Agenda

Discover the agenda and how to make the most out of the event

DAY 1: Tuesday 24 November 2026

8:30

Registration and welcome coffee

Innovation Stream

Chair: Andrea Jenn, Flexible Films Consultant, AMI

9:30 Opening announcements

Recycling Stream

Chair: Susannah Owen, Flexible Films Consultant, AMI

9:30 Opening announcements

Session One: Market, Regulation and Strategic Direction

Session One: Recycling Market Overview and Direction

9:40 Overview of global flexible packaging films market trends

  • The global landscape  
  • Focus on BOPP films 
  • Regional insights from AMI's latest global BOPP market report 

Andrea Jenn, Flexible Film Consultant, AMI

9:40 Recycling industry overview

Mike Jefferson, Managing Director, EPRO, Belgium



Session Two: Regulation, PPWR and Compliance

10:10 PPWR in practice: how flexible packaging converters are adapting

  • Early impact of PPWR implementation (post–Aug 2026) on converters 
  • Readiness for recyclability and recycled content requirements 
  • Key challenges, timelines, and outlook for further regulation 

Guido Aufdemkamp, Executive Director, Flexible Packaging Europe (FPE)

Session Two: Sustainability Data, Carbon And LCA

10:10 PET recycling: challenges and solutions for recycling of PET trays and  films in the time of PPWR 

  • Design for recyclability guidelines and compliance requirements, with a focus on PETCORE Europe and CEN standards for packaging design 
  • Recycling challenges associated with multilayer materials, including solutions through improved design  
  • Mechanical vs chemical recycling, and depolymerisation  
  • Strategies to improve the circularity of trays and films, including considerations for food contact compliance when using recycled content in packaging materials 

Karlheinz Hausmann, Technical Leader TCEP, Petcore Europe, Belgium

10:40 Rethinking flexible film sustainability: what the data really tells us

  • Comparing materials on a like‑for‑like functional basis   
  • Balance recyclability vs real‑world performance needs   
  • Link packaging performance to food waste impact 

Dr. Erik Pauer, Principal Consultant, Sphera






10:40 Implementation of the EU packaging and packaging waste regulation: secondary legislation and standardisation

  • This presentation will review the latest developments for the implementation of PPWR and highlight opportunities for packaging stakeholders to engage in the process  
  • Looking at the key requirements still being defined including design for recycling, recyclability, compostability, packaging minimisation and substances of concern  
  • Secondary legislation and European standards will determine how PPWR is implemented in practice 

Dennis Bankmann, Scientific Consultant, CEFLEX

11:10

Networking break

Innovation Stream

Chair: Andrea Jenn, Flexible Films Consultant, AMI

Recycling Stream

Chair: Susannah Owen, Flexible Films Consultant, AMI

Session Three: Advanced Recycling Routes for Flexible Films

11:50 The next frontier: from recyclability to lower carbon footprint

  • Driving carbon reduction through flexible packaging, highlighting how material and design choices can help lower product footprints for packaging producers and brand owners.
  • Scaling credible low-carbon materials, including low-carbon aluminum enabled by a validated mass balance system and alternative polymers 
  • Moving toward circular design-for-recycling structures, showing how design for recycling can support both improved circularity and lower emissions 

Martina Wagner, VP Group Sustainability, Constantia Flexibles

Session Three: Material Innovation and Recyclable Pack Design

11:50 Dissolution recycling: a polymer-to-polymer solution for polyolefin films

  • The opportunities for recycling challenging PE and PP films with high levels of contamination by dissolution recycling, returning them to high-quality virgin-like polymer to put back into high-quality film applications  
  • How does dissolution recycling fit into the advanced recycling landscape?  
  • Case studies demonstrating the recycling of crisp packets, metallised films, high inks, coatings and odours. How this can meet the requirements for food contact materials and the regulatory landscape for achieving flexible polyolefin materials with post-consumer recycled content for food contact applications? 

