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PACPROCESS-DRINKTECH 2019 SHOWDAILY 12 DECEMBER 2019 | SUPPORTED BY PACKAGING SOUTH ASIA & INDIFOODBEV
12 DECEMBER 2019
PACPROCESS-DRINKTECH INDIA 2019 PRODUCED BY PACKAGING SOUTH ASIA & INDIFOODBEV
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Highlights of the Packaging Design Innovation &
Technology conference in Pragati Maidan – Hall 8
HARISH PENUMARTHI
“I
believe the packag-
ing industry today is
under extraordinary
pressure to rethink its role in
the country’s economy. Gov-
ernments, as well as consumer
groups, want the packaging in-
dustry to own up for the mess
it creates in the environment
in its post consumer-use state.
This means that the packag-
ing industry must not only
produce effective packaging
with good shelf-life and shelf-
appeal, but also innovate mate-
rials and processes that reduce
the amount of packaging need-
ed to make it recyclable,” says
Deepak Manchanda, a former
packaging head with numerous
brands across the country.
In other words, the in-
dustry is being increasingly
obliged to reduce the resources
it uses and also become an ac-
tive part of the circular econo-
my that demands materials to
become fully recyclable and re-
usable. While these ideas may
not be new, at this point in time
there is a global awareness that
has come about, arising per-
haps from the shrill campaigns
about climate change as well as
Swachh Bharat in India. A re-
current theme in all these cam-
paigns is packaging litter in the
urban, rural and landfill envi-
ronment, which is looked upon
as a major miscreant and eve-
rybody wants it to disappear.
The Second
Packaging
Design,
Innovation &
Technology
Conference
Pragati Maidan
New Delhi
13 December 2019
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BAN ON SINGLE-USE PLASTICS &
PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT
Concurrent with all this is the
talk of bans on the use of sin-
gle-use plastic and plastic waste
management rules, which im-
pose heavy penalties on those
polluting the environment with
plastic packaging waste which
is non-biodegradable and con-
tinues to leach toxins into the
landfills for hundreds of years
after it gets discarded. It is for
such reasons that the packag-
ing industry – in particular the
plastic packaging manufactur-
ers – is being forced to confront
its raison d’etre and find new,
innovative ways to meet pack-
aging demand and yet comply
with statutory embargoes.
“These compliances are not
easy for the industry, and that
is where the pain point lies.
We believe meeting all the re-
quirements and ticking all the
boxes is as complex as trying
to ‘square a circle’ – the circle
of circular economy. Hence,
the theme of PDIT conference
Governments, as well as consumer groups, want to move the packaging
industry towards a Circular Economy. The industry is forced to innovate
materials and processes to reduce packaging and to make it recyclable
or reusable. Innovative packaging solutions can save food, extend its life
and provide safety from toxicity. Packaging that is not harmful to the
environment and can be recycled or is biodegradable is the need of the day.
Squaring the Circle of Responsible Packaging
Extended Producer Responsibility and the Circular Economy require
innovation, design and technology — to collectively review and adapt to new
processes and materials to Square the Circle.
PDIT 2019 aims to bring together leading exponents from the various parts
of the industry to review the latest on offer in terms of Active & Intelligent
Packaging and Design & Innovation alongside leading brand owners and
statutory authorities and consumer interest groups. The second PDIT
Conference will again provide an atmosphere for meaningful discussion and
interaction. It promises to be a knowledge event with take-home value.
Continued on page 2