideas, products, suppliers and commentary.

What sustainable packaging trends, themes, designs, and concepts will we see at PACK EXPO in November?
Many companies will be promoting new package designs which will address one or all of the three “R’s” (reduce, reuse, recycle). We’ll see some new uses of material replacements and biofilms. What’s more, we’ll see some machinery companies providing sustainable solutions, though many aren’t quite sure how machinery fits in the equation yet. There are a couple of machinery companies who have some exciting new developments aimed at high-volume retailers like Wal-Mart and Costco. All-in-all, it should be a good “green” show.