Paris Packaging Week unveils its 2026 conference programme and provides clear insight into the PPWR challenges

Paris Packaging Week 2026 is unveiling a major conference line-up, bringing together more than 100 international experts. The PPWR will run throughout the programme as a central theme, offering a precise reading of ongoing transformations in sustainability, next-generation materials, technological progress, AI and European regulatory developments.

PPWR: the regulatory thread running through the 2026 edition

With the introduction of the PPWR, the packaging industry is entering a new era of responsibility. Designing recyclable or reusable packaging, integrating recycled content, removing unnecessary packaging and ensuring transparency around end-of-life will become essential requirements for 2030 and 2035. These milestones will shape the expansion of large-scale recycling. Paris Packaging Week 2026 is positioned as the key meeting point to anticipate these shifts, share practical solutions and collectively shape the packaging of tomorrow.
Christelle Anya, Content & Community Director of Paris Packaging Week

Against this intense regulatory backdrop, the 2026 conference programme will offer a series of detailed sessions to support marketing, design, innovation and development teams as they navigate the new European framework. Among the most anticipated talks are sessions providing operational clarity on the changes ahead, including Navigating the European Framework, Rethinking the Material Cycle for 2030, and Reuse and Recycled Content: What the PPWR Really Changes.

Luxury: creative tension, desirability and responsibility

The luxury programme will feature a panel led by Fedrigoni and Maison Chloé entitled Luxury Packaging: Resolving the Tension between Creativity and Impact. Drawing on a study conducted with Bain & Company among 500 professionals, the session will explore how premium brands reconcile desirability with regulatory expectations, at a time when material choices have become strategically decisive.

Marco Scatto from the Italian Packaging Institute will then offer a clear analysis of how the PPWR will affect high-end design in The Essentials of the PPWR for Luxury Houses, providing tangible guidance on eco-design, material selection and end-of-life management in an environment where coherence and perceived value remain crucial.

Beauty: reuse, neuroscience and new materials

The beauty sector will experience a major moment with the unveiling of the results of the Cosmetic Deposit Coalition. After two years of large-scale testing through La Boucle Beauté, teams from La Rosée, Diptyque, Yves Rocher and Chanel Parfums Beauté will present their conclusions in Cosmetic Deposit Coalition: Two Years of Testing. Delivered by Arnaud Lancelot, the session will share exclusive insights based on real-world data from collection, logistics and consumer use.

Design will also be examined through a scientific lens in Perceived Entropy: A New Framework for Designing Reusable Packaging, presented by Antony Bouvier and Thomas Arnaudo, Co-Founder of 900.Care. This talk explores how the brain interprets order, disorder and perceived quality in objects intended for repeated use.

Looking ahead, Extending the Lifespan of Cosmetic Products will bring together experts from NVC, Keune Haircosmetics, MEA Design, Politecnico di Milano and The Hague University of Applied Science to explore hair science, design ethics, fibrous materials and the role of AI in formulation and material selection.

Finally, Integrating Recycled Content in Cosmetics: Facts, Risks and Best Practices will shed light on the technical challenges of PCR, with contributions from AMP POLYMIX, WIS Kunststoffe and Kao Corporation, directly aligned with the PPWR 2030 objectives.

Premium beverages: perception of reuse and the power of glass

In the premium drinks sector, Paris Packaging Week will spotlight a major shift through the study Traces of Reuse in Glass: What Consumers Really See. Led by Professor Gordy Pleyer of the University of Louvain and global coordinator of Mind Insights, the research examines how scuff marks and signs of reuse influence perceptions of quality, premiumness and desirability.

A keynote from Vitalie Taittinger, CEO of Champagne Taittinger, will extend this reflection. In Responsible Innovation and Brand Identity, she will share a compelling vision of the role of packaging in conveying craftsmanship, heritage and sensory experience, all central to the value of exceptional beverages.

Aerosols: real behaviours and evolving technologies

Changing user habits will be the focus of How Consumers Really Spray, in which Dr Diana Derval will reveal observed application rituals, from spray duration to the hormonal and thermal effects that influence gestures.

Alongside this, Coster Group will present Compressed Gases: Performance and Responsibility for Future Formulations, a session dedicated to technical advances shaping new performance standards and regulatory expectations. These insights will be complemented by New User Expectations and Their Impact on Dispensing Systems, examining evolving behaviours and their implications.

Design & marketing: creativity, culture and new narratives

The Pentawards Festival will bring together a new generation of creative voices under the theme Fuelled by Ideas. Rebecca McCowan of Coca-Cola will present Design with Impact: Designing Slowly and Sustainably, reflecting on responsible design in an increasingly accelerated world. Tatiana Ryfer Emberger of Carrefour will offer a strategic perspective in Innovative Branding Strategies, focusing on cultural and sensory value creation.

Further sessions, including Emotion in Packaging and Cultural Codes and New Visual Narratives, will provide a comprehensive view of the aesthetic and narrative dynamics shaping future creative projects.

An ambitious edition shaped by transformation

With more than 150 conferences, a programme firmly anchored in the requirements of the PPWR and standout speakers such as Jacques Playe, Kelly Massol and Kilian Hennessy, Paris Packaging Week 2026 stands out as a pivotal edition for brands, designers and experts seeking to understand, anticipate and develop solutions for packaging that is desirable, high-performing and responsible.

To explore the full conference programme and access practical information, visit the Paris Packaging Week website. Registration is now open.

Paris Packaging Week 2026

Paris Packaging Week offers a tailored experience through its four market-specific exhibitions, each dedicated to a key sector of the packaging industry:

• ADF – the leading event for the aerosol and dispensing systems market
• PCD – the global meeting place for beauty packaging, spanning skincare, makeup, haircare and fragrance
• PLD – the essential event for premium and luxury drinks packaging
• Packaging Première – dedicated to luxury packaging for fashion, watches, jewellery and fine food
• Pentawards Festival – the global celebration of design and creativity in packaging.

Visitor registration is now open – free of charge – at parispackagingweek.com.

This article was originally published by Paris Packaging Week.