This event aims to aid packaging and food manufacturers in preparing for changing customer, consumer and legal demands. Organised jointly by CAFRE and Invest NI, a selection of industry experts will outline changing consumer and retailer demands, an update on Plastics Pact 2025 and advise on how firms can prepare in an ever changing market. Real world case studies will demonstrate how to overcome innovation barriers and how supply chain collaboration can be successfully delivered.

The keynote speaker will be Kevin Vyse, Head of Technical for RAP, previously a Senior Packaging Technologist at Marks & Spencer, where for six years he was responsible for fresh food packaging innovation, governance, and strategic implementation. Kevin's career has spanned three decades in packaging design and development. He has worked for many of the best known brands in the UK and Europe as well as for manufacturers and retailers. He also wrote the Plastic Packaging Strategy for Plan A - an initiative by Marks & Spencer that called for plastic to become a circular industrial resource, rather than exportable waste or environmental pollution. As well as being on the board of the On-Pack Recycling Label - a non-profit UK-wide recycling scheme that helps consumers recycle more material correctly and more often, Kevin has also contributed to numerous advisory boards and committees on packaging. He is also a member of the UK government's Advisory Committee on Packaging.

* Please note the programme will follow when fully confirmed.