Pack for the Future – showcasing existing solutions and preparations

Hi Ingrid Öberg Månsson, you’re in Oslo for the Pack for the Future event. What is it?
– Pack for the Future is an initiative from the Netherlands and Belgium, developed by the producer responsibility organisations Verpact and Fost Plus. The event is a combination of conference, networking and an exhibition, where packaging manufacturers showcase recyclable packaging solutions that can help companies meet the upcoming requirements of the PPWR.

How did Pack for the Future end up in Norway?
– We collaborate through the European producer responsibility network Pack Forward, which includes Verpact and Fost Plus, and through this network we were given the opportunity to bring the Pack for the Future concept to the Nordic region. Grønt Punkt Norge organised the event for the first time last year, and it was such a success that we decided to join in. This year, we are organising the event together. We hope it will become a recurring event, and that the location can rotate between different countries in the coming years.

What will happen during the day?
– The packaging manufacturers exhibiting at the event will showcase readily available, recyclable solutions addressing a number of packaging challenges, which I think will be very much appreciated.

What the exhibitors have in common is that they have developed alternative packaging solutions for a number of challenging packaging types. The plastic packaging solutions presented must be approved according to RecyClass, while the paper packaging solutions must have been tested and approved according to CEPI.

The programme on stage provides an overview of where we currently stand in terms of PPWR implementation and the standardisation of design for recycling, while also offering practical advice on how companies can start working on these issues today.

From Näringslivets Producentansvar, Henrik Nilsson, Head of Market & Public Affairs, has spoken about recyclability and recycled content under the PPWR, while Love Pallon, Materials Specialist, has shared experiences and challenges related to ecomodulation in Sweden, seven years after the introduction of the first differentiated fees.

I think it will be both an inspiring and informative day, not least because it gives us an opportunity to discuss shared challenges and solutions across the industry.

Will any material be available afterwards?
–Yes, absolutely! The programme is not streamed, but anyone interested in learning more about the concept can read about previous Pack for the Future events at the links below:

• Pack for the Future 2026, Breda, the Netherlands
• Pack for the Future 2025, Oslo, Norway

For those who would like to learn more about the packaging challenges identified for this year’s Pack for the Future, I recommend downloading Verpact’s Challenging Packaging document.

And for anyone looking to future-proof their plastic packaging, I recommend downloading No Regrets. It is a guide to safe design choices that we launched this spring together with the other producer responsibility organisations within Pack Forward. It is available on our website.