A successful edition of creativity, sustainability and innovation.
Three days dedicated to creativity, sustainability, and innovation: the 2024 edition of Packaging Première & PCD Milan, the leading event in deluxe packaging for the fashion, beauty, jewelry, fine food, and wine & spirits sectors, which took place in Milan from May 21st to 23rd at Allianz MiCo, has recently concluded. Packaging Première & PCD Milan, of which Excellence Magazine was media partner, was attended by over 8’300 visitors, who had the opportunity to discover the latest innovations from over 320 exhibitors, coming from Italy, China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary and the Netherlands.
Visitors were immersed in a multisensory experience from the moment they entered the pavilion: illusions, optical effects, and experimental music – curated by the digital artist Vincenzo Marsiglia in collaboration with Ocrasunset – made the Packaging Première & PCD Milan experience engaging and impactful. A fragrance named Cyber Milk, conceived by the Italian Perfumery Institute and specifically created for the event by CFF Creative Flavours & Fragrances, permeated the environment, creating a synesthetic effect. In harmony with the notes of this fragrance, pastry chef Gianluca Fusto of the eponymous pastry brand Fusto Milano created a dessert that encapsulated all the elements of this experience.
The Art Gallery titled Encrypted World, showcased a selection of digital artworks by 28 young talents from the Aldo Galli Academy – IED Network of Como and the Academy of Fine Arts of Brescia SantaGiulia, where Vincenzo Marsiglia is a lecturer. The artworks had been transformed into NFTs and integrated into the crypto world through collaboration with the Italian platform Openverse.
Great success for Avant Garde, an initiative with a high level of innovation bringing together exhibitors, design and branding agencies, material manufacturers, deluxe packaging suppliers, and startups involved in the conception and realization of innovative products. 25 projects were exhibited, divided into 3 categories: innovative materials, sustainability, and design. In the innovative materials category, the Esacote® BIO BC 100 project by Lamberti stood out, a 100% biobased coating obtained from the tomato peels through an innovative patented process, offering excellent barrier properties against water, grease, and oil, while respecting sustainability and circularity principles.
Special mention goes to Qwarzo® for its invisible mineral-based (silica) coating that enhances the performance of the coated material, particularly paper. In the sustainability category, the winning project was Rinascimento, a 100% recycled paper produced in a circular economy using the waste generated by CM Cartotecnica Moderna in collaboration with Icma Sartorial Paper. Finally, in the design category, the Ungsam Vital Ginseng Packaging project, created by Revation in collaboration with UNGSAM, redefined the traditional approach to the ginseng packaging.
Packaging Première & PCD Milan provided creative insights and inspiration through exclusive exhibitions such as GINnasium (a creative exercise where 5 designers from 5 Italian regions were invited to interpret gin packaging), Paper Posh (an augmented reality project signed by artists Andrea Filippi & Gabriele Moschin, who represented a challenge for tomorrow’s design through 14 shopping bags), and Materioteca by Materially, a real library of the most innovative materials for packaging.
Numerous talks and conferences, 23 in total, engaged more than 80 renowned international speakers, including Andrea Filippi (AI artist), Charles van Reij (Cradle to Cradle), Chris Egger (Portofino Dry Gin), Jungwon Heo (Amorepacific), Fabrizio Rinaldi (Giorgio Armani), Gian Giacomo Costa (L’Oreal), and Juan Mantilla (KIKO Milano), among others. The topics ranged from multisensoriality and storytelling to the evolution of bio-based plastics, from originality and creativity to Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality, from the cost of sustainability in luxury to the value of neuromarketing, and to design trends in South Korea.
“The attendance at this edition has been extraordinary, both in terms of exhibitors and visitors, confirming the growing interest and vitality of the deluxe packaging sector. We thank everyone who contributed to this success, from the leading companies that presented their innovations, to the visitors who made the event stimulating. This result further motivates us to continue improving and innovating to offer an even more unique experience in the upcoming editions,” said Pier Paolo Ponchia, Founder and Director of Packaging Première.
To make the event more responsible, Packaging Première & PCD Milan initiated a collaboration with Impatto Positivo, a brand launched by the Benefit Company Recuperiamo founded in 2016 by Marco Raspati and Paolo Rellini. Impatto Positivo is a virtuous project that measures and certifies the social and environmental impact generated by the recovery of products at risk of waste through a recovery and redistribution process managed by the Regusto platform.
Thanks to this collaboration, the Exhibitor Lounge dedicated to exhibitors was transformed into a zero-waste and positive impact environment: the social and environmental impact it helped generate was transparently and traceably highlighted through 4000 Impact Tokens, translating into 8000 equivalent meals, 4000 kg of avoided CO2 emissions, 8000 m3 of saved water, and 12000 m2 of saved soil. Thanks to the adherence to Impatto Positivo, Packaging Première & PCD Milan will be included in the official register of companies and events with a positive impact.
Packaging Première & PCD Milan was supported, in its various initiatives, by: Fedrigoni Paper, Fedrigoni Self-Adhesive, Artegraf, Global Ribbons, D’Auria, Tipografia Altedo, Luxoro, Kurz, Masseria Surani, Birrificio 620 Passi, Tommasi, Comieco, Kotra, Click Agency, Malìa, Winetage, The Unique Show, Portofino Dry Gin, IED, Hdemia SantaGiulia, Aldo Galli Academy-IED Network of Como, INTHEGARDEN, Goodwings, Integra Fragrances, Promo360, Fusto Milano, Cosaporto, Impatto Positivo, GEA Profumi, Valtenna, New Genius Glass, Italian Perfumery Institute, Grafical, CFF Creative Flavours & Fragrances, Cerve, Caps & Fashion. Among the brand ambassadors are: Pusterla 1880, Luxoro, iMei, Formbags, Flexpet / Frapak Packaging BV, Favini, Cabomet, Besta Pack, and Autajon.
Photos © Valeria Beltrami
