Global Pouch West returns to the heart of West Coast packaging activity in the fourth year of this growing conference focused on flexible packaging in the Western states.

Packaging Strategies’ annual conference targeted to flexible packaging professionals doing business west of the Mississippi will take place from December 5-7 at the Anaheim Marriott, located next to the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. The Southern California location provides easy access for the largest concentration of packaging operations on the West Coast, as well as a sunny break for those from northern and mountain states facing an advancing winter.

Global Pouch West will provide one-and-a-half days’ worth of education throughout 14 sessions and over eight hours’ worth of networking, including an exhibition by suppliers to the flexible packaging segment. The agenda has been developed based on topics of interest as stated in surveys of attendees at previous conferences. The presentations are formulated to update packaging professionals on trends and innovations that are pertinent in the western United States.

The keynote speaker will be Nina Goodrich, executive director of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. In her presentation kicking off the conference, she will address “How Flexible Packaging Fits into the Circular Economy.”

A circular economy aims to eliminate waste throughout the product’s lifecycle, retaining as much as possible of the value of materials, energy and labor that goes into each product. Goodrich will explain how CPGs are recognizing this problem and what they can do to minimize the waste of packaging resources. At Global Pouch West, she will closely examine the advantages and disadvantages of laminated flexible packaging—and how pouches might play an improved role in our move toward a circular economy.

Conference attendees also will be updated on trends in flexible packaging with presentations from two industry stalwarts: Sal Pellingra of ProAmpac and Ciaran Little of Smithers Pira. In his engaging style, Pellingra will display examples of pouch innovations while using technology to gauge the opinions of conference participants. Meanwhile, the representative of Smithers Pira, a world-recognized market research organization, will update the audience on overarching trends. 

Other presentations include:

• Pouches’ Role in Ensuring Food Safety
• From Simmer to Boil: Artisan Broths in Pouches
• The End-of-Life Challenge for Flexible Packaging - Multilayer Films, Barrier Structures and Pouches
• The Interdependence of Standup Pouches and Shelf-Ready Packaging
• Conquering the Trail with Flexible Packaging
• Seeing Packaging Through the Consumer’s Eyes
• Zipping Child Safety in Pouch Packaging
• Passionate About Packaging: A Business Owner’s Perspective
• Novel Film Materials for Standup Pouches
• Shelf-Stable Liquid Foods and Beverages — Flexible Perspective
• Fundamentals of Ultrasonic Sealing

Global Pouch West is produced by the Packaging Strategies group, along with sister publications and media partners Flexible Packaging and Brand Packaging.