Especially in difficult economic times, it is important to secure competitive advantages, to offer solutions and to operate economically. Not surprisingly, sustainability is becoming more and more of a major innovation driver for all market players. At its 8th Congress, Pro Carton, the Association of European Cartonboard and Carton Manufacturers, again focused on a highly relevant and current topic in Düsseldorf. The congress highlighted how corporate responsibility will - according to Roland Berger Strategy Consultants - "…fundamentally change the rules of the entire consumer goods industry", and how sustainability, cost efficiency, creativity and promotional power are interlinked, as well as demonstrating the success potentials that interaction within the value chain offers for efficient product packaging.

Experts from the packaging industry, retail trade and marketing, decision makers from consumer goods manufacturers, as well as designers, discussed concepts, solutions and examples. Major attention was paid to communication at the Point of Sale (POS), where the cartonboard and folded box manufacturers predict great potential for a yet unsatisfied demand.

Today, and depending on the product, some 70% of decisions are made at the store shelves. The carbon footprint of a product can therefore play an increasingly important role. One example is the Austrian Aldi subsidiary, Hofer, which gives carbon footprints for selected bio-products on their web page www.zurueckzumursprung.at. The German retail trade is also attracted by this topic. For example, the Metro Group has created a Sustainability Board, which is to establish and implement binding standards for sustainable operation throughout the group. Being a leader in this area, the company expects a competitive advantage.

And it was precisely this topic that the 8th Pro Carton Congress showcased, giving useful suggestions on how to develop sustainable concepts as part of the packaging value chain, and how to optimise economics and ecology. Cartonboard and folded boxes are cutting edge products in both areas, offering sustainability, cost efficiency, creativity and promotional power. As was clearly demonstrated at this year's Pro Carton Congress, they offer a high degree of environmental compatibility, as well as permitting a reduction in materials used by innovative packaging design. Designers are given a plethora of opportunities (haptic handling, optics, smart packaging) to establish clear buying signals at the POS. Thus, sustainable concepts optimise economics and ecology across the entire packaging value chain, or, as trend researcher Andreas Reiter stated: "The Green Deal reconciles ecology and economics".

Besides offering interesting presentations and being a hub for industry insights and networking, being ahead of its time and lending impulses is the ultimate goal of Pro Carton Congresses. In the past, the event has already established itself as a platform for new packaging developments, giving strong impulses to the packaging industry. The focus has always been on topics of the future, backed up by results from new studies. For example, in 2005, the much quoted 60+ study was the leading topic, in 2006 it was multi-sensoric packaging with Martin Lindstrom. This multi-sensoric concept was realised successfully in the middle of this year by Wrigley, with the launch of Wrigley 5 Gum: Wrigley 5 Gum surpasses existing conventions. Not only does 5 Gum appeal to the taste sense, it offers all 5 senses that special experience. And it is not only the product, but also the packaging that move to the forefront of the purchasing decision. Clean black design, glossy, matt and embossed elements result in stylish optics and appealing haptics.

2007 looked at subconscious buying signals and what packaging design can learn from brain research (limbic packaging), this year a new study by GfK focused on attitudes and values of consumers towards corporate responsibility and sustainability.

The results more than underline the umbrella theme of the congress "Promoting brand values with sustainable packaging": sustainable packaging is already of relevance for purchasing decisions in 40 per cent of consumers.