1- Michel Fontaine to Josh Brooks: Can you briefly describe your role and the activities of PPW-2026?

I am co-director of Paris Packaging Week and, since this year, I have also been managing Easyfairs’ entire packaging portfolio, which includes London Packaging Week, Packaging Première Milan, Packaging Innovations & Empack, and the Pentawards.

My role is to ensure a consistent and ambitious vision for our events, while respecting their individual identities and local communities.

For Paris Packaging Week 2026, the ambition is clear. To bring together in Paris the most creative, innovative, and committed players in the packaging industry, across the beauty, premium beverages, luxury, aerosol, and design sectors. PPW is a place for meetings and business, but also for knowledge sharing, where brands, suppliers, designers, and engineers come together to exchange ideas and look ahead to the future.

2- JB to MF: Can you tell us about your role and the CNE’s responsibilities?

I have been Chairman of the National Packaging Council since 2010. The CNE was created in 1997. As Chairman, I am responsible for proposing the CNE’s roadmap in agreement with its board of directors: this roadmap is, of course, consistent with the CNE’s missions: packaging is not there by chance, it responds to various needs, whether for the product or for users/consumers; we talk about Right Packaging (neither too much, because regulations are in place, nor too little, because packaging must protect the product and consumers).

The CNE therefore offers best practice guides (ecodesign, environmental claims, etc.) as well as documents that shed light on topics such as empty space in packaging, societal changes and their impact on packaging, etc.

Thanks to the diversity of the CNE’s stakeholders, its documents and positions are consensual and understandable to all.

 3- MF to JB: What will be the highlights of the PPW 2026 Paris trade show on February 5 and 6?

The 2026 edition will be particularly symbolic, as it will mark the 25th anniversary of Paris Packaging Week. We wanted a strong program that directly addresses the current and future challenges facing the industry.

The launch of the new Refill & Reuse Zone will be one of the highlights of the show. It has been designed to present concrete and operational solutions. The conferences will focus on PPWR, approached in a very pragmatic way, with speeches by iconic figures such as Jacques Playe from L’Oréal, Vitalie Taittinger from Maison Taittinger, and Kilian Hennessy, founder of Kilian Paris, who will share their vision and feedback.

The Innovation Awards will remain a central event, with the addition of a new category dedicated to luxury. For the first time, the gala evening will also mark the official opening of the show.

Overall, PPW 2026 will be a forward-looking edition, focusing on emerging talent, new generations, and the dynamics that are driving change across the packaging industry.

4- JB to MF: What are the main objectives for the CNE in 2026?

 The CNE has established an agenda for 2026-2027, explaining through working groups:

– The decoding of the issues of consistency between the AGEC law (France) and the PPWR regulation (Europe)

– Exploring traceability issues for packaging itself (product traceability via packaging having already been achieved some time ago)

– The proposal for a Packaging Activities Barometer is also on the agenda

In addition, the CNE has long been talking about Right Packaging (an expression that has been taken up by other players), and will soon be proposing a robust definition of this concept.

The CNE is also committed to organizing events such as its CNE PACK ESSENTIEL mornings. The Concours Emballé 5.0 ceremony at your PPW trade show is also an event eagerly awaited by the profession, particularly by schools and their students: it is an important highlight for the CNE, so thank you again to PPW for hosting us.

We wish to continue our ties with the DGE because packaging activities represent a significant socio-economic weight and anything that can converge to make this ecosystem, dare I say this attractive sector, interesting is worthwhile. Following on from the Colloquium in Bercy, the CNE is considering a third colloquium in 2026 or 2027.

Finally, let’s not forget that the CNE will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2027, and there will be plenty of material to show that we can count on the CNE to promote Right Packaging.

5- MF to JB: The Emballé 5.0-2025 competition, organized by the CNE, will be held for the second time at the Paris Packaging Week trade show. Can you tell us what motivated this support?

This support is entirely natural and fully aligned with our shared vision with the CNE. Emballé 5.0 embodies exactly what we want to promote at Paris Packaging Week: inclusion, youth, and knowledge transfer.

Giving visibility to students, their projects, and their perspective on packaging is essential. They are the ones who will bring new approaches, new sensibilities, and sometimes necessary disruptions in the future.

Welcoming Emballé 5.0 to the show means offering them a professional stage, in direct contact with brands, manufacturers, and decision-makers. It also sends a strong message to the entire industry. Packaging is built with all generations and all talents.

Paris Packaging Week aims to be an open, unifying and forward-looking event. The Emballé 5.0 competition is a very concrete expression of this, and we are proud to give it a visible and legitimate place at the heart of the event.

6-  JB to MF: The Emballé 5.0 competition is celebrating its 16th anniversary. What are the competition’s ambitions for students?

The competition has been running for 16 years now, and its aim is to bring together the industrial world, which is looking for packaging technicians and engineers, and the academic world. In addition, in all modesty, it aims to showcase the talents of tomorrow by giving them a chance to take to the stage (on February 6).

Finally, it is to showcase the appeal of this sector and the wealth of diverse professions related to packaging.

This year, nine schools and their students have decided to take part in the adventure, and there is no doubt that the students’ projects will live up to the 2026 theme, namely “packaging and the senior population.”

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Paris Packaging Week 2026 on February 5 and 6

To register: https://register.visitcloud.com/survey/1cnnaz9n130xt?actioncode=403