Esko World 2025 kicked off in Saint Louis, Mo., where CEO Joël Depernet opened with a powerful reflection on how packaging has evolved from a functional necessity into a core part of the consumer experience. Speaking to an audience of brand owners and packaging converters, Depernet framed packaging as both a reflection of fast-changing global conditions—regulatory complexity, supply chain volatility, and sustainability pressures—and an opportunity for innovation. Depernet highlighted how modern packaging must now be agile, accurate, and sustainable, all in pursuit of a faster speed-to-market while maintaining accuracy and sustainability.

Depernet emphasized Esko’s mission to shrink the packaging development cycle from months to weeks through an end-to-end platform that eliminates waste and streamlines communication between stakeholders. He shared an analogous example from the automotive industry, which has shortened new car development from around seven years to approximately 18 months. By aligning digital tools, data, and workflows from concept to production, Esko aims to become the industry’s most trusted enabler of packaging speed, quality, and sustainability. Recent acquisitions, such as TraceGrains and Artwork Flow, are helping Esko build powerful AI-driven capabilities to meet its vision of the future—reducing errors, enhancing compliance, automating critical checkpoints, and driving sustainability.

Jan De Roeck followed Joël Depernet, showcasing Esko’s technology strategy with an impressive live demonstration built around a fictional brand—Dancing Fish Granola. The demonstration focused on an end-to-end, cloud-native packaging platform (S2) that connects brand owners, converters, and partners through a single source of truth. By integrating regulatory data, AI-powered compliance checks, and smart automation, Esko aims to reduce packaging development dramatically while enhancing quality and sustainability. This platform-first strategy is not just about centralizing workflows but about embedding intelligence into every stage—from design briefing to press-ready files.