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Vol 1 | Year 2013
Thomas Schneider, President of the World Packaging Organisation
There Is No Culture on Earth that Can Do Without Packaging
On the eve of the WorldStar Award Gala Function and concurrent events in Australia we’re talking to the WPO President Mr. Thomas Schneider.
The World Packaging Organisation is guided by its Statutes as well as by the actions and policy decisions of its Board of Directors. The Board is chaired by an elected President who serves a three-year term. More than 50 national institutes are part of WPO which is funkcioning under the motto “Better Quality of Life Through Better Packaging for More People”. On the eve of the WorldStar Award Gala Function and alongside events in Australia we’re talking to a current WPO President Mr. Thomas Schneider.
Q: World Packaging Organisation Board Meeting and Packaging Conference were held last November in Singapore. How did this four-day-event go? Participants from how many countries did participate in those events?
A: The events were very successful. There were 45 board members and observers in attendance. The budget for 2013 was discussed and approved, along with approvals for several education programs in India, Kenya, Southeast Asia. WPO also welcomed two new members. The African Packaging Organisation (APO – Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia, and South Africa), and the Indonesian Packaging Organisation were both accepted as full, voting members. The board discussed the need for more sponsorships as the demand for support of education programs was growing quickly. All of these worthy programs require funding in order to carry the programs out. It was also announced that WPO would be working with the Italian trade show organizer, Ipack-IMA, on a trade show in Nairobi in 2014. Ipack-IMA will also host WPO in Milan in 2015.
Q: Packaging conference was separated into several modules. What main innovations and developing trends in packaging industry were introduced?
A: Sustainability, packaging education, packaging design, and anti-microbial packaging for food were all discussed during the conference. Presenters were from all over the world, including South Africa, Brazil, USA, Korea, and Lebanon.
Q: May we say that sustainability remains imperative in creating and producing packaging?
A: Sustainability was the dominant topic during the conference.
Q: Sydney, Australia, will become “the packaging world center” in the period from 6th till 10th of May. The Australian Institute of Packaging will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year, which it will also mark by hosting such a great event. How are the preparations going and which events will take place?
A: The preparation is going well and we are fortunate to have great support from our colleagues at AIP. They manage conferences on a regular basis and they always do a first class job. Besides the WPO board meeting, there will be a one-day technical conference, and of course the WorldStar awards ceremony will take place there as well.
Q: Among other events, The Australian Institute of Packaging organizes Technical forum on May 9th. What will be presented?
A: Topics will include WPO – A Global Advantage; Sustainable Advances in the Supply Chain; Economic, Social, and Ecological Aspects of Packaging and the American Market Potential; Packaging and Marketing – A Global Approach; Economic, Social, and Ecological Aspects of Packaging and the Indian Market Potential; Global Trends in Packaging in Indonesia and within that Region.
Q: Auspack Exhibition, the largest trade show for packaging, processing, plastics and associated equipment and machinery in Australasia, will also take place this year. To your opinion, what is the future of exhibitions and fairs in packaging industry, taking into consideration the global economic situation? We are lately witnessing the large number of fairs being significantly reduced regarding both number of exhibitors and visitors. Are there any improvements in this area?
A: Trade shows will continue to be important and well-attended, depending upon the economics of the regions. PackExpo in Chicago last November was very well attended, with over 50,000 people coming to see the show. Interpack in Düsseldorf is expecting high attendance as well in 2014. Trade shows are a requirement for effective and successful commerce within the business segment of packaging.
Q: The crown of these multiday events is the WorldStar Award Gala Function. As you have already mentioned, the evaluation of the nominees from all over the world held in Singapore demonstrated particularly high packaging standards of the entries. Can you compare this year’s laureates with those from the last year, regarding quality and number?
A: Every year we see new innovation in packaging materials and packaging design and this year is no different. We work in a very creative industry.
Q:In addition to the traditional President and Sustainable Awards, a new Marketing Award has been established this year. What requirements should the packaging in this nomination meet?
A:The purpose of this new award is to choose the packaging that works best as a marketing tool, surprising and enchanting the consumer and building a strong relationship between the consumer and the brand. The packaging should also create value and best translate the essence and assets of the brand on an emotional and rational level before the consumer, fulfilling all expectations of the product. The 2013 Marketing Award will be given in memory of Dogan Erberk, an active member of WPO, from Turkey, who passed away last year.
