Agenda 


At the Sustainability & Impact Summit 2026, the focus is on what sustainable packaging actually looks like in practice. The agenda brings together regulation, design, materials, recycling infrastructure and carbon, with honest discussion on costs, trade-offs and delivery at scale. Through panels and lightning talks, industry leaders unpack the decisions that will define packaging strategy through to 2030. Discover the sessions driving the next phase of packaging sustainability below.

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2026 Agenda

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Registration, Coffee & Networking
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PN Welcome
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Opening Address: State of the Industry
  • The sustainability reset: Where UK packaging stands today
  • Regulation, costs, and the new commercial reality
  • What success looks like in 2025–2030
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Panel: EPR, DRS & Simpler Recycling – Navigating the New Regulatory Landscape

Extended Producer Responsibility & Regulatory Reform

  • Real-world EPR cost exposure for brands and converters
  • Data accuracy, audits, and reporting readiness
  • Contract renegotiation across the supply chain
  • How DRS and Simpler Recycling will reshape packaging choices
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Lightning Talks + Q&A: Regulation in Practice
  • Talk 1: EPR preparedness: lessons from year one
  • Talk 2: What retailers and brands now expect from suppliers
  • Talk 3: Avoiding compliance penalties through better data
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Networking & Coffee Break
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Panel: Designing for a Truly Circular Economy

Circular Economy & Design for Recyclability

  • Designing for actual UK recycling infrastructure
  • Mono-materials vs barrier performance
  • Reuse and refill: where it genuinely works at scale
  • The cost and carbon implications of redesign
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Lightning Talks + Q&A: Design & Materials at the Sharp End
  • Talk 1: Lightweighting without performance loss
  • Talk 2: From recyclable to widely recycled
  • Talk 3: Retailer-led pack redesign at scale
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Panel: Plastics, Paper, Bio-Materials & the Search for Better Alternatives

Alternatives & Material Innovation

  • The unintended consequences of plastic substitution
  • Compostables and bio-materials: opportunity vs infrastructure
  • Food safety, shelf life, and barrier innovation
  • How brands balance PR pressure with technical reality
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Lunch & Innovation Showcase

Start-up and supplier innovation demos

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Lightning Talks + Q&A: Innovation Reality Check
  • Talk 1: What happens to compostables in UK waste streams
  • Talk 2: Advanced recycling and chemical recycling update
  • Talk 3: High-barrier fibre packaging breakthroughs
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Panel: Recycling Infrastructure, Waste Systems & Local Authority Alignment

Recycling Infrastructure & Waste Systems

  • UK capacity gaps and investment priorities
  • Consistent collections and public behaviour change
  • Tackling contamination and difficult formats
  • Aligning brand ambition with council realities
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Networking & Coffee Break
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Lightning Talks + Q&A: Inside the Waste System
  • Talk 1: MRF technology and AI sorting
  • Talk 2: Flexibles: the next recycling frontier?
  • Talk 3: Driving consumer participation at scale
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Closing Keynote Panel: Net-Zero Packaging & the Commercial Reality

Carbon, LCA & Commercial Impact

  • Measuring carbon consistently across the supply chain
  • Scope 3 emissions and supplier engagement
  • The “green premium” – who really pays?
  • Where investment is flowing and why
  • What sustainable packaging will realistically look like in 2030
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Chair’s Closing Remarks
  • Key takeaways
  • Industry priorities for the next 12–24 months
  • Call to action for collaboration across the value chain
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Drinks Reception & Networking