The Event

Sustainable Packaging Summit 2026Utrecht · 10-12 Nov 2026

Packaging Europe Ltd. brings this summit to Jaarbeurs, Utrecht, for three days built around packaging design innovation, recyclability, recycled content, and reuse systems, with the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) implementation running through the program. The Sustainability Awards 2026 ceremony and a networking block party run alongside the main sessions.

Unlike some of the policy-heavy events in this space, the 2025 edition drew start-ups and operating brands alongside recyclers, NGOs, and academics, so if your business ships packaged goods into the EU and needs a straight read on PPWR and EPR obligations, this is one of the more relevant rooms to be in.

View event site → What this means for EU expansion

The Room

Who's expected atSustainable Packaging Summit 2026

The 2025 edition attracted a broader mix than most compliance-focused events on this circuit, pulling in attendees from 32 countries. Expect a genuine cross-section of the packaging value chain rather than a room of policy specialists talking to each other.

Brand Packaging LeadsRecyclers & Waste OperatorsEPR & Compliance SpecialistsNGOs & Academics

For a growing brand seeking the next step up, is Sustainable Packaging Summit 2026 a good fit?

Yes, more clearly than most comparable events. A US or UK ecommerce brand shipping packaged product into the EU will find genuine peers here, plus direct access to EPR system operators and PPWR specialists explaining how the rules are actually applied country by country. It is worth the trip if packaging compliance and sustainable design sit anywhere near your EU roadmap.

Brand Packaging Leads

Sustainability and packaging teams from established and growing brands, comparing design and material choices against upcoming PPWR requirements.

Recyclers & Waste Operators

Recycling and waste management operators involved in the reuse and recycled-content systems the summit's agenda is built around.

EPR & Compliance Specialists

Advisors and system operators working through Extended Producer Responsibility implementation across different European member states.

Programme

What's on at Sustainable Packaging Summit 2026

The full session-by-session agenda for 2026 has not been published yet; the tracks below reflect confirmed program themes and formats for the Utrecht edition.

01PPWR: What's Changing

Sessions on the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation and what its recyclability, recycled-content, and reuse requirements mean for packaging design decisions being made now.

Recyclability standards
Recycled-content requirements
Reuse system design

02EPR in Practice

Country-by-country Extended Producer Responsibility implementation, with system operators including EXPRA sharing how registration, fees, and reporting actually work on the ground.

EPR registration by country
EPR fees and reporting
EXPRA on system implementation

03Design & Reuse Innovation

Packaging design innovation, recyclability standards, and reuse systems, covering the materials and formats brands are shifting toward ahead of tighter EU rules.

Packaging design innovation
Materials and format shifts
Reuse systems in practice

04Sustainability Awards 2026

The awards ceremony runs alongside the conference, recognizing packaging sustainability work across the industry, followed by an international networking block party.

Sustainability Awards 2026 ceremony
International networking block party

Live Intelligence

What's being said about Sustainable Packaging Summit 2026

Confirmed program facts for the 2026 edition, read alongside signals from the 2025 event.

EXPRA's Joachim Quoden confirmed as speaker

PACKAGING SUMMIT · 2026 PROGRAMME

Confirmed speaker Joachim Quoden, Managing Director of EXPRA (the Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance), puts a leading EPR policy voice directly in front of the audience rather than leaving it to secondhand summaries.

2026 edition scales up programming

PACKAGING SUMMIT · 2026 PROGRAMME

The 2026 edition has an extended runtime with expanded programming compared to prior years, suggesting organizers are scaling the event to keep pace with PPWR's approaching compliance deadlines.

Sustainability Awards 2026 runs alongside the summit

PACKAGING SUMMIT · 2026 PROGRAMME

The Sustainability Awards 2026 ceremony running alongside the conference signals the event is positioning itself as an industry benchmark, not just a compliance briefing.

2025 attendee base spanned 32 countries

PACKAGING SUMMIT · 2025 EDITION

2025's attendee base spanning 32 countries, including start-ups and operating brands alongside recyclers, NGOs, and academics, points to a working audience rather than a purely academic one.

