2,800 exhibitors from more than 60 countries to display at Interpack 2026
Industry’s positive sentiment around Interpack 2026 was expressed in the Interpack press briefing, held on 10 November, at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai.
10 Nov 2025 | 132 Views | By Abhay Avadhani
The world’s largest packaging trade fair, Interpack returns to Dusseldorf next year, from 7 to 13 May. The focus will be on AI, innovative materials, new functionalities and future skills, which are the major themes of transformation in the industry.
The evening saw a briefing of Interpack 2026 by Thomas Dohse, project director, portfolio processing and packaging, Messe Düsseldorf; and Richard Clemens, managing director of the process plant and equipment association within the German Engineering Federation VDMA.
Clemens said that Interpack 2026 will focus on three main topics; smart manufacturing, innovative materials and future skills. Around 1,000 exhibitors are to be expected from the packaging materials segment. In terms of materials, the show will bring out innovations such as fibre-based materials.
The exhibition will also feature conclaves such as start-up zone, which will witness discussions among 20 companies together; a forum spotlight with seven different topics for seven days. Interpack will also have food initiatives to demonstrate how packaging can help in reducing food waste.
When asked about the trends, Clemens highlighted, “Sustainability is the trend in order to reduce the packaging, making it thinner and using mono materials. The other angle to sustainability is also reducing energy and water consumption.” He believes, “The general rule for packaging is: As little as possible, as little as necessary.”
Clemens and Dohse, both highlighted the importance of automation, the use of machine learning (ML), creating digital twins, and smart factories in the packaging industry, and how technology is shaping up the industry.
More emphasis was placed on attracting the younger generation, and the last day of the show will be focused on empowering the next generation in the industry. Introduced in the last edition of Interpack, the women in packaging will encompass discussions across empowering and celebrating women excellence in the industry.
The current outlook is positive, particularly in the markets of food and pharma. In 2024, global sales of packaged food reached 872-million tonnes, and this figure is expected to rise by 11.1 % to 968-million tonnes by 2029. The pharmaceutical market is growing with an increase in production value from Euro 1.9-trillion in 2024 to Euro 2.4-trillion projected by 2029.