Emmeline Aves, Commercial Manager, ReVentas, UK

12:20 Material matters: innovations in flexible paper and plastic packaging for a sustainable compliant future

  • Sustainable packaging solutions aligned with PPWR: exploring recyclable plastic and paper-based formats, including PCR integration for home and personal care applications  
  • Market shifts shaping packaging design: the rise of paperisation and the transition from rigid to flexible packaging to improve sustainability and efficiency  
  • From concept to market-ready solutions: environmental impact assessment tools for customers and the key role of collaboration with OEMs to accelerate innovation 

Alessandro D’Agostino, Business Development Manager H&PC, Consumer Flexibles, Mondi

12:20 Circularity in plastic packaging: combining multiple technologies for an affordable solution

  • Assessing the competitive landscape for plastics circularity, including pressure from new fossil-based solutions
  • Comparing the benefits and limitations of design-for-recycling, mechanical recycling, and chemical recycling approaches
  • Exploring how multiple technologies can be combined to achieve high circularity in flexible packaging at an affordable cost

Eric Appelman, Chief Revenue Officer, Aduro Clean Technologies




12:50 Panel discussion: the next generation of flexible packaging materials: what will define performance in 2030?

  • Which material innovations and technologies are closest to commercial scale? 
  • Exploring how advances in coatings, barriers, and adhesives are changing package design 
  • What impact will AI have on packaging development 
  • Looking at which innovations will most likely disrupt the market in future years 

12:50 Debate and Q&A: scaling flexible film recycling in Europe: who needs to do what next?

Exploring how Europe can move flexible film recycling from fragmented progress to scalable systems, and what each part of the value chain needs to do next






13:20

Networking lunch

Innovation Stream

Chair: Andrea Jenn, Flexible Films Consultant, AMI

Recycling Stream

Chair: Susannah Owen, Flexible Films Consultant, AMI

Session Four: Sorting, Traceability and Collection Assurance

14:50 Delivering high-performance barrier with SiOx: vacuum-coated solutions for DfR and PPWR compliance

  • Performance vs recyclability for aluminium foil or multi-material structures 
  • SiOx vacuum coating as functional layer enabling recycle-ready mono-material and paper-based solutions 
  • Enabling DfR & PPWR compliance 
  • Where it creates value: use cases 

Philipp Okle, Team Manager, Vacuum Deposition & Principal Research Engineer, Amcor

14:50 Unlocking closed-loop recycling of flexible packaging with digital watermarks

  • Digital watermarking for improved sorting of flexible plastic packaging and food-contact recyclates  
  • Impact of sorting performance on recyclate quality, value, and infrastructure investment viability  
  • Supporting closed-loop recycling, Design for Recycling compliance, and recycled content targets 

Wang Li, Researcher, Laboratory for Circular Process Engineering LCPE, Ghent University, Belgium

15:20 From sustainability to performance: designing the future of flexible packaging through innovation

Dr. Luca Boragno, Application Marketing Manager, Global Commercial Consumer Products, Borouge International











15:20 From access to assurance: how flexible film collection programs can prove performance

  • Moving from collection access to credible, verified performance 
  • What defines trustworthy inputs and traceability for film recycling 
  • Early lessons from FFRA’s validation work and upcoming pilots  
  • Why proof matters in a fragmented EPR landscape with inconsistent treatment of film 
  • How FFRA is helping align industry around defensible data and standards 

Meredith Leahy, Senior Manager, Sustainability & Packaging, Plastics Industry Association

15:50

Networking break

Innovation Stream

Chair: Andrea Jenn, Flexible Films Consultant, AMI

Recycling Stream

Chair: Susannah Owen, Flexible Films Consultant, AMI

16:30 From sustainability to performance: designing the future of flexible packaging through innovation

  • Why many mono-material packaging developments struggle to match the functionality of traditional multi-material structures 
  • How innovative plant-based anti-fog, anti-static, and other additive technologies can restore critical functionality without compromising recyclability and food-safety 
  • Strategies for selecting additives that improve film performance while supporting design-for-recycling and future packaging regulations 

