Chesapeake: Exclusive Interview
22 July 2011
Interview with Carol Hammond, Head of R&D at Chesapeake, speaker at the Smithers Pira Packaging Summit 2011
You have worked within the packaging sector for 20 years and during this time you must have seen many changes within the business, what in your opinion has been the most significant change?
Packaging specifications have advanced significantly in recent years. The key changes have been the advent of new materials, material minimisation and compositional development for functional applications such as direct food contact. The application of technology to convey information to the consumer continues to develop and an area to watch.
What do you think is currently the biggest challenge facing businesses in the paperboard packaging market?
Paperboard is one of the most sustainable and renewable packaging materials. In order to optimise this advantage and expand its application, it is imperative that advances are made to increase its functionality as a primary packaging material.
Your presentation at the conference is focused on smart packaging, why is this an area that Chesapeake are investing in?
Recent years have seen an exponential growth in the use of communications technology. If this can be effectively linked to packaging it can help convey information and interact with the consumer to generate further interest in a product.
What has been the most successful application of smart packaging that you have been involved with so far?
It is still very early days for smart packaging but we believe it has potential to enhance consumer experience and aid the use of many products.
The Packaging Summit is focused on understanding what the future holds for packaging; as an important player in the industry, how do you view the future of packaging?
Packaging is part of the overall solution to supply products to the consumer - as a packaging producer it is important that we apply new technologies that will optimise the consumer offering responsibly and cost effectively
Hear from Carol at this year's Packaging Summit, 3 & 4 October 2011, Antibes, Nice, France. The agenda has now been released, click here to see who's speaking and what's on the agenda.
>> View agenda
>> See who's speaking