Article NVC in Packaging Europe March 2015

Helping member companies in finding their way out of the Google maze in packaging is one of the key activities of the NVC . Each month, they receive a members-only overview of the packaging developments world-

NVC – sharing information, education and innovation

wide and at any moment they can contact the NVC association staff for guidance and assistance.

NVC (Netherlands Packaging Centre) was founded in 1953 as an association of companies addressing the activity of packaging throughout the supply chain of packaged products. Elisabeth Skoda spoke to Michael Nieuwesteeg, the association’s managing director, to find out more about the benefits a membership offers (like participating in NVC’s innovation projects, information services and education programme), and also attended his lecture at Salon Emballage on 19 November 2014 in Paris.

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This trophy with a solid gold walnut inside is the symbol of De Gouden Noot, the world’s most competitive packaging innovation competition (www.degoudennoot.com) .

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ne of NVC’s core aims is to stimulate the continuous improvement of packaging. NVC members include retailers, manufacturers of packaged products, design agencies, suppliers of packaging and related services in areas such as print and software, suppliers of packaging machinery and test institutes. “More than 550 companies have joined the NVC and share the future in packaging in this way. Membership is subject to a Code of Conduct which ensures proper behaviour and adequate openness of each member-company to the others,” Mr Nieuwesteeg explains. He cites the DHL Global Connectedness Index 2014 describing the Netherlands as the “world’s most open economy. As a result, NVC’s activities are bi-lingual (Dutch and English) and no difference of membership exists between ‘foreign’ and ‘Dutch’ companies.”

Varied functions

Packaging innovations for e-commerce like this one by Rollor Express are addressed in the NVC Innovation Project Web Retail Packaging, driven by an international NVC working group which includes the premier global retailers and suppliers.

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NVC works on four main themes, as Mr Nieuwesteeg explains. Firstly, it provides reliable and up-to-date information on global packaging developments and assists the members in finding the right answers to their problems. “NVC offers an information service, offering reliable information, consistency and confidentiality when required. Members can access this information service free of charge as part of their membership,” Mr Nieuwesteeg points out. Its second task is the provision of adequate education and training in the field of packaging, be it in the classroom, online or within a company.

“We support the NVC Chair Packaging Design and Management at Twente University in Enschede, which is very close to the German-Dutch border, for regular students aged 18–23. Furthermore, we successfully offer the European NVC Course Programmes in Packaging I and II for middle management (I) and higher management (II), addressing employees in companies throughout Europe. Eight nationalities have been enrolled in the NVC Course Programmes in Packaging I and II already (German, British, Spanish, Polish, Turkish, Belgian, Dutch and Greek),” Mr Nieuwesteeg adds. Globally accessible online courses and webinars are also available, with live tutor, full interaction and internet-based access via the in-house developed NVC blended learning environment. A third important theme is innovation, in the form of projects including pharmaceutical packaging, leakage detection, web retail packaging and the innovation competition De Gouden Noot. With the De Gouden Noot award, the NVC stimulates innovation of packaging and packaged products. It can be won by retailers, producers of packaged products, design agencies or packaging suppliers, who can also enter the competition jointly, since working closely together is essential for most packaging innovations. The unique trophy with a solid golden walnut is the symbol of the contest. As it is the world’s most competitive packaging innovation contest, only one winner takes home the trophy. De Gouden Noot 2014 was won by Dampack International with its BeeMagicTray. The Silver (‘Zilveren Noot’) went to Ecobliss with the Locked4Kids.

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Single material meat packaging innovation BeeMagic-

Happy faces at the annual graduation ceremony of the NVC Course Programme in Packaging,

Tray, winner of the 2014-edition of packaging innovation

attracting business students from all over Europe who want to accelerate their career and

competition De Gouden Noot.

boost the competitiveness of the companies they work for.

The NVC online courses, workshops and webinars allow global access and full interactivity, based on live tutors who are supported during the lessons by highly skilled e-course technical support assistants.

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The Bronze (“Bronzen Noot”) was for Ardagh Group and Plato product consultants with their SpRing Latch. “This way NVC members from the entire supply and recycle chain of packaged products inspire each other by sharing knowledge and using this knowledge to innovate, resulting in more insights and better packaging,” Mr. Nieuwesteeg is happy to report. Finally, NVC supports market development by supporting trade journals, exhibitions and providing elegant and transparent communication between packaging demand and supply via the online bi-lingual Buyer’s Guide.

Lectures and events As part of its aim to educate and inform about packaging, NVC regularly holds talks and lectures at a wide range of events. On Wednesday 19 November, NVC delivered a lecture at the international packaging exhibition Emballage in Paris together with Comexposium, about the cooperation in packaging between France and other European countries: ‘Why Europe needs France – and France needs Europe – in packaging’. In his lecture, Mr Nieuwesteeg elaborated on the synergies between France and the whole of Europe, addressing the current situation and probing into the future of packaging from a French-European and European-French perspective. “Packaging is temporarily integrating an external function and a product to enable the use of the product. France plays an important role in packaging based on its position in a range of important sectors of product manufacturing, logistics, retailing and packaging manufacturing. Even more importantly, France is globally known for its cultural heritage and associated views on design and quality,” Mr Nieuwesteeg pointed out in his lecture.

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“Recent powerful adverts, for example the Eiffel tower drinking Perrier mineral water, and the Bleu de Chanel campaign, showcase French creativity, which the whole of Europe can benefit from.” He went on to elaborate that the EU’s GDP only makes up 23.7 per cent of the entire world’s GDP, and France’s GDP is only 15.6 per cent of Europe’s GDP, so cooperation and specialisation on a European scale is necessary in order to stay competitive. “France can learn and benefit from Europe in different ways – harmonised legislation and markets, internationalisation, instant information and communication and the cooperation of different cultures as drivers for competitiveness.” European regulations mean that food safety, environmental questions, labelling, transport and consumer questions are all decided on a European basis. The internet and social media have made the world a smaller place. “We are all in the same aquarium. Anything that happens in France can be broadcast to the world instantaneously, therefore is happening in the world as well – and vice versa,” he added. In his talk, Mr Nieuwesteeg noted that so far unfortunately there have been no French business students in the NVC European graduate programme and that they are also missing from other European institutions, such as the international NVC working group for web retail packaging , and invited France to play a more active role in Europe. He finished off with a Dutch saying, illustrating the risks of being too much self-focused in packaging: “If you are not at the table, you might be on the menu.” Visit: www.en.nvc.nl

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