That's a Wrap: Highlights from the 2026 American Packaging Summit

First Impressions, Unboxed

The American Packaging Summit returned to Chicago in May for two days of fresh ideas, meaningful connections, and standout conversations across the packaging industry. Bringing together leaders from food and beverage, CPG, cosmetics, pharma, retail, and more - this year’s summit delivered a program focused on the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the future of packaging.

From reducing environmental footprints to thinking outside the box on consumer engagement, the conversations highlighted how packaging continues to play a critical role in design, sustainability, product performance, and brand impact.

Helping to facilitate the discussions on-site this year were our summit emcees. This included Oliver Campbell, Director, Distinguished Engineer, Product Development Engineering and Packaging Engineering at Dell, Paula Steenstra, Director, Visual Identity at McDonald's and Kevin Brong, VP, Packaging Engineering at Newell Brands.

Join us as we unpack the key moments, standout speakers, and memorable connections from this year’s American Packaging Summit.

Day 1 Highlights

The morning opened with Paula Steenstra, Director, Visual Identity, and Katie Theophilus, Manager, Global Brand Strategy at McDonald’s, who explored how the brand aligns packaging, design, and branding across more than 100 markets. Their session highlighted how global design standards, regional creativity, and cross-functional collaboration can turn packaging into a consistent yet locally relevant brand experience.

Next, Oliver Campbell, Director, Distinguished Engineer, Product Development Engineering and Packaging Engineering at Dell Technologies, presented a plenary titled "From better boxes to better decisions: The AI shift in packaging". He discussed how leaders can work to integrate AI while maintaining the standards of traditional packaging methods.

Rounding out the opening sessions, Tony Neary, Chief Creative Officer, and Gumaro Gonzales, Executive Director, Data & Production Technology at Olberding Brand Family, shared how stronger systems can help make AI work from concept to consumer. Their session emphasized that clean data, governance, operational discipline, and human oversight are essential to turning AI potential into real business outcomes.

Following the first few sessions of the morning, we had our first round of refreshments, networking and 1-2-1 meetings which was filled with rich discussions and plenty of new connections.

We then moved into our first set of breakout sessions. In Room 1, Jeff Bezzo, Executive Director, Plastics Sustainability PMO at SC Johnson, led a fireside chat on navigating EPR compliance and risk in a rapidly evolving sustainability policy landscape. His session explored how shifting regulations, carbon metrics, lifecycle analysis, and ESG governance are shaping sustainable packaging strategies and long-term risk planning.

Across the hall in Room 2, Aidee Rodriguez, Senior Director, Brand XP Design at The Coca-Cola Company, shared how strategic leadership and organizational agility can help scale design excellence across global, regional, and local markets. Her session highlighted the importance of creative continuity, cross-functional collaboration, and consumer-focused brand experiences that resonate at scale.

Finally in Room 3, Taylor Clow, Senior Packaging Designer at Microsoft, explored how packaging design can move from vision to reality through innovation. The session touched on sustainable and circular packaging, memorable unboxing experiences, and the balance between creative strategy, operational needs, and manufacturing realities.

During the workshop sessions, Pablo Garcia, Manager, Market Development, and Ryan Slopek, Manager, Innovation Marketing at Kuraray, explored sustainable barrier packaging solutions designed to protect more while wasting less. Concurrently, Jessie Zettler, Executive Creative Director, and Jon Shapiro, Chief Creative Officer at WovenWorks, shared how semiotics can strengthen packaging design by turning cultural signals, color, typography, and form into more meaningful brand tools. We also had Jarno Weemers, Ph.D., Senior Application Development Scientist at Synthomer, examined how plastic additives can support lightweighting, processability, circularity, and improved performance across rigid and flexible packaging.

Attendees then continued the conversation through Lunch & Learn roundtables led by ALPLA Group, Oliver Inc., Ampacet, Ranpak, Plastic Ingenuity, Hoffer Plastics Corporation, Premier Packaging, and Metsä Board Americas.

As attendees returned from lunch, the afternoon agenda delivered another full package of insights across sustainability, materials, design, and technology.

In Room 1, Miguel Arevalo, Head, Packaging Sustainability and Innovation, and Sharad Kumar, Senior Manager, Global Supply Chain Management-Packaging at Google, explored the journey toward plastic-free materials and fully recyclable packaging solutions. Their session highlighted how material innovation, circular systems, supply chain optimization, and industry collaboration can reduce waste while supporting both sustainability and brand value.

In Room 2, Bridget Grewal, Director, Packaging Continuous Improvement at Magna, shared how smarter returnable and sensor-enabled packaging systems can help balance sustainability, visibility, and operational performance. Her session focused on the role of RFID, BLE, LPWA tracking, real-time data, and cross-industry standards in reducing loss, waste, and environmental impact.

In Room 3, Anu Piduru, Senior Director, Sustainability at Carter’s, discussed how circular economy principles and ESG leadership are advancing sustainable packaging in retail. She highlighted how material innovation, supplier engagement, landfill diversion, and closed-loop solutions can help align packaging strategy with broader corporate sustainability goals.