The bigger picture

Packaging rules are becoming a market-entry gate, not paperwork

PPWR and country-level EPR schemes are turning packaging compliance into a condition of selling in the EU at all, not a box to tick after launch. For a US or UK brand planning European ecommerce expansion, getting packaging and EPR registration wrong is one of the more common ways a launch gets delayed or a listing gets suspended.

EPR registration is required per country, so a scheme that works in one EU market does not automatically cover another.
PPWR is tightening recyclability and recycled-content requirements, which affects packaging design decisions made well before a product ships.
Getting packaging and EPR right before launch avoids the kind of correction that stalls marketplace listings mid-expansion.

Getting this sequencing right before launch is exactly what the Global Expansion Pathway (GEP™) is built to handle.

EPR is per country, not per region

Registering for Extended Producer Responsibility in Germany does not cover France, and vice versa. Brands expanding across several EU markets need a separate registration and fee arrangement in each one.

Per country EPR registration requirement

PPWR is reshaping packaging design timelines

Recyclability and recycled-content requirements under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation mean packaging decisions need to be made with EU rules in mind months before a product reaches a European warehouse.

PPWR EU packaging regulation

One partner, not a stack of vendors

EU entry usually means stitching together a VAT agent, a 3PL, a compliance advisor, and a marketplace consultant. Expandly runs all of it as one operation, using the Global Expansion Pathway (GEP™), so the coordination burden never lands on your team.

GEP™ one method, compliance to fulfillment

Good to Know

Questions about Sustainable Packaging Summit 2026

What does the Sustainable Packaging Summit 2026 actually cover?

The summit runs across three days in Utrecht and focuses on the sustainable transformation of the packaging industry: packaging design innovation, recyclability standards, recycled content, and reuse systems. The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) implementation, including how EPR systems are working in practice across different European countries, run through the program. The Sustainability Awards 2026 ceremony and a networking block party run alongside the conference sessions.

Is this summit worth attending for a US or UK ecommerce brand?

More so than most packaging events on this circuit. The 2025 edition pulled attendees from 32 countries across a genuine mix of start-ups, established brands, recyclers, NGOs, and academics, which means the room includes people actually shipping product into the EU, not just policy specialists talking past each other. For a brand that ships to Europe and needs to understand PPWR and EPR obligations directly from the people implementing them, it is a reasonable use of three days.

Why do I see this event listed under two different names?

The organizer, Packaging Europe Ltd., brands it the Sustainable Packaging Summit 2026. EXPRA (the Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance), which promotes the event but does not organize it, lists it as the Sustainability Packaging Summit 2026 on its own site. It is the same event in Utrecht on the same dates, so search under either name if you are looking for registration details.

What is EPR and does my brand need to register?

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) makes you financially responsible for the packaging and certain products you put on a market, paid through registration and fees. It applies per country, so Germany, France, and others each need separate registration. Selling without it risks marketplace suspension and fines, so it is part of the pre-launch setup.

What are the main compliance requirements for selling in the EU?

The main pillars are: product safety and an EU or UK Responsible Person, packaging registration under Extended Producer Responsibility rules, VAT (value-added tax) registration, and correct labeling. Requirements vary by product category, so what applies to cosmetics differs from electronics or food. Getting the applicable set confirmed before launch avoids expensive corrections.

How big is the ecommerce opportunity in Europe for US brands?

Europe is one of the world's largest ecommerce regions, and many categories are less saturated than the US with lower advertising costs. Growth rates, dominant channels, and shopper habits vary widely by country, so market data should be read per market rather than treating Europe as one block. The opportunity is real but market-specific.

Before You Go to Utrecht

Packaging compliance isn't a summit takeaway, it's a launch requirement

PPWR and country-by-country EPR registration are exactly the kind of requirement that stalls an EU ecommerce launch when it's handled after the fact.

Expandly builds packaging and EPR compliance into the Global Expansion Pathway (GEP™) from day one, alongside VAT registration, marketplace setup on channels like our Recommended E2E Expansion Partner, and fulfillment through our Netherlands warehouse, so your brand shows up compliant rather than catching up.