Q: Considering your great experience, how would you evaluate this year’s entries for WorldStar Student contest? Do you see improvement in comparison to the last year’s nominees?
A: Students are sometimes the most creative package designers, because they do not have the burden of experience. Their minds are more free to think outside the norm. I see no difference from year to year. Each new year brings fresh, interesting, and new ideas. But I can say that the number of entries is increasing every year - 2012 brought a 50 % increase in entries. All three winners were from Turkey.
Q: Taking into consideration very intensive preparations for the Australian meeting, is World Packaging Days experience from Split of any help?
A: Every meeting brings unique challenges, so each meeting teaches us how to address certain aspects of future meetings differently. Our experience in Split was special, partly because your place on the planet is so beautiful. We constantly felt the warmth of the Croatian people and continue to appreciate the hard work that Tectus put into the events.
Q: Croatian Institute of Packaging and Graphic Arts Tectus - IatT, Zagreb, is currently preparing it’s traditional packaging festival FEST.A CROPAK. The conference will be divided into two modules – Trends in Packaging Industry and EU Legislation, taking into consideration accession of Croatia to the European Union, and Packaging and Sustainability. What would your message to the Croatian packaging industry be?
A: There is no culture on earth that can do without packaging. But too often, Packaging is viewed by many as a problem. The world cannot do without packaging but we must learn to make packaging ever more effective; and we must educate people everywhere to respect the purpose of packaging and to teach them how to incorporate this tool into the process of building an ever more sustainable society. The future for packaging is bright. My advice for packaging professionals everywhere is to open their eyes to fresh ideas that are outside their standard frame of reference. Educate themselves to expect and use the unexpected idea. Take the time to understand how those new ideas can be applied. And then apply those new ideas to present circumstances. They will likely find uncommon success that will be good for them, their company, and for society.
Q: Award ceremony of CROPAK and REGPAK for the best packaging on Croatian and regional markets will also take place at the festival. That is an opportunity for you to invite all future winners to the WorldStar. What are the advantages of that global contest and why is it good to participate in it?
A: WorldStar awards recognize the “best of the best” package designs from all over the planet. And besides the honor that comes from being a winner, new designs educate others about what is possible, even when it seemed impossible. Finally, and frankly, being able to put such an achievement on one’s CV can be a big boost to a career in packaging.
Interview by: Tihana Lešić, Nataša Gajski Kovačić
Q: World Packaging Organisation Board Meeting and Packaging Conference were held last November in Singapore. How did this four-day-event go? Participants from how many countries did participate in those events?
A: The events were very successful. There were 45 board members and observers in attendance. The budget for 2013 was discussed and approved, along with approvals for several education programs in India, Kenya, Southeast Asia. WPO also welcomed two new members. The African Packaging Organisation (APO – Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia, and South Africa), and the Indonesian Packaging Organisation were both accepted as full, voting members. The board discussed the need for more sponsorships as the demand for support of education programs was growing quickly. All of these worthy programs require funding in order to carry the programs out. It was also announced that WPO would be working with the Italian trade show organizer, Ipack-IMA, on a trade show in Nairobi in 2014. Ipack-IMA will also host WPO in Milan in 2015.
Q: Packaging conference was separated into several modules. What main innovations and developing trends in packaging industry were introduced?
A: Sustainability, packaging education, packaging design, and anti-microbial packaging for food were all discussed during the conference. Presenters were from all over the world, including South Africa, Brazil, USA, Korea, and Lebanon.
Q: May we say that sustainability remains imperative in creating and producing packaging?
A: Sustainability was the dominant topic during the conference.
Q: Sydney, Australia, will become “the packaging world center” in the period from 6th till 10th of May. The Australian Institute of Packaging will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year, which it will also mark by hosting such a great event. How are the preparations going and which events will take place?
A: The preparation is going well and we are fortunate to have great support from our colleagues at AIP. They manage conferences on a regular basis and they always do a first class job. Besides the WPO board meeting, there will be a one-day technical conference, and of course the WorldStar awards ceremony will take place there as well.
Q: Among other events, The Australian Institute of Packaging organizes Technical forum on May 9th. What will be presented?
