Alexander Baumgartner elected to lead Flexible Packaging Europe (FPE) in

During FPE’s recent summer conference in Amsterdam, Alexander Baumgartner, CEO of Constantia Flexibles, was unanimously elected to serve as chairman of the organisation. In his acceptance speech Baumgartner reaffirmed FPE’s objective to be a single authoritative voice for the industry which is dedicated to food safety, the avoidance of food waste and sustainability as a priority.

Following his election the new chairman said, “I am very honoured to have been elected to lead FPE forward in its next phase of development, especially in these defining times for the packaging sector. It is vitally important that we come together to innovate and work on all the important topics, such as recyclability, resource efficiency, sustainability, food waste and food safety. It is important that, as an industry, we speak with one voice and implement change – I am more than happy to support this very actively!”

Baumgartner takes over from Gérard Blatrix of Amcor who served two terms and made a substantial contribution to giving flexible packaging an important voice and a role within the current packaging arena. He also had a strong influence in supporting the development of the flexible packaging industry across Europe.

In a recent market analysis, conducted by Wood Mackenzie Chemicals, flexible packaging consumption in Europe grew by 2%, to reach nearly €14.5bn in 2018. Western Europe saw modest growth of 1.8% while Eastern Europe saw slightly healthier demand of 3%. However the 2018 rates in both regions were slightly down on 2017 consumption figures.