The Plastics Applications in Food and Beverage Packaging Summit held in Manila, Philippines on November 5-6 gathered the who’s who in Philippine food, beverage and plastics industries. The Summit was attended by over 250 participants who listened intently to highly informative presentations from representatives of government agencies, industry associations, academic community and business sector.
Organised by Ringier Trade Media Ltd. through its Ringier Events, the Summit gained the support of various organisations in the Philippines and around Asia such as the Philippine Chamber of Food Manufacturers Inc. (PCFMI), Association of Petrochemicals Manufacturers of Philippines (APMP), Packaging Technology Division of the Department of Science & Technology (DOST), Indonesian Packaging Federation (IPF), ASEAN Food and Beverage Alliance, Food Industry Asia (FIA), and Philippine Association of Food Technologists, Inc. (PAFT). International companies also supported the event as sponsors such as AKEI Holdings Company Limited, Ever Polymer, Labthink, L.K. Machinery International Limited and Tat Ming Technology Co., Ltd.
As Mike Hay, President of Ringier Trade Media Ltd. stated in his opening speech: “We all know that the Southeast Asian region presents many business opportunities given its huge market and with a GDP of US$2.6 trillion and over 622 million people. Southeast Asian plastics market is expected to grow by more than 6% annually from 2018 to 2023, thus creating excellent business opportunities. As the US-China trade situation turns sour, it is in my view that a wide range of opportunities will open up for ASEAN countries, and you can expect to see a further migration of foreign manufacturing companies relocating in Southeast Asia.”
Mr. Hay added that over the years, the Philippines has overcome many many political and economic challenges to become one of Southeast Asia’s fastest growing economies today. And without doubt, the country’s food and beverage industry continues to be one of the biggest contributors to the Philippine economy. The country’s which is one of the Asia’s largest producers of food valued at over $29 billion or an annual growth of 10%, poses high demand for plastic packaging products.
With government actions focused on creating proactive and adaptive downstream industry that will be able to fully satisfy domestic and export markets, the demand for plastic packaging is continuously growing. But so is the awareness of the urgent need for recycling plastic waste – not only as a responsibility, but also as a business opportunity. The Philippine government aims for 40% recovery and recycling of disposable input by 2022 and plans to reach 60% goal in 2030 with its “Ener ASEA + 4 Doors” and “Global Market Capture” plans. This is expected to push demand for eco-friendly materials and advanced production solutions.
A powerhouse of technical experts
What made the Plastics Applications in Food and Beverage Packaging Summit a well-attended event was its lineup of highly experienced and well-known technical experts, from the Philippines and abroad, who discussed topics relevant to those engaged in food and beverage production and plastics packaging manufacturing.
The Summit also addressed key issues on sustainability and recycling. As the Philippines is one of the countries in Southeast Asia tagged as “worst polluters,”the Summit brought into focus the urgent need for sustainable production and recycling. Important aspects in packaging manufacturing operations were also covered such as the latest techniques in safety management, energy conservation and product protection.
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Participants agreed that the Summit is the first-of-its kind in the Philippines in terms of scope and content. As this is the first time a technical summit was held focusing on the important issues in the packaging sector, many delegates found the event and all presentations truly interesting. For more details on the event and the feedback from the speakers and
Dr. Francisco said that the Summit featured a good blend of topics - and these topics ranged from the basic to applied. “It’s focused on target companies and covered the life cycle from raw materials to finished products. I’m glad that Ringier Events brought this Summit to the Philippines because the industry needs technical summits like this and I will definitely recommend this to those in the industry.”
The sponsors also concluded that this Summit organised by Ringier Events met their expectations. “It certainly met our expectations in terms of attendance and inquiries as we hope to have more clients in this part of Southeast Asia,” Mr. Liao from Ever Polymer Co., Ltd said. Mr. Fung from LK Machinery was happy to be part of the Summit in the Philippines: “We have been supporting Ringier Events’ conferences around Asia and I would say we are glad that we had the opportunity to be in Manila where we expect more local companies to take advantage of the production solutions we offer.”
Delegates from Philippines’ leading food & beverage manufacturing and packaging sectors joined the Summit. They represented the big names in the industry - Jollibee Corporation, Universal Robina Corporation, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Petron Corporation, JG Summit Corporation, McBride Corporation, Leslie Corporation, Mccormick Philippines, Nutriasia, Bountry Fresh, San Miguel Foods, Inc., and many other well-known companies in the Philippines.
Many of the delegates found the event interesting as they cited it’s the first time they encountered such Summit with rich content. Ms. Ma. Zyra Mae Oliman from L&E International, Ltd said: “I find the conference very informative. Since it's very specific to the F&B industry, the guest speakers were well targeted in their topics, particularly in addressing issues not just on food packaging - such as its functions - but as a wholistic approach with the inclusion of topics on waste management and emerging technologies. Overall, it gives everyone an update on what's going on in the industry.”
Mr. Antonio del Rio from DOST-ITDI said that the Summit is highly informative. “The event is great and very useful specially for those involved in R&D for food and beverages to be able to enhance the quality of plastic packaging. If Ringier has other events outside the Philippines, we would be interested to join.”
Another delegate from Big E Food Corporation, Leo Sim Crisostomo Soldevilla, stated: “It was a summit with full of leaning and open opportunities for everyone. I am hoping that the event organisers will hold another event like this in the future and invite us or update us with future events.”
