The Scientific & Technical Committee brings together professionals, industry representatives, academics and experts.
Milan, 12 October 2026 – Observing how supply chains and markets are changing, interpreting the signals they send and anticipating the transformations affecting packaging and processing. This is the objective behind the creation of IPACK-IMA’s Scientific & Technical Committee (STC), which brings together industry representatives, academics, professionals and stakeholders to provide the professional community with new perspectives on the evolution of the sector.
Building Bridges Through Dialogue
The STC brings together cross-disciplinary expertise and a diversity of experience to take IPACK-IMA well beyond the days of the exhibition itself, establishing new connections between some of the key issues reshaping industry: digitalization and AI; sustainability, materials, regulations and energy; markets and internationalization; safety, traceability and health; the relationship between technology users and manufacturers; and new business models.
A New Home for the Professional Community
The STC introduces a new way of engaging the professional community surrounding IPACK-IMA, bringing together perspectives and experiences from different sectors.
In doing so, IPACK-IMA extends beyond the boundaries of the exhibition and strengthens dialogue across supply chains over time, offering new perspectives on the changes affecting packaging, processing and materials.
IPACK-IMA’s Keywords for Innovation
This objective takes shape through the STC’s cross-disciplinary expertise and four key words: observe, interpret, connect, support.
“The STC is a think tank where we aim to encourage dialogue between worlds that are often regarded as separate: technology manufacturers and users, companies and the research community, large corporations and SMEs, as well as different industrial sectors that can share technologies, challenges and solutions,” says Chairman Luciano Sottile.
“Our real ambition for 2028 is therefore for IPACK-IMA not simply to be the place where people meet during the exhibition, but a point of reference that the professional community can turn to over time to understand how its sector is changing and help shape its evolution.”
The STC thus becomes the driving force behind a programme of activities that will accompany IPACK-IMA on its journey towards 2028: multichannel editorial content, from magazines to videos and social media, as well as institutional meetings with stakeholders and key representatives of target markets.
These activities will be complemented by dialogue with schools and universities, the involvement of young professionals and the development of events leading up to IPACK-IMA 2028, maintaining an ongoing exchange with an increasingly dynamic market.
IPACK-IMA Scientific & Technical Committee Members
The STC brings together expertise from industry, academia, research and trade associations. Its members are:
- Luciano Sottile, Chairman of the IPACK-IMA Scientific & Technical Committee
- Carlo Alberto Carnevale-Maffè, Professor of Strategy at SDA Bocconi
- Erik Ciravegna, Coordinator of the Packaging Innovation Observatory at the University of Bologna
- Alberto Palaveri, Vice President of Assografici
- Anna Paola Cavanna, President of Laminati Cavanna
- Antonio Feola, Sustainability Director at Unione Italiana Food
- Luca Baraldi, Chief Research Manager at MECS
- Marco Taisch, Professor of Digital Manufacturing at Politecnico di Milano
- Francesco Legrenzi, Director of the Italian Packaging Institute
- Gianni Squitieri, Coordinator of the Presidency Committee of the Foundation for Sustainable Development
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