FNB News - Focus on importance of quality packaging against onslaught of pandemic

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PACKAGING

Focus on importance of quality packaging against onslaught of pandemic

Saturday, 29 May, 2021, 08 : 00 AM [IST]

Ranjana Sharma, Mumbai

With 'Breaking Barriers, Bridging the Gaps' as central theme, CII Western Region had organised the CII Packaging Conference and Expo under the chairmanship of Piruz Khambatta, CMD, Rasna Ltd. This initiative was held virtually from May 18-25, 2021, with an intent of facilitating the packaging sector to adopt ideal practices for ushering sustainable development. It featured a two days conference that witnessed rich discussions on different aspects of the packaging sector. The concurrent eight days long virtual expo facilitated display of latest advancements, innovations and best in line products and solutions.

The CII Packaging Conference was supported by Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) & Plastic Machinery Manufacturer Association of India. It received an overwhelming response from industry captains and stakeholders from government & academia. Diverse perspectives were shared at the two - day conference by 27 eminent national and international speakers while the concurrent digital exhibition promoted innovation and fostered business.

At the inaugural session, Khambatta highlighted the role of Indian packaging in the national economy.He further underlined the importance of research on Indian alternatives such as bamboo, jute etc. and emphasised on the need for collaboration between industry and academia to integrate sustainability with packaging.

B Thiagarajan, chairman CII Western Region and managing director, Blue Star Ltd, expressed his belief that packaging and allied services industries will play a key role in establishing India’s future growth and appealed to stakeholders from the sector to strengthen the potential in terms of technology, efficacy, skill and global competitiveness by using new digital know-hows. He also apprised about the key role played by the CII to serve industry and support communities in the Western Region, especially in these times of the pandemic.

Subhash Desai, Minister of Industries, Mining & Marathi Language, Government of Maharashtra, focussed on the importance of quality packaging against the onslaught of the pandemic in his address. He added, "The packaging is a key component of any product and in line with this perspective, the State Government of Maharashtra has included the packaging sector and its offerings under the essential services and the Logistics Park Policy of the State Government of Maharashtra will benefit the national and international stakeholders involved in packaging."

Ajit Singh, chairman, ACG Worldwide, said," Packaging world’s largest industry having onus to deliver the products that are smart, sustainable and eco-friendly." He further drew attention towards the shortfalls in the pharma packaging including inadequate display of the critical information, suggested alternatives and sought interventions including regulatory compliances to ensure safety of the consumers.

S N Venkataraman, chairman – Technical Committee for Paper Packaging Products, and executive vice president, ITC Ltd, launched GreenPro Ecolabelling Standard developed by the CII Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre under his leadership. Venkatraman further mentioned,"The Standard will assist in bridging the gaps and is a part of CII GreenPro initiative which has been introduced with support of all stakeholders including product manufacturers, testing laboratories, consultants, and end-users to promote sustainable paper packaging in Indian industry."

The inaugural session was followed by a panel discussion on Sustainable Packaging which was Moderated by Robin Banerjee, MD, Caprihans India. It featured active participation of the senior industry stakeholders as Sudhanshu Vats, MD and CEO, EPL Ltd (erstwhile Essel Propack); Ashutosh Manohar, managing director –South Asia, Tetra Pak India; R N Murthy, managing director, Tinplate Company of India – TCIL; Jeevaraj Pillai, president Flexible Packaging & New Product Development, UFlex Ltd; and Gajanan Khot, director – FEVC, Aqua Chill Systems.

The second day at the conference started with a panel session that provided a practical overview on innovations in plastic packaging and recycling.Session was moderated by Mahendra Patel, CMD, Mamta Machinery. Esteemed panelists such as Shirish Divgi, managing director – Asia, Milacron India; Vivek Chinoy, marketing director, Electronics Devices Worldwide – Sigma CapSeal; N L N Raju, COO, Signode India; Neelam Lalwani, global head – Quality, ACG Worldwide; shared intriguing insights on innovations that promoted sustainability through plastic packaging.

The next session of the conference mainly focussed on the sustainability quotient of wood based packaging. The session that was moderated by Prof. Prasad Balan Iyer, I/C director, SIES School of Packaging, enabled the key panelists such as Dr. T K Dhamodaran, chair of excellence, Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST) & Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE); D K Rai, director, CHEP India;Andreas Phil, executive vice president-R&D / Technology Portfolio, Nefab; Manan Chopra, director, Benz Packaging Solutions; to deliberate upon strategies and best practices that promote wood and wooden pallets as an ideal medium for sustainable packaging.

The last session of the conference, which was aptly moderated by Sudip Mall, managing director, Huhtamaki India, facilitated the discussion on the role of Pulp and Paper Packaging in ushering inclusive and sustainable growth.Saket Kanoria, MD, TCPL Packaging; Dr Amit Singla, director & head, IIP Ahmedabad; Scott Farber, director, Strategic Marketing and Communications, Henkel Corporation; Pratap Puranik, CMD, Miinu Group of Industries; Sagar Shejwalkar, head of Innovations and Product Development, Yash Pakka Ltd; presented their take on various avenues of Pulp and Paper based Packaging that adhere to the norms of eco-friendly development.

The concurrent expo that lasted for eight days showcased innovative offerings and enabled business and operational continuity in a secured manner during the ongoing disruptive times. It further promoted mutually beneficial partnerships across boundaries. Tinplate Corporation of India, Aqua Chill Systems, Benz Packaging, Electronics Devices Worldwide, Sigma Capseal, EPL Ltd (erstwhile Essel Propack), ACG Group were some of the leading brands that participated in the virtual expo and displayed the prowess of their respective offerings. CII Packaging Conference and Expo fostered the convergence of all the stakeholders to forge the strategies for inclusive growth. It provided an apt platform to bring together the best in the packaging sector, promote innovations and the best way forward for the sector. In line with its central theme the event offered innovative perspectives for overcoming the lacunas and enhancing the growth prospects. It enabled the packaging professional and decision makers from across industry verticals to garner significant take-aways for the development of the sector. Thus, the event acted as key to unlocking learnings from leading experts and thought leaders in the field and strategizing on new growth drivers and eliminating their supply chain vulnerabilities. It was attended by over 1200+ delegates and visitors from across the boundaries.