With a bumper attendance expected for Packaging Innovations & Empack 2024, here's what visitors should look out for as they navigate over 400 exhibitors.

With a record-breaking edition of Packaging Innovations & Empack now just days away, more than 400 exhibitors are making their final preparations for the UK's flagship packaging exhibition.

The two-day essential packaging showpiece is set to get underway on February 21, with organisers Easyfairs expecting a bumper crowd of over 7,000 visitors, and dozens of representatives from top brands filing past some of the world's biggest suppliers, who will be waiting to showcase the latest innovations on offer.

Exhibitors are preparing to network with brands such as Aldi, Asda, Britvic, Boots, Cadburys, Costa Coffee, Diageo, DHL, Heinz, Holland & Barrett, Hovis, Iceland, KFC, M&S, Molson Coors, Nestle, Oh Polly, Sainsbury's, Sky, Superdrug, TATA, Tesco, Unilever, and Waitrose. And with so much to see and do, we're here to help you pick your way through the capacity of over 400 exhibitors who will pack every square foot of Birmingham's NEC.

TIPA Compostable Packaging (K86) – a global packaging developer, will showcase its pioneering portfolio of solutions at Packaging Innovations. TIPA's compostable packaging offers the ultimate alternative to conventional flexible plastic packaging, boasting the same durability, shelf-life, barrier protection and transparency without the detrimental impact on the environment.

TIPA has worked tirelessly over the past decade to chip away at the global plastic pollution crisis, developing materials and products that fully decompose into nutrient-rich soil when composted after use and leave behind zero waste. Its solutions, which are fully certified to biodegrade in home and industrial composting environments, have already been adopted by notable brands worldwide and are fully certified to biodegrade in home and industrial composting environments. TIPA is actively involved in the Compostable Coalition UK, working towards integrating compostable packaging into the UK's bio-waste recycling infrastructure. 

TIPA CEO & Co-Founder Daphna Nissenbaum said: "At Packaging Innovations, we look forward to connecting with brands who want to meet the growing consumer demand for eco-conscious packaging and develop a plastic-free world."

Packaging Company of the Year, Kite Packaging (A60), will be available to discuss a wide range of products and services covering various industries and sectors.

There will be a specific focus on cartoning and case erecting, pallet handling and wrapping, and printing and labelling, with an array of void fill and palletisation solutions displayed. This includes shredded papers, a range of SpeedMan dispensers, and Robopac Masterplat for attendees wanting to test and trial packaging solutions.

ProAmpac (N92), a global leader in flexible packaging and material science, is set to showcase its full ProActive Sustainability product portfolio and comprehensive RAP Packaging line of fibre-based food-to-go solutions.

"With the introduction of these innovative solutions, we're pushing the boundaries of flexible packaging and leading the industry toward a more sustainable future," stated Ali McNulty, Market Manager for ProAmpac.

ProAmpac's all-fibre food-to-go solution RecycAll range has expanded to include food trays and grab bags tailored for high-end sandwiches and bakery delicacies. Their ProActive Recyclable® FibreSculpt, a high-barrier fibre-based solution for shallow-draw thermoforming tray applications, aligns with the OPRL guidelines and boasts over 90% fibre content, rendering it kerbside recyclable in the UK and Ireland.

ProAmpac's Recycle Ready Retort RT-4000 is an ultra-high barrier polypropylene-based platform available as reel stock or premade pouches in stand-up and 3-side seals, while its ProActive Intelligence Moisture Protect MP-1000 features state-of-the-art moisture-adsorbing technology that eliminates the need for desiccant packets. Among other solutions from its comprehensive product offering on show at booth N92 are the MP-1000 platforms that use Aptar's CSP Technologies' 3-Phase Activ-Polymer™ platform technology. This lowers the moisture level in the packaging headspace, making it ideal for applications that require optimal moisture control, such as point-of-care diagnostic kits, live culture probiotics, and hygroscopic powdery food products.

UKRI's Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge will showcase all 88 funded projects, from reuse and refill trials with major UK retailers and brands to advanced recycling technologies and novel polymers to reduce single-use plastics.

The £60m Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge is the largest, most ambitious UK government investment in sustainable plastics research and innovation, driving cleaner growth across the UK's plastics, packaging and retail supply chains.

Prevented Ocean Plastic™ (T22), the largest high-quality, chain-of-custody certified recycled ocean-bound plastic programme of its kind, will showcase its programme along with the recycled plastic material we sell. Brands investing in their recycled material will help to keep the circular economy going and support the infrastructure in at-risk coastal communities that don't have a formal waste sector.

The Sherwood Group (R114), an award-winning food packaging manufacturer based in Nottingham, will present Puracoat®, an eco-friendly packaging suitable for direct food contact. Developed in response to the growing problem of single-use plastic, Puracoat® is a broad range of paperboard and coating combinations that can be tailored to individual customer requirements. Fully recyclable and biodegradable in line with BS EN 13432 – no separation of paperboard and barrier material is necessary.

Elopak (K116), a leading supplier of carton packaging and liquid filling equipment, will be showcasing D-PAK™ cartons, a new solution for the home and personal care categories that can not only attract the more environmentally conscious shoppers through plastic reduction but also deliver on convenience and recyclability. The Elopak team will also have their portfolio of food and beverage cartons on the stand, including the Pure-Pak® eSense carton, an aseptic carton for low and high-acid food and beverages, which is aluminium-free, resulting in up to 50% lower carbon footprint compared to a standard aseptic carton.

Skymark/InterFlex Group (Q50), a TOPPAN Inc subsidiary that specialises in innovative, flexible packaging solutions, will showcase their SKYMAX range, offering diverse PE materials ideal for the personal care, technical, and food sectors, as well as highlighting SKYMAX R, their environmentally conscious line featuring up to 50% Post Consumer Recyclate. Another key highlight will be their SKYLENE CPP materials, known for exceptional temperature resistance and functionality.

Enercon Industries (E60), a global leader in induction cap sealing systems whose machines seal over 35 billion containers in Europe annually, will present the Super Seal™ Junior manual induction cap sealer that offers the benefits of high-quality induction sealing to start-up operations, product validation and short production runs. The Enercon hand-held cap sealer delivers reliable, repeatable induction sealing and features quality aids such as batch counters and no-foil indicators, often only found on inline production machines. 

On Ranpak's stand (P72), you'll find the award-winning Geami Wrap' n Go™, the new void fill solution Fillpak Trident Mini™, their paper-based insulating RecyCold™ climaliner together with the highly sustainable RecyCold™ cool packs and other innovative packaging solutions. Ranpak experts will be on hand to assist you and demonstrate their solutions.

Elsewhere, a leading global manufacturer of innovative food packaging products and solutions, Sabert (D82) will display its soon-to-be-launched Hot2Go and Tray2Go ranges, alongside its established Snap2Go, and Deli2Go ranges, Vestro Ltd (T90) will highlight sustainable materials and smart designs in unveiling its solutions from industrial heavyweights to the food and catering scene, and Wipak UK will show its GreenChoice sustainable product portfolio, which incorporates solutions incorporating renewable, recyclable, and recycled materials.

If you've never experienced the show before, there's no better time to jump in than 2024. Complimentary visitor passes will remain available throughout the event; you can register by clicking here.