A: Topics will include WPO – A Global Advantage; Sustainable Advances in the Supply Chain; Economic, Social, and Ecological Aspects of Packaging and the American Market Potential; Packaging and Marketing – A Global Approach; Economic, Social, and Ecological Aspects of Packaging and the Indian Market Potential; Global Trends in Packaging in Indonesia and within that Region.
Q: Auspack Exhibition, the largest trade show for packaging, processing, plastics and associated equipment and machinery in Australasia, will also take place this year. To your opinion, what is the future of exhibitions and fairs in packaging industry, taking into consideration the global economic situation? We are lately witnessing the large number of fairs being significantly reduced regarding both number of exhibitors and visitors. Are there any improvements in this area?
A: Trade shows will continue to be important and well-attended, depending upon the economics of the regions. PackExpo in Chicago last November was very well attended, with over 50,000 people coming to see the show. Interpack in Düsseldorf is expecting high attendance as well in 2014. Trade shows are a requirement for effective and successful commerce within the business segment of packaging.
Q: The crown of these multiday events is the WorldStar Award Gala Function. As you have already mentioned, the evaluation of the nominees from all over the world held in Singapore demonstrated particularly high packaging standards of the entries. Can you compare this year’s laureates with those from the last year, regarding quality and number?
A: Every year we see new innovation in packaging materials and packaging design and this year is no different. We work in a very creative industry.
Q:In addition to the traditional President and Sustainable Awards, a new Marketing Award has been established this year. What requirements should the packaging in this nomination meet?
A:The purpose of this new award is to choose the packaging that works best as a marketing tool, surprising and enchanting the consumer and building a strong relationship between the consumer and the brand. The packaging should also create value and best translate the essence and assets of the brand on an emotional and rational level before the consumer, fulfilling all expectations of the product. The 2013 Marketing Award will be given in memory of Dogan Erberk, an active member of WPO, from Turkey, who passed away last year.
Q: Considering your great experience, how would you evaluate this year’s entries for WorldStar Student contest? Do you see improvement in comparison to the last year’s nominees?
A: Students are sometimes the most creative package designers, because they do not have the burden of experience. Their minds are more free to think outside the norm. I see no difference from year to year. Each new year brings fresh, interesting, and new ideas. But I can say that the number of entries is increasing every year - 2012 brought a 50 % increase in entries. All three winners were from Turkey.
Q: Taking into consideration very intensive preparations for the Australian meeting, is World Packaging Days experience from Split of any help?
A: Every meeting brings unique challenges, so each meeting teaches us how to address certain aspects of future meetings differently. Our experience in Split was special, partly because your place on the planet is so beautiful. We constantly felt the warmth of the Croatian people and continue to appreciate the hard work that Tectus put into the events.
Q: Croatian Institute of Packaging and Graphic Arts Tectus - IatT, Zagreb, is currently preparing it’s traditional packaging festival FEST.A CROPAK. The conference will be divided into two modules – Trends in Packaging Industry and EU Legislation, taking into consideration accession of Croatia to the European Union, and Packaging and Sustainability. What would your message to the Croatian packaging industry be?
A: There is no culture on earth that can do without packaging. But too often, Packaging is viewed by many as a problem. The world cannot do without packaging but we must learn to make packaging ever more effective; and we must educate people everywhere to respect the purpose of packaging and to teach them how to incorporate this tool into the process of building an ever more sustainable society. The future for packaging is bright. My advice for packaging professionals everywhere is to open their eyes to fresh ideas that are outside their standard frame of reference. Educate themselves to expect and use the unexpected idea. Take the time to understand how those new ideas can be applied. And then apply those new ideas to present circumstances. They will likely find uncommon success that will be good for them, their company, and for society.
Q: Award ceremony of CROPAK and REGPAK for the best packaging on Croatian and regional markets will also take place at the festival. That is an opportunity for you to invite all future winners to the WorldStar. What are the advantages of that global contest and why is it good to participate in it?
A: WorldStar awards recognize the “best of the best” package designs from all over the planet. And besides the honor that comes from being a winner, new designs educate others about what is possible, even when it seemed impossible. Finally, and frankly, being able to put such an achievement on one’s CV can be a big boost to a career in packaging.
Interview by: Tihana Lešić, Nataša Gajski Kovačić
