FEFCO Summit’26 “Circularity in Action”

On May 28–29, 2026, the annual FEFCO Summit’26 industry conference was held in Madrid under the theme “Circularity in Action.” The Spanish association AFCO (Asociación Española de Fabricantes de Envases y Embalajes de Cartón Ondulado) collaborated in organizing the event. The diverse conference program featured numerous representatives from the European corrugated packaging industry. Among those present were CEOs, industrial plant operators, technologists, marketing and sales specialists, companies affiliated with FEFCO, directors of national branches, and guests with the status of supporters of the Federation’s activities.

The conference was opened by Nina Iversen, FEFCO President (2026–2028), together with Eleni Despotou, FEFCO Director General. Leopoldo Santorroman, President of the AFCO association, welcomed the attendees on behalf of the hosts. The keynote speaker was Prof. Javier Diaz Gimenez of IESE Business School, who shared his analysis of global economic prospects and the challenges facing the market. The two-day discussion was moderated by Naomi Lloyd, a well-known British journalist.

The conference’s main thematic groups included:

Corrugated Cardboard Packaging – Circularity Champion
Corrugated Packaging Sustainable, Adaptable, Smart and Secure
A vision for the future of Corrugated – high-level panel discussion with CEOs.

The list of topics that were presented and discussed included:

experiences with the operation of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system,
an assessment of the competitiveness of the European packaging industry (P&B) on the global stage,
opportunities and challenges for the industry related to technological transformation and innovation,
environmental standards, obligations for companies resulting from changes in EU legislation (PPWR),
assessment of key risk areas in the paper and cardboard packaging industry in Europe,
challenges for businesses related to cybersecurity,
FEFCO’s new communication strategy slogan #RecycledForReal.

The series of presentations was accompanied by an opportunity for participants to interact with the speakers via a virtual communication tool during the portion of the program set aside for Q&A sessions.

J. Turski (Director General of the SPP) listened in on the two-day debate.

_{Photos: J. Turski, SPP}