IPACK-IMA has created a Scientific & Technical Committee (STC) to help the processing and packaging sectors prepare for market shifts, assess emerging issues and uncover new opportunities before the 2028 exhibition.
Introduced in Milan on 12 October 2026, the committee brings together business leaders, researchers, academics and trade association representatives. Its purpose is to promote cooperation across an industry navigating rapid technological development, environmental priorities and changing food and drink regulations.
The initiative expands IPACK-IMA’s role beyond its exhibition programme by establishing a continuing forum for industry discussion and knowledge sharing. This platform will support manufacturers as they manage changing supply networks, evolving customer demands and the need to adopt new technologies.
Aligning innovation with market priorities
The STC will investigate the issues influencing capital investment and day-to-day operations across processing, packaging and materials. Its agenda will cover artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation, sustainability, energy, regulatory change, international markets, food safety, traceability and health.
Members will also consider how equipment producers work with their customers and examine the new commercial models emerging across the sector. These discussions will contribute to a broader understanding of food processing technology and its practical application.
Drawing on a range of viewpoints, the committee will explore links between challenges that are frequently addressed in isolation. This cross-sector perspective could help suppliers, food manufacturers and research organisations identify common priorities and adapt solutions developed in one field for use in another.
Four principles will shape the STC’s work: observe, interpret, connect and support. Together, they provide a framework for tracking developments, analysing food and beverage industry trends, encouraging partnerships and delivering useful information to professional audiences.
A continuous source of industry insight
IPACK-IMA wants the committee to help position the organisation as a trusted resource for the processing and packaging sectors throughout the period separating its exhibitions.
“The STC is a think tank where we aim to encourage dialogue between worlds that are often regarded as separate: technology manufacturers and users, companies and the research community, large corporations and SMEs, as well as different industrial sectors that can share technologies, challenges and solutions,” said Luciano Sottile, chairman of the committee.
“Our real ambition for 2028 is therefore for IPACK-IMA not simply to be the place where people meet during the exhibition, but a point of reference that the professional community can turn to over time to understand how its sector is changing and help shape its evolution.”
To deliver this vision, the STC will coordinate activities in the run-up to IPACK-IMA 2028. The programme is expected to include articles and other editorial material distributed through trade magazines, video channels and social media, as well as institutional meetings with stakeholders and representatives from important target markets.
Collaboration with schools and universities, participation from young professionals and events held before the exhibition will also feature in the programme. These activities will address areas including food manufacturing trends, food distribution trends and food and drink consumer trends.
The programme is designed to sustain communication between companies, academic institutions and other stakeholders. It will also help ensure that IPACK-IMA continues to reflect the priorities of a market influenced by food and drink industry innovation, food and drink sustainability, evolving food and drink packaging requirements and changing food and drink marketing strategies.
Uniting knowledge from across the sector
The committee brings together specialists with experience in corporate strategy, packaging development, manufacturing systems, sustainability and industry advocacy.
Its members are Luciano Sottile, chairman of the STC; Carlo Alberto Carnevale-Maffè, professor of strategy at SDA Bocconi; Erik Ciravegna, coordinator of the Packaging Innovation Observatory at the University of Bologna; Alberto Palaveri, vice president of Assografici; and Anna Paola Cavanna, president of Laminati Cavanna.
The group also includes Antonio Feola, sustainability director at Unione Italiana Food; Luca Baraldi, chief research manager at MECS; Marco Taisch, professor of digital manufacturing at Politecnico di Milano; Francesco Legrenzi, director of the Italian Packaging Institute; and Gianni Squitieri, coordinator of the Presidency Committee of the Foundation for Sustainable Development.
With expertise spanning research, manufacturing and market analysis, the committee aims to strengthen connections between academic knowledge, industrial application and commercial developments.
For companies operating in processing and packaging, the STC represents a wider attempt to link technological progress with the commercial, environmental and operational factors influencing investment. Its lasting impact will depend on the committee’s ability to convert open dialogue into practical guidance and actionable insight for the industry ahead of IPACK-IMA 2028.