To kickoff the afternoon workshops, Tony Dzikowicz, Chief Sales Officer, and Erica Hartmann, Manager, Marketing at Plastic Technologies Inc., explored how plastic packaging can be reimagined for sustainable performance through lifecycle-informed design, prototyping, testing, and commercialization.

James McMonigal, PreSales Solution Consultant at Esko, shared how AI-assisted artwork processes can improve operational efficiency, streamline compliance, and reduce risks across global packaging workflows.

To end off, Luigi Marinoni, Manager, Key Account and OEM Sales, North America at Markem-Imaje, discussed how compliant barcode systems and Digital Link technology can strengthen traceability, transparency, and retail readiness.

After the afternoon workshops, attendees reconnected through happy hour and networking - continuing the conversations sparked throughout the day.

Nathan Pajka, Manager, Sustainability at Metsä Board Americas, then took the stage for a plenary on the future of fiber-based packaging. His session explored how non-plastic barrier solutions, regulatory momentum, environmental data, and evolving consumer expectations are shaping more sustainable, brand-building packaging strategies.

The day’s final panel brought together:

Sergio Gedanke, Associate Director, Design & Innovation at Church & Dwight
Tim Morton, Director, Global Design at Husqvarna Group
Ratisha Bolin, Director, Procurement at Sara Lee Frozen Bakery
Grace Engels, Director, Design Transformation at Newell Brands
Anu Piduru, Senior Director, Sustainability at Carter’s
Olivia Burca, Design Innovation Manager, Whitespace at PepsiCo

Together, they explored how packaging leaders can scale innovation by aligning strategy, execution, cross-functional teams, digital tools, and evolving consumer expectations.

Attendees then headed into the networking drinks reception, closing out the day with new connections, fresh insights, and plenty to discuss.

Day 2 Highlights

The second day of the summit opened with strong energy and excitement!

The day began with a Networking Breakfast and Empower Hour, featuring a powerful Women in Leadership Panel:

Ashley Stevens, Head, Design @ Kenvue
Kassie Parsons, Director, Design and Production, Food and Beverage @ J.M. Smucker Co.
Paula Steenstra, Director, Visual Identity @ McDonald's
Jill Gaynor, CEO @ Premier Packaging
Grace Engels, Director, Design Transformation @ Newell Brands
Aidee Rodriguez, Senior Director, Brand XP Design @ The Coca-Cola Company

The morning officially kicked off with Kevin Brong, VP, Packaging Engineering at Newell Brands, who shared how AI is moving from industry buzzword to practical tool in packaging development. His keynote explored how AI can accelerate ideation, strengthen concept storytelling, pressure-test designs earlier, and expand engineering capacity while maintaining technical rigor and accountability.

Next, Ashley Stevens, Head of Design at Kenvue, joined Candace Solola, Partner and Creative Director at SO DSGN, for a conversation on building integrated identity systems across complex consumer health portfolios. The discussion highlighted how cohesive design systems, strong governance, and unified brand language can support global consistency while preserving the distinct identity of iconic brands.

The final plenary session of the morning featured Mercedes Landazuri, Manager, Market Insight at Ampacet Corporation, who shared strategies for creating consistent and impactful color in plastics.

We then had our final round of networking and 1-2-1 meetings, giving attendees time to continue conversations and build new connections.

The late morning program continued with focused workshops across circularity, custom packaging, automation, sustainability, and load stability.

In Room 1, Morgan Heeke, Team Lead, Application Development at ExxonMobil, and Scott Schnell, Manager, Circular Products Market Development at ExxonMobil, explored how Exxtend™ Technology and performance polymers are supporting scalable circular economy solutions. Then, Nicholas Blake, SVP and President, Operations at Oliver Inc, and Anna Brown, Senior Director, Design, Technology, and Sustainability at Oliver Inc, discussed how precision packaging and custom print innovation can elevate brand impact while supporting sustainability, compliance, and fulfillment needs. In Room 3, Scott Spence, Senior Manager, National Account Automation at Ranpak, and Jeff Richman, Manager, Enterprise Sales at Ranpak, highlighted how paper-based packaging and intelligent automation can improve sustainability, throughput, and operational efficiency.

The next round of breakout sessions brought attendees into deeper conversations across sustainability, design, and innovation. Tim Backe, Packaging Engineer at Reynolds Consumer Products, joined a fireside chat on lightweighting strategies across carton, film, and corrugated packaging, exploring how material reduction can lower carbon impact, EPR fees, transportation emissions, and overall packaging waste.

Christy Broussard, Senior Manager, Global Sysco Brand Packaging Design at Sysco, led a fireside chat on future-ready packaging and the intersection of creative design, innovation, and performance. Her session explored how packaging design can support brand goals, circularity, compliance, supply chain performance, and customer experience across complex global markets.