Steffen Lang, Sales Manager, Bio-Specialty Additives, Palsgaard A/S

16:30 AI in modern sorting processes and new approaches to achieve food grade in mechanical recycling

  • Using AI technology for detecting batteries and other contaminants
  • How to achieve food grade ready polyolefins in mechanical recycling
  • Principles of the upcycle process for feedstock generation from challenging sorting fractions

Dr. Dr. Thomas Eck, CEO, Altstoff Recycling Austria

17:00 Strengthening Europe’s flexible packaging value chain through local investment

  • Building resilient European supply chains through investment in local polymer production and manufacturing capacity
  • Supporting the transition of flexible packaging with new PE and PP capacity aligned with evolving industry needs
  • Balancing competitiveness, security of supply and sustainability as Europe’s packaging industry faces increasing market and regulatory pressure

Jose Angel Prieto, Extrusion TS&D Engineer, Repsol Materials

 

17:00 Presentation to be announced

17:30

Networking reception

DAY 2: Wednesday 25 November 2026

9:00

Registration and welcome coffee

Innovation Stream

Chair: Andrea Jenn, Flexible Films Consultant, AMI

9:30 Opening announcements

Recycling Stream

Chair: Susannah Owen, Flexible Films Consultant, AMI

9:30 Opening announcements

Session Four: Coatings, Inks and Adhesives Enabling Circularity

Session Five: Design for Recycling and Material Compatibility

9:40 Bridging the price-performance gap: how functional inks and coatings enable cost-effective mono-materials

  • How advanced inks and coatings enable mono-material flexible packaging without performance loss 
  • Closing the cost gap between recyclable mono-materials and traditional multi-layer films 
  • Practical routes to scalable, high-performance, circular-ready packaging solutions 

Dr. Andrey Charkovskiy, Global Business Development Lead, Film, Circular Economy Coatings Unit, Siegwerk

9:40 The next frontier: From recyclability to lower carbon footprint

  • Driving carbon reduction through flexible packaging, highlighting how material and design choices can help lower product footprints for packaging producers and brand owners 
  • Scaling credible low-carbon materials, including low-carbon aluminum enabled by a validated mass balance system and alternative polymers 
  • Moving toward circular design-for-recycling structures, showing how design for recycling can support both improved circularity and lower emissions 

Martina Wagner, VP Group Sustainability, Constantia Flexibles

10:10 What if a coating can help your flexible packaging be recycled from now on?

  • The creation of recyclable flexible packaging remains one of the industry's biggest challenges 
  • How redefining the oxygen barrier can change the rules of packaging design and enable circularity 
  • A practical approach to resolve the trade-off between protection and recyclability 

Daniele Pratelli, Technical Service and Business Development Manager for Packaging Coatings and Inks EMEA, allnex

10:10 Panel discussion: creating demand for recycled-content flexibles: can the economics work?

A systems-level panel on what needs to happen to move flexible film recycling from pilot/patchy progress to mainstream infrastructure across Europe.

Panellists to be confirmed

10:40 Ready for the future

  • Strong expertise in mono-material and design-for-recycling adhesives and coating solutions concepts by PPWR 
  • Comprehensive regulatory and sustainability support, helping brand owners and converters navigate evolving PPWR requirements and compliance challenges
  • Innovation-driven approach with solvent-free technologies and low-carbon solutions, contributing to waste reduction, improved circularity, and lower environmental impact across the packaging value chain

Luca Gianzini, Manager Market Strategy FP EU, Adhesive Technologies, Henkel



10:40 Revisiting recyclability: polyamides in polyolefin recycling - evidence, perception, and pathways forward

  • When industry narratives outlive scientific evidence: lessons from the PA recyclability debate 
  • Real-world recycling trials show PE/PA packaging films can be processed using conventional PE recycling operations 
  • Industrial film production trials confirmed stable processing and competitive mechanical performance of recycled PE/PA materials 
  • Recommendations towards handling, processing and storage as well as evidence-based design rules and collaborative progress across the value chain 

