With a record attendance of more than 160 industry experts, the EUROSAC Congress 2026 took place in Bordeaux, France, from 28–30 May. Under the theme “Turning regulation into opportunities”, participants explored how evolving legislation, sustainability requirements and circular economy initiatives can become drivers of innovation, competitiveness and business growth.
One of the congress highlights was the EUROSAC Grand Prix Award ceremony, showcasing some of the industry’s most innovative paper-based packaging solutions. Gascogne claimed the Gold Award for SingleLip Paper, while Billerud secured Silver for QuickFill® Plus Xcel. The Bronze Award was presented to dy-pack for handy², and Mondi won the Industry Special Award for Ad/Vantage StretchWrap. The audience’s favourite was DosePack, another Gascogne innovation, which received the Public Choice Award.
“Regulatory, economic and geopolitical developments are creating unprecedented complexity for our industry,” said EUROSAC President Alessandro Selmin at the opening. “In this rapidly changing environment, EUROSAC is the place to be. By connecting industry leaders, sharing knowledge and engaging on key issues at the European level, we help to transform challenges into opportunities. The growing participation in our congress and the increasing membership of our association give us every reason to be confident about the future.” During the congress, Alessandro Selmin was re-elected President of EUROSAC for another two-year term.
Positive market development continues
The European paper sack market maintained its positive momentum in 2025, with deliveries increasing by 2.7% to reach 5.69 billion units. Growth was primarily driven by building materials (excluding cement) at +2.2%, food products at +5.4% and milk powder at +6.3%. Italy remained the largest market, followed by Germany and Turkey. The first quarter of 2026, however, presented a mixed picture, with overall deliveries declining by 1.4%. Despite this, the building materials segment continued to grow, while milk powder recorded strong increases across all markets, underlining the resilience of these sectors in a challenging economic environment. A similar trend can be observed in the United States, where domestic paper sack shipments grew by 2.2% in 2025, followed by a decline of 3.6% in the first quarter of 2026.
Navigating the regulatory landscape
The congress theme was reflected in discussions on Europe’s evolving regulatory framework. Roberta Colotta from Flexible Packaging Europe highlighted how the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is accelerating the transition towards a more circular economy and creating new opportunities for sustainable packaging solutions. Her conclusion: paper sacks are already on a good path to deliver many of the characteristics that the regulation seeks to promote, including recyclability, and the efficient use of resources. While Colotta focused on regulatory developments, Bernard Lombard from CEPI broadened the perspective with insights into the geopolitical and trade developments shaping Europe’s pulp and paper value chain. In an increasingly complex global environment with significantly shifting trade flows, he stressed the importance of maintaining a competitive and resilient European industry in a context of fair competition.
Supporting the industry’s sustainability journey
Participants also received updates on a range of collaborative initiatives supporting the industry’s sustainability ambitions, including the latest LCI and carbon footprint study, the industry’s net-zero pathway, the Construction Goes Circular recycling initiative as well as a new carbon footprint calculator. The transition towards a circular economy was further explored by Arne Jost from CEFLEX, who discussed ways to accelerate the transition towards more circular flexible packaging solutions. His key takeaway: circularity starts with design. Combined with advances in recycling technologies and demand for recycled content, sustainable packaging design must continue to gather pace as a cornerstone of the circular economy.
Creating impact with communication
In her particularly lively presentation, communication expert Andrea Vilallonga highlighted that successful communication in business depends not only on what is said, but also on how messages are conveyed and perceived. In times of transformation and increasing stakeholder expectations, effective communication plays a vital role in building trust, driving change and turning ideas into action.
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EUROSAC is the European Federation of Multiwall Paper Sack Manufacturers. The federation represents over 80% of European paper sack manufacturers. Its members operate in 20 countries. They produce some 5 billion paper sacks per year, representing 630,000 tonnes of paper converted in 55 plants. Sack manufacturers from all continents and bag manufacturers also contribute to the federation as corresponding members, and more than 30 suppliers (paper, film, machine or glue manufacturers) are registered as associate members.
CEPI Eurokraft is the European Association for Producers of Sack Kraft Paper for the Paper Sack Industry and Kraft Paper for the Packaging Industry. It has ten member companies representing a volume of 3 Mt of paper produced in eleven countries.