Sergio Gedanke, Associate Director, Design and Innovation at Church & Dwight, shared how front-end design workflows can transform packaging design and engineering. His session focused on translating consumer insights into physical packaging, prototyping advanced structures, designing for manufacturability, and accelerating speed-to-market.

The workshop program then continued with David Ferris, Manager, Strategic Accounts at CGP Expal Inc, who shared practical strategies for improving load stability while reducing environmental impact. Next door, Zach Muscato, Director, Sustainability and Innovation at Plastic Ingenuity, examined how packaging converters can help brand owners drive meaningful environmental impact through material selection, circular design, lifecycle assessment, and scalable sustainability roadmaps.

We then hosted our Day 2 Lunch & Learn Roundtable Discussions, giving attendees the opportunity to join focused conversations with peers and industry leaders. Participating companies included Husqvarna Group, Sysco, PepsiCo, Maria Nila, Reynolds Consumer Products, Dell, Newell Brands, J.M. Smucker Co., Google, Niagara Bottling, and Molson Coors Beverage Company.

The afternoon continued with Liz Jacobsen, Global Director, Technical Sustainability, Health & Wellness Platform at Mars, who explored how sustainable packaging can unlock long-term business value while advancing circular innovation at scale. Her fireside chat focused on balancing investment and risk, overcoming internal barriers, scaling alternative materials, and aligning packaging innovation with consumer expectations, regulation, and brand trust.

The final panel brought together leaders for a discussion on turning environmental goals into practical, scalable packaging solutions:

Liz Jacobsen, Global Director, Technical Sustainability, Health & Wellness Platform @ Mars
Sridevi Narayan-Sarathy, Technical Director, Sustainable Packaging and R&D Senior Fellow @ PepsiCo
John Perkins, Director, Engineering, Amazon Robotic Delivery and Packaging Innovation @ Amazon
Jessica Black, Director, Sales @ JBM Packaging
Kathy Cochran, Senior Director, Packaging @ GNC
Jessica Weninger, Director, Sustainability @ Reynolds Consumer Products

Together, they discussed how organizations can drive progress through cross-value-chain collaboration, scalable material recovery, reuse, recyclability, and resilient long-term sustainability strategies.

The event concluded with the Chair’s Closing Remarks and Survey Prize Giveaways, celebrating wins from the past 2 days and bringing the summit to a strong close.

Signed, Sealed and Delivered!

The 2026 American Packaging Summit brought together leaders across packaging, design, materials, sustainability, branding, and technology for two days of practical insight and meaningful connection. From circular materials and AI-driven innovation to brand impact, operational efficiency, and consumer-led design, the summit highlighted the strategies shaping the future of packaging.

Thank you to all of our speakers, sponsors, partners, and attendees for contributing to such a valuable event. Be sure to secure your spot for next year’s summit and continue the conversation with the packaging community at uspacksummit.com.

Testimonials

“Great networking conversations. Well designed blend of brand owners and solution providers.”

- Kevin Brong, VP Packaging @ Newell Brands

“I would rate my overall conference experience very highly. The content was both relevant and thoughtfully curated, providing practical insights that were directly applicable to my work. The agenda was exceptionally well managed, with sessions flowing smoothly and time used efficiently. The organization allowed for meaningful engagement without feeling rushed, making Day 1 both productive and enjoyable.”

- Kathryn Cochran, Sr Director Packaging Production @ GNC

“Very engaging. I gained more knowledge about various topics, especially AI. The format of the conference allowed for great discussions and collaboration with vendors and attendees”

- Aaron Fitchko, Director of Packaging @ Johnsonville

“Outstanding event and outstanding service. The Generis team took the time to understand our objectives and built a meeting schedule that matched them precisely. Their white-glove approach is the real differentiator — every interaction felt considered and well-coordinated.”

- Minh Khoa Tran, Business Development Director @ Plascene

“Overall organization was excellent, both the location, and the organizers were on top of every detail. Thank you for that! It was refreshing to hear from many companies across industries in challenges and solutions”

- Miguel Arevalo, Head of Packaging Innovation @ Google

“A targeted, qualified, new age approach to what trade shows should be. Our interactions were quality time spent with engaging attendees.”

- Katie Harrington, Head of Marketing @ Winpak

“Exceeded expectations! Each connection and presentation brought relevant, practical, and inspiring information that will help with our current and future innovation projects.”

- Tommy Houseman, Packaging Development Manager, Barr Brands

“Pleasantly surprised with the intimate setting that allows a more direct one on one clear conversation with less interruption compared to larger trade shows.”

- Anthony Decorato, Sales Manager North America @ CGP Expal Inc.

Learn more about our upcoming 2026 North American events, and secure your spot today:

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That's a Wrap: Highlights from the 2026 American Packaging Summit

Table of Contents

Day 1 Highlights

Day 2 Highlights

Signed, Sealed and Delivered!

Testimonials

Rihana Alladina Rihana is a Digital Marketing Specialist at Generis Group.