Global Pouch Forum
SHOW COVERAGE
The BOTTOM LINE
- Producers seek packaging equipment that can handle format changes
- Automated features appeal in the face of workforce challenges
- Delicate bakery and snack items make robots and cobots popular options
Let’s unpack this
The 2026 Global Pouch Forum will highlight the packaging industry’s latest and greatest innovations and options.
Liz Parker Kuhn, Senior Editor
The Global Pouch Forum (GPF), presented by BNP Media’s own Packaging Strategies magazine, gives industry professionals a chance to meet with suppliers and their peers. Attendees will learn about new technologies, applications, sustainability, consumer trends, and more, all while networking in sunny Florida.
“The show serves as an annual outlet for news about the industry’s latest and greatest innovations and technological developments from the past year,” explains Douglas Peckenpaugh, director, content strategy, Food/Beverage Innovation and Manufacturing, BNP Media. “This is the information brand owners and converters need to make informed decisions about flexible packaging materials, improving their bottom line through the savings afforded by flexible options, capturing shopper attention through better shelf presence, and more.”
Courtesy of BNP Media
Themes and sessions
From May 27–29 at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort in Clearwater, FL, the GPF will have sessions on innovative types of packaging that snack and bakery producers can use for their products, as well as pressing industry issues.
“The biggest issue in packaging today is sustainability,” comments Peckenpaugh. “All of Europe and an increasing number of U.S. states have passed extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation, and packaging converters and brand owners need to be prepared with solutions as these program stipulations roll out to the industry.”
This EPR discussion goes deeper than just the switch from multilayered laminate to mono-materials, he adds—it brings the entire packaging picture into focus, involving inks, coatings, closures, and more.
Sustainability is a core focus at GPF, and will be explored in sessions such as Driving Sustainability in Flexible Packaging (Thursday, May 28, 1:45–2:30 pm), presented by Latricia Fry, sustainability and market development manager, Inteplast Group.
“Kicking off the event on day one, we will offer a high-profile keynote panel entitled A Flexible Packaging Roadmap to Navigating Extended Producer Responsibility [May 28, 8:30–9:30 am] featuring commentary on what brand owners and packaging converters need to know to comply with EPR programs rolling out across the industry,” adds Peckenpaugh. “This is information every brand owner and flexible packaging converter needs to know today to minimize EPR impact tomorrow.”
He also recommends checking out the three converter-led sessions to dig into more depth on specific EPR topics, such as aligning with existing and emerging recycling programs, an analysis of compostable packaging solutions, and scaling mono-material pouches for a truly circular economy.
Courtesy of BNP Media
Other educational highlights include:
- Pouch Digitalization: Evolving Strategies for Consumers (Thursday, May 28, 9:30–10:15 am), with Jonathan White, managing director, Mezzo Investment Banking and Jack Knott, CEO, marketing agency Group 1123. The discussion aims to change several prevailing beliefs, such as that digital print is limited to short runs; that analog and digital compete along a fixed cost curve; and that scale and centralization are required to optimize manufacturing.
- The State of Flexible Packaging (Thursday, May 28, 11:15 am–12 pm), presented by Dan Felton, Flexible Packaging Association. Factors related to packaging continue to present a challenge to CPG producers, with regulatory oversights and sustainability concerns being top of mind. Felton will offer an update on the state of the U.S. flexible packaging industry, including regulatory policy issues.
- Convenience and On-the-Go—Why Compostable Packaging is the Solution (Thursday, May 28, 3:30–4:15 pm), with Rodrigo Castaneda, VP and general manager North America, TIPA. Castaneda will share why certified compostable packaging is a practical solution for convenience-driven applications, covering key factors influencing brand adoption, such as performance, barrier requirements, machinability on existing equipment, and investment considerations. Attendees will learn how compostable pouches are being used today across the market.
- Developing, Scaling, and Validating Monomaterial Pouches for a Circular Economy (Thursday, May 28, 4:15–5 pm), with Haley Rapp and Astrid Torres, Toppan Packaging Americas. The presenters will explore how flexible packaging converters are advancing fully recyclable monomaterial pouch structures using PE- and PP-based systems. Recyclability, performance, and manufacturability can be balanced across applications such as snacks, granolas, and confections. Conference-goers will learn about technical challenges, sustainability implications, and more.
- Evaluating Regulatory Consistency of Post Consumer Recycled Content for Food-Grade Applications (Friday, May 29, 11:15 am–12 pm), with Kristin Edie, director of sustainability and regulatory, Charter Next Generation (CNG), and Jennifer Lott, technical director, SGS, a testing and inspection company. Packaging that also meets strict food safety rules has spotlighted how post-consumer recycled (PCR) resins can be produced and validated for FDA compliance. CNG, working with SGS and other customers, is running a study to evaluate FDA-compliant PCR films as a pathway to more circular packaging.
Courtesy of BNP Media
"There's real value in how the Forum helps me understand topics that I have little knowledge of; e.g. electron beam technology. What I learn here translates into higher bottom line profits for my customers,” notes Dave Considine, sales manager-packaging, Hermann Ultrasonics.
View the full conference agenda here.
Exhibitors
“Anybody that has anything to do with the pouch industry, which is explosively growing, is under one roof,” says David Haley, Distinct Packabilities (supplier of custom retail packaging and labels).
GPF attendees can visit the conference’s exhibit hall, where they can browse booth offerings from suppliers of flexible packaging materials, plus manufacturers of equipment, adhesives and coatings, films and substrates, chemicals and resins, and more.
“Global Pouch Forum offers the best of both worlds—a wealth of information presented in an intimate setting, with ample opportunities for networking.”
— Douglas Peckenpaugh, director, content strategy, Food/Beverage Innovation and Manufacturing, BNP Media
The hall will be open the following times on Thursday, May 28:
- 7:30–8:30 am
- 10:15–10:45 am
- 12–1:15 pm
- 3–3:30 pm
- 5–6:30 pm
Courtesy of BNP Media
Exhibitors include companies such as Berry Converting, BW Converting, Labthink International, Menshen Packaging USA, Inc., and others.
Networking events
“Global Pouch Forum offers the best of both worlds—a wealth of information presented in an intimate setting, with ample opportunities for networking,” Peckenpaugh shares, adding that the Clearwater area, including the conference’s host hotel on Sand Key, has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
This year’s conference will include plenty of time to network, such as:
- Sunset Beach Bash (Wednesday, May 27, 5:30–7:30 pm): A kickoff to the GPF, where attendees can relax with drinks and light bites, enjoying oceanfront views as the sun sets, and network with fellow attendees, speakers, and sponsors.
- Networking breaks, lunches, and receptions (May 28 and 29)
- Morning Yoga (Friday, May 29, 7 am): Conference-goers can start the morning feeling refreshed and energized with a session featuring gentle movement, stretching, and mindful breathing. This event is open to everyone, regardless of yoga experience.
Image courtesy of Sheraton Sand Key Resort
