Print effects

Seen at Packaging Première 2023

How important is sustainability? What are the finishings most requested by the market? What technological innovations are essential for continuing to be competitive? We have discussed these and other questions with a number of the companies present at Packaging Première, the Italian luxury packaging fair, in order to discover their new product developments and views on the market.

Cristina Rossi

The fifth edition of Packaging Première (by Easyfairs), held from 16 to 18 May at Fieramilanocity in conjunction with the second Italian edition of PCD Milan, recorded the record attendance of over 7,850 visitators – almost two thousand more than in 2022 - who were able to discover the latest developments of over 300 exhibitors from Italy, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Bulgaria, Finland, China and Greece.

Artificial intelligence, metaverse, sustainability in the cosmetics world and digital printing, including myths and legends to dispel, were some of the themes covered during the 18 conferences organised on the sidelines of the event that outlines the future and anticipates luxury packaging trends for the fashion, cosmetics, jewellery, fine food and wine & spirits sectors.

«We are particularly proud of this edition, which saw a high number of visitors, interested not only in the developments and trends of the sector, but also in the search for creative inspiration, confirming the leading role of the event in the Italian market», Pier Paolo Ponchia, founder and director of Packaging Première, declared.

An innovative and sustainable fair

The key themes of this edition have also been applied to the ways of obtaining information on the exhibitors and their products: by placing your smart badge close to a dedicated reader it was, in fact, possible to receive requested information via e-mail. The stand signs, usually made in Forex, the plastic material composed of PVC, were this time made of sustainable corrugated cardboard and all the paper used for invitations and catalogues was FSC-certified. The carpeting covering the corridors of the pavilion were collected together at the end of the event and taken to a logistics centre near the fair, pressed into bales and sorted to equally nearby centres for plastic processing. Finally, to reduce the use of plastic bottles during the event, the organisers - in partnership with P&P Promotion, Fontana Grafica, Carlo Gasperini and Oropress – produced water bottles in a limited edition, which could be purchased and filled at the various free water dispensers.

Testimonies of value

The beauty of imperfection
Recycled denim canvas for innovative and sustainable coverings

«The fair was an excellent showcase for our new developments again this year», explains Maria Antonietta Savino, marketing manager of Fontana Grafica, the company that for over forty years has specialised in the supply of high-quality covering materials – paper, cardboard, canvas, luxury fabrics and consumable items – for the graphic arts sector: printing, publishing, binding, paper converting, luxury packaging, displays and small leather goods.

Original visual and tactile effects
on really unique labels

During Packaging Première, Grafical, the company founded in 1984 in Marano, in the heart of Valpolicella and specialised in adhesive labels for the wine sector, issued a special edition of a newspaper titled “Press review”, with the objective of updating its numerous customers on the company’s new developments

Mock-ups and ennoblements
going beyond tradition

In 1969 man first walked on the moon and Artestampa was established, a company which is currently based in Galliate Lombardo (VA) and which stands out for its offer of products that are never standard, with regards to the entire production cycle, from the mock-up to production, in sectors ranging from the food industry to the publishing industry and mass retail.

Luxury labels resistant over time
to be purchased also online

For Auroflex, the company specialised for over fifty years in the printing of self-adhesive labels on reels, the luxury market accounts for around 80% of turnover

From Umbria to Europe
in the name of sustainability

Vimer Industrie Grafiche Italiane is a family company, present on the European market since 1973 thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of Luigi Merendelli and his family.

The future of luxury packaging

Packaging Première & PCD Milan: scheduled at Fieramilanocity from 21 to 23 May 2024.

The two Easyfairs-branded events are already projected towards the future, boosted by the success enjoyed at the 2023 edition, which saw an excellent attendance and a carefully-studied selection of exhibitors coming from all over the world. Packaging Première & PCD Milan were once more confirmed as being synonymous with state-of-the-art, where the trends of deluxe packaging for the fashion, beauty, jewellery, fine food, wine & spirits sectors are presented. In Milan, in fact, excellence is the norm: the high quality of the products proposed to the community of operators in the sector and the insights offered through the rich schedule of talks and conferences led by important experts at national and international level make the event unique of its kind. Pier Paolo Ponchia, Founder and Director di Packaging Première is convinced of this, declaring: «Packaging is fundamental in all sectors and, in particular, in the luxury and cosmetics ones: it must be attractive and up-to-date, but above all, sustainable and innovative. The community of operators finds all this at Packaging Première & PCD Milan, besides a positive context for business development».

Cristina Rossi Freelance journalist and communication expert in the field of technologies for graphic arts.

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