Dr. Paul Neumann, President, Advanced Packaging Association AISBL (APA)

11:10

Networking break

Innovation Stream

Chair: Andrea Jenn, Flexible Films Consultant, AMI

Recycling Stream

Chair: Susannah Owen, Flexible Films Consultant, AMI

Session Five: Processing Aids, PFAS-Free Production and Line Efficiency

11:50 Novel additives for sustainability and regulatory challenges in flexible packaging

  • Sustainability driven innovation  
  • Answers to regulatory challenges in flexible packaging 
  • PFAS-free processing aid solutions & Recycling options 

Javier Fernandez Perez, Application Development Manager Polymer Solutions, Clariant

11:50 Innovation in flexible packaging focusing on DfR and mechanical recycling through value chain collaboration

Susanne Kahlen, Application Marketing Manager Flexible Applications, Borouge International 

Session Six: Recyclate Quality, Safety and Demand Creation

12:20 Non-PFAS polymer process aids: beyond melt fracture

  • A survey of non-PFAS chemistries used in industry to prevent melt fracture is presented  
  • New non-PFAS PPAs are demonstrated to reduce or remove die build up in the presence of antagonistic minerals - including common antiblock materials such as talc and silica  
  • Application of non-PFAS PPAs beyond flexible packaging are disclosed 

Abdus Salam, Technical Services Representative, Europe, Ingenia Polymers

12:20 Closing the loop safely: strategies to avoid critical contaminants in recycled flexible packaging

  • Ensuring safety in closed-loop recycling systems
  • Managing and preventing critical contaminants in recycled materials
  • Practical strategies for improving recycled flexible packaging quality

Christian Kirchnawy, Head of Microbiology & Cell Culture, OFI



12:50

Networking lunch

14:00 PFAS-free without compromise: leveraging die design and surface engineering for stable, efficient cast film extrusion

  • Meeting PFAS-free production challenges: As PFAS-based polymer processing aids (PPAs) are phased out, cast film producers face increased risks of polymer build-up, optical defects, shorter production campaigns, and more frequent cleaning interventions, particularly on lines using conventional general-purpose extrusion dies 
  • A practical engineering solution: The presentation highlights how optimised die flow-channel design and low-surface-energy chrome-plated flow surfaces can maintain sufficient wall shear stress and surface renewal, enabling stable processing of PFAS-free formulations without relying on fluoropolymer-based additives 
  • Improving efficiency and product quality: Attendees will learn how modern die designs support longer, more predictable production runs, faster material changeovers, reduced maintenance, improved film quality, and greater operational efficiency in an increasingly regulated manufacturing environment 

Dominic Hohensinn-Pintar, Sales Manager, EAME, Nordson Polymer Processing Systems

14:00 Pushing the limits of recycled PE: sealing performance at higher PCR levels

  • Knowing the amount of recycled content that can be taken up in PE film recycling without issues  
  • Getting insight in causes of quality loss of recycled PE film  
  • A creative way to understand the quality of the recycled film 

Roland ten Klooster, Packaging Designer & Consultant, University of Twente















14:30 Overcoming processing and performance challenges associated with higher PCR content in flexible packaging

  • Improve processability and operational efficiency in flexible packaging production
  • Reduce defects, waste, and downtime to maximise converter productivity
  • Close the performance gap between recycled and virgin polyolefins
  • Support sustainability targets through higher recycled-content utilisation

Mar Diez Diaz, Global Marketing Manager for MULTIBASE™, DuPont

14:30 What will it take to make closed-loop flexible packaging recycling a reality?

  • Beyond detection and sorting technologies 
  • Bridging the gap between collection, recycling and end-market demand 
  • Key actions needed across the value chain to achieve commercial viability 

Céline Claeys, Advisor Circular Plastics, Plarebel





15:00

Event closes

AMI reserves the right to alter the agenda without notice. The latest agenda, including any new speakers, changes to the schedule, and any amendments to pricing and terms and conditions can be viewed on this website.