Discover 3 Days of Expert-Led Packaging Seminars

Hear from leading packaging and industry experts and gain practical insights into the trends, technologies and challenges shaping packaging in South Africa.

Explore free-to-attend seminars covering sustainability, EPR, recycling and the circular economy, packaging innovation, automation, AI, food packaging, labelling and more, designed to help you improve efficiency, make informed decisions and prepare for the future of packaging

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Your Day-by-Day Seminar Schedule

Day 1 | Tuesday 27 OCT | New Products & Innovation

Improve efficiency, reduce waste and protect margins.

 

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  1. Trendspotting from the 2026 Gold Pack Awards and Future Generation Trends from the Student Gold Pack Awards
    Key trends shown by entries in this year’s Gold Pack Awards and Student Gold Pack Awards that may reveal evolving standards, innovations and thinking and of current and future packaging designers
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Bill Marshall
    Bill Marshall, National Secretary and National Events - Institute of Packaging SA
  2. “Bridging the Gap Between Sustainability and Recyclability in Packaging Design”
    Exploring the disconnect and between sustainability and recyclability and the challenges faced to support circular-economy objectives. A proposed framework combines life cycle assessment (LCA) and rec …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Edwin Botha
    Edwin Botha, Recyclability and Life Cycle Assessment Officer - Fibre Circle
  3. Plastics: The state of the Industry
    A closer look to the virgin and recycling sectors to see what is happening in the plastics industry and how to interpret the statistics and use it to the benefit of the local plastic stakeholders.
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Annabe Pretorius
    Annabe Pretorius, Executive: Technical Operations - Plastics SA
  4. When nature gets in the way of nurture - how static can interfere with what you are making
    High OEE is a critical measure of success for manufacturing and production organisations. In printing, plastics and packaging, static and contamination can reduce line speeds, quality and product perf …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Ross Orwin
    Ross Orwin, Owner - StatAir Solutions
  5. Breaking Barriers to Market Entry: Using New and Innovative Packaging Machinery to Protect Margins and Accelerate Growth
    Using smart production technology can launch products faster, respond to changing consumer demand, and scale sustainably. New and innovative precision weighing and flexible sachet packaging can work t …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Melika Seiderer
    Melika Seiderer, General Manager Africa - Ishida
  6. Growing South Africa’s Carton Collection and Recycling Economy: Turning Waste into Valuable Raw Materials
    Showcasing how collaboration, technology, infrastructure investment, community empowerment and consumer education can work together to create a functioning circular recycling economy using Tetra Pak’s …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Masale Manoko
    Masale Manoko, Head of Sustainability, Sub-Saharan Africa - Tetra Pak Southern Africa
  7. Bobst “ONE BARRIER” programme: Developments for more sustainable flexible materials
    The BOBST oneBARRIER program develops industrially viable, recycle-ready, mono-material alternatives to complex and nonrecyclable multi-material flexible packaging
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Manuel Cortizo
    Manuel Cortizo, General Manager & Region Services Director Africa, Middle East, Turkey and Caucasus - Bobst - (Beswick Machinery)
  8. Packaging Films for a Circular Economy with EVO GEN3 - Powerful - Smart - Digital – Sustainable
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Sascha Skora
    Sascha Skora, Senior Sales Director - Reifenhäuser Blown Film GmbH

 

Day 2 | Wednesday 28 OCT | Sustainability

Navigate EPR, recyclability, regulation and the circular economy.

