To start with, Johan Peter Pauldan, futurologist and director of the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, presented an image of the future where consumers make their purchasing decisions based on dreams. In his opinion we are moving from the agricultural and industrial society of the past through today's information society into a world of dreams where immaterial reasons will influence the purchase of products - quite simply because we do not need most of the products we buy. And this dream society has already started and resulted in six new market profiles: the market for adventure, the market for love and belonging, the care market, the who-am-I market, the market for peace of mind, the market for convictions.

Marc de Vos, Director of the Belgian think tank Itinera Institute, presented ‘The (7) Crises in Europe’. According to him the real problem is the debt crisis, which we have created during the last few decades. The real crisis is our debt addiction and the fact that the real economic potential proved considerably lower than we had anticipated. What we need is new and genuine growth, and this can only stem from innovation and creativity. Europe needs more solidarity in reducing debt and less sovereignty to create the tools to solve the crises and save the euro.

One of the main topics was dedicated to Kaizen Methodology. The interactive afternoon session covered the basic principles of Kaizen methodology and transported the managers of the carton industry to an imaginary Gemba with practical examples and inspiration for a leaner business at home.

A further major topic was sustainability. The Austrian film maker
Werner Boote explained the "making of“ his groundbreaking film "Plastic Planet". In Europe, the USA, in Asia and North Africa he tracked the material which has found its way into all facets of our life: plastics. His journey across continents showed how fundamentally plastic has changed modern society during the last century, how it has become a serious threat for both the environment and our health.

In her presentation, Jacqui Macalister, Senior Manager Sustainable Supply at McDonald’s Europe, made one thing perfectly clear: "The brand is conveyed by the packaging". She presented the European-wide sustainable packaging and recycling strategy. Using the title "Sustainable Clamshells“ she described how McDonald’s have worked in partnership with the WWF to develop the Sustainable Land Management Commitment (SLMC), a programme that enables the restaurant chain to ensure food and packaging originate from sustainable sources. Of the five raw materials in the programme, wood fibres have global priority as they offer the greatest potential for sustainability. "Already 82 per cent of the wood fibres used in our packaging are recycled or made from certified sustainable resources." Their "Zero Waste Vision“ has the goal that one day 100 per cent of McDonald's waste can be recycled. Macalister mentioned five clear business reasons for sustainable packaging: (1) regulations (EU Timber Regulation, Waste Directive), (2) Cost & value of waste, (3) Assured supply of raw materials, (4) Leadership opportunity, (5) Brand protection & build brand trust.

Arend-Jan Luten (Contego Packaging), Chairman of ECMA Technical Committee, presented an update of ECMA’s progress since last year’s launch of the ECMA Good Manufacturing Practice Guide for food cartons. The list of carton manufacturing facilities carrying the ECMA Food Seal, declaring compliance with the new ECMA Guide, is growing steadily. Today already 44 different production facilities have issued a self-declaration for compliance with the GMP.

The highlight of the congress was the presentation of the Pro Carton/ECMA Awards: the awards for the individual categories were presented during the congress, the main awards were presented in the evening against the impressive backdrop of the spectacular new Copenhagen opera (information and print-ready photos are available at www.procartonecmaaward.com).