The end stage of the manufacturing process is emerging on the other side of a major sustainability transformation. With a set timeline to PPWR conformity, the ‘ifs’ are quickly becoming ‘when’ in short-term planning for food businesses, bakeries included. Until August, interpack is the innovation stepping stone in the journey to more sustainable – and, at the same time, smarter – packaging and processing.
“interpack 2026 is more important than ever,” interpack director Thomas Dohse was anticipating as the exhibition was taking shape, a while ago. This trajectory has gained even stronger momentum since he made this statement, and expectations for interpack ’26 are rising high. The baking industry, and, by extension, food manufacturing, are in the process of transforming, with profound changes across many sectors, which interpack aims to cover through a wide range of topics, including AI, new regulations, automation, the need for future skills, and innovative materials.
Hot topics
To meet these challenges, the packaging and processing exhibition is particularly focusing on forward-looking topics, which have been narrowed down to the 2026 Hot Topics as follows: Smart Manufacturing, Innovative Materials and Future Skills.
+ Smart Manufacturing encompasses more intelligent, sustainable and economical production. Technology displayed at interpack will present new solutions for this – for instance, in the areas of AI-supported systems, robotics, automation, intelligent controlling, data use and resource efficiency.
+ The Hot Topic Innovative Materials will put the spotlight on the packaging segment of the exhibition, with around 1,000 exhibitors. Materials will include highly developed plastics, fiber-based materials and intelligent coatings – solutions that help optimize product protection and shelf life. “Monomaterials, bio-based solutions and Design for Recycling promote circular use and reduce use of material,” interpack organizers emphasize.
+ Qualified employees are the backbone of manufacturing. Future Skills targets the transformation of the workforce, with a focus on qualification, promoting young talent, digital know-how and the skills required for modern processes and technologies.
Markus Rustler, President & CEO at Theegarten-Pactec and President of interpack 2026, puts the Hot Topics into context: “The sector is being shaped by two central trends: sustainable packaging solutions such as cellulose-based or monomaterials, plus rising automation, in order to reduce dependency on qualified personnel in certain fields. Something is becoming evident at the same time: well-trained employees remain crucial. The main thing companies can do to stand out is offer their employees meaningful tasks that allow them to make a genuine impact.”
“The sector is being shaped by two central trends: sustainable packaging solutions such as cellulose-based or monomaterials, plus rising automation, in order to reduce dependency on qualified personnel in certain fields. Something is becoming evident at the same time: well-trained employees remain crucial.”
Markus Rustler, President & CEO at Theegarten-Pactec and
President of interpack 2026
From PPWR to AI: interpack SPOTLIGHT Forum
With around 75 presentations, sessions and panel discussions, the SPOTLIGHT Forum will bring together key debates on regulation, resource efficiency, automation and securing skilled labor. International experts from industry, politics, associations, start-ups and specialized institutions will shape the Spotlight Forum agenda.
A part of interpack for the second time, the SPOTLIGHT Forum is intended as the trade show’s content center. Spanning throughout the entire duration of the trade fair, the SPOTLIGHT will give the stage to the most important voices from the packaging industry to address the most pressing issues in the sector. Each day will have a dedicated theme, which will be examined from various perspectives in talks, interviews and presentations. Listed chronologically, the seven SPLOTLIGHT Forum days will cover: chances and risks of PPWR, resource efficiency, smart packing, intelligent systems and AI, circular economy, innovative materials, and young talents.
May 7 is dedicated to PPWR topics, when practical implications for the use of recycled materials will be analyzed, as well as reusable quotas, recycling rates and hygiene requirements. Tânia Dias da Costa (pacoon Sustainability Concepts), for example, will highlight the steps required for regulatory implementation in companies. A panel discussion with industry representatives and the European Commission will focus on competitiveness, location issues and the impact of the regulation on companies, customers and consumers.
Resource efficiency is the topic of the day on May 8, with an extensive agenda on resource efficiency. Aasted, for example, will highlight the optimization of chocolate processes and the efficient use of resources. In a panel discussion, moderator Ton Knipscheer (European Co-Packers Association) will talk about how geopolitical uncertainties, tariffs and regulatory pressure are changing supply chains and what innovation impulses this is generating for the packaging industry going forward.
May 9 is for smart packaging, covering topics such as digital identification, networked systems and data-based business models. Simon Hill and Ian Richards (TNA Northern Europe B.V.) will be among the speakers, presenting practical examples to show how integrated packaging lines can increase efficiency while meeting safety, sustainability and quality requirements. Dr Tobias Jochum (Fraunhofer IAP) will talk about digital product passports, brand protection and end-to-end traceability along the supply chain.
May 10 is dedicated to intelligent systems and AI, including data-based production models. Thomas Peter and Stephan Schuele (Syntegon Technology) will show how digital innovation, end-to-end processes and contactless automation can pave the way to the ‘Factory of the Future’. Marco Facchin (BIOMETiC srl) will demonstrate in his presentation how 3D computed tomography and explainable AI make food inspection more precise.
Circular economy is Monday’s topic (May 11). Based on strategic futurology, Gillian Garside Wright (Aura Consultants) outlines key trends up to 2050 and their influence on circularity, brand trust and innovation strategies. Carsten Bertram, Head of Packaging Sustainability at Henkel Consumer Brands, will show how the requirements of the PPWR are being translated into concrete packaging strategies and which practical implementations are already taking place.
Many other presentations will delve deeper into current trends and developments relating to the circular economy.
The SAVE FOOD Initiative
The global alliance returns with the moment’s burning questions and possible answers, promoting responsible resource management along the entire food supply chain, in a bid to sustainably reduce food loss and food waste.
This year, it brings SAVE FOOD Expert Talks to interpack on May 12. Here, international organizations and specialized initiatives will show how packaging can protect food, strengthen sustainability, and improve processing. The conversations will focus on regulatory developments, sustainable packaging solutions, global cooperation, and effective approaches to reducing food losses. The event is free to attend (registration is available online). The forums, staged in Hall 1 (Room 14), will be moderated by Nerida Kelton, Vice President Sustainability & SAVE FOOD, World Packaging Organization (WPO), and
Dr. Johannes Bergmair, General Secretary, WPO. The themes are: ‘Global Packaging in Transition: Regulation, Partnerships and the Race for Sustainable Value’ (Forum 1) and ‘Turning Packaging into a Food Saver: Trends, Innovations, and Solutions Across the Food Supply Chain’ (Forum 2).
This year, SAVE FOOD will also acknowledge the winners of the Design Awards and the Sustainability Design Awards, from over 100 submissions.
interpack will open its doors from May 7 to 13. The opening hours are from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, every day.