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  1. Beyond Compliance: What EPR Means for the Future of South Africa’s Packaging Industry
    Exploring how trust, collaboration, innovation, investment and stronger value-chain partnerships can move EPR beyond compliance towards a more circular, inclusive and sustainable packaging economy. Th …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Makgabo van Niekerk
    Makgabo van Niekerk, Executive Director - PRO Alliance
  2. The Impact of Global Packaging Regulatory Shifts on the Domestic EPR Landscape and Local Producers: What South Africa Needs for EPR 2.0
    Emerging global packaging regulations are reshaping market expectations. What does this mean for SA brand owners, manufacturers, importers and retailers. The strategic reforms needed to ensure that SA …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Telly Chauke
    Telly Chauke, CEO - Petco
  3. The Paradox of Progress: The Stewardship of Modern Packaging
    The very systems that have advanced civilisation have also accelerated resource depletion, waste and the degradation of our planet and modern packaging sits at the heart of this tension. How EPR can h …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Kishan Singh
    Kishan Singh, CEO - MetPac-SA
  4. Making EPR Work on the Ground, Beyond Tonnage
    The gap between EPR as a compliance and reporting exercise and EPR as coordinated, place-based delivery. Opportunities for making EPR work at municipal level and clearer mechanisms to recognise inform …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Janine Osborne
    Janine Osborne, CEO - Sustainable Seas Trust
  5. Future-Ready Packaging: Building the Skills Behind Smarter, More Sustainable Manufacturing
    Closing the Skills Gap - Practical strategies for attracting, training and retaining talent in plastics manufacturing. Preparing your workforce for automation, digitalisation and the circular economy. …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Kirtida Bhana
    Kirtida Bhana, Head of the Academy for Learning & Development - Plastics SA
  6. An Industry Perspective for a National Circular Economy Action Plan
    The current landscape for Extended Producer Responsibility and the National Circular Economy Action Plan. The way forward and the challenges for 2027.
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Shabeer Jhetam
    Shabeer Jhetam, Executive Director - Packaging SA
  7. Safe Food Packaging: Packaging Design Principles and Key FSSC 22000 Version 7 Updates
    An outline of the recent updates made to FSSC 22000 V7 to include packaging design principles as well as the latest food packaging design case studies from the World Packaging Organisation (WPO).
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Antoinette Maake
    Antoinette Maake, Technical Officer for Safety and Quality - Foundation FSSC

Day 3 | Thursday 29 OCT | Automation

Explore AI, automation and smarter ways to improve production.

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  1. Packaging in a Circular Economy
    Presented from eWASA’s perspective, this session explores how South Africa can move beyond EPR compliance toward practical, inclusive circular packaging systems. It covers design for recyclability, th …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Keith Anderson
    Keith Anderson, CEO & Founder - eWASA
  2. Update on Glass Recycling In South Africa
    The progress and recycling rates achieved for glass to date. The challenges that need the be faced and resolved for the sector.
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Shabeer Jhetam
    Shabeer Jhetam, Executive Director - Packaging SA
  3. From Packaging Technology to Packaging Intelligence: IPSA Embeds AI Skills for the Future of Packaging Design and Manufacture.
    In an era of Extended Producer Responsibility, packaging professionals must increasingly design not only for performance and cost, but for circularity, recyclability and responsible material stewardsh …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Kishan Singh
    Kishan Singh, CEO - MetPac-SA
  4. Ethylene management in fresh produce: developing active packaging for real supply chains
    How ethylene-scavenging technology works; current applications within fresh produce; incorporating the technology into different packaging formats. how the technology is used and exploring what we hav …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Lianne Jones
    Lianne Jones, General Manager (South Africa) - RYPEN
  5. 5 years of EPR, Progress, Partnerships and the Road Ahead
    Five years into South Africa’s mandatory EPR journey, Patricia Pillay reflects on Polyco’s progress from individual projects to an integrated circular economy system. The session explores lessons in p …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Patricia Pillay
    Patricia Pillay, CEO - Polyco
  6. The Missing Intelligence Layer: How Your Cameras Can Answer the “Why” Your ERP and MES Never Could
    AI in manufacturing can feel more theoretical than practical. This session shows how vision-based AI turns previously unmeasurable operational context into actionable insight. While ERP shows what sho …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Johann De Wet
    Johann De Wet, Founding Member - VisionAI
  7. Food Advertising, Packaging and Labelling - what is the legal situation
    Regulation of Labelling and Advertising are closely related and restrictions on what can be stated on labels carries over the advertising.  The law on packaging, labelling and advertising is a moving …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Janusz Luterek
    Janusz Luterek, Partner - Hahn & Hahn Inc