Printed Packaging Summit to tackle compliance crisis facing Europe's packaging supply chain

Packaging Solutions

Industry leaders will gather in Cologne this November for the Printed Packaging Summit, a new event confronting the regulatory pressures reshaping digital print for packaging across Europe.

Digital print is no longer simply a technology choice it is fast becoming the compliance infrastructure of the modern packaging chain. With PPWR conformity declarations mandatory from August 2026, retailer QR code trials generating unreliable data, and digital product passports moving from concept to requirement, most brands and their supply chains are unprepared for what comes next.

The Printed Packaging Summit will bring together brand owners, converters, equipment and materials suppliers, and compliance specialists for a single day dedicated to working through these unresolved questions.

The event will address five central issues facing the industry:

Who owns accuracy on pack when variable data moves to the production line the converter or the brand?

Which print decisions determine PPWR and digital product passport compliance, and is the supply chain making them consciously?

What does a hybrid production line actually look like, and what are the real economics behind it?

As AI takes on artwork management, print run optimisation, and skills gap mitigation, what is the evolving role of the print professional?

What does a working digital product passport look like today not in 2030?

The summit is designed for packaging production leaders navigating compliance questions without clear answers, converters weighing investment decisions around variable data printing, suppliers fielding new questions from customers on data and hybrid workflows, and compliance and sustainability professionals for whom the print supply chain is where data obligations are ultimately met or missed.

The event's 2026 advisory board includes senior figures from across the industry, among them Stefan Casey, founder of Lightning Tree and former packaging innovation lead at Nestlé; Jan De Roeck, marketing director at Esko; Thomas Vollmuth, head of brand owner management at Koenig & Bauer AG; Alvise Cavallari, product manager consumer goods at Atlantic Zeiser; Ulrike Quirmbach, senior artwork production specialist at Unilever; and independent consultant Lee Metters, formerly of Domino.

A full programme announcement is expected in August 2026.

The Printed Packaging Summit takes place 4 November 2026 in Cologne, Germany. Those interested in attending can book their ticket here

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