Moving closer to CanTech The Grand Tour
Image: APEAL graphic
We are just over three months away from our CanTech the Grand Tour event in Warsaw, Poland from 14-16 March and we are pleased to announce two more keynote speakers at the event.
They are from APEAL, the Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging.
Viliam Gaspar is president at APEAL and also director of customer technical service at U.S. Steel Košice in Slovakia. He has more than 25 years of experience in research & development, customer technical service and product innovation at U.S. Steel. He holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh alongside a PhD and a master’s degree in metallurgy of metals from the Technical University of Košice.
Alexis Van Maercke is secretary general at APEAL. Before joining the association, he was policy officer at the European Commission, directorate general internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs. He holds a master’s degree in law from the University of Leuven in Belgium as well as a master’s in European interdisciplinary studies from the College of Europe in Warsaw, Poland.
Sustainable tinplate production for the European Green Deal
Using examples from the recently released report ‘Why steel recycles forever’, APEAL will demonstrate its commitment to a range of initiatives and good practices from across Europe to advance circularity and increase recycling, while also providing concrete input to the EU institutions for legislation on various policies that positively contribute to a greener future for all of Europe.
In 2019 the European Commission announced the European Green Deal, incorporating initiatives such as the European Climate Law, Circular Economy Action Plan, the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, the Farm to Fork Strategy, amongst others. This represents huge regulatory challenges and opportunities for the European Steel for Packaging sector.
Materials must be able to demonstrate true circularity, giving steel – a circular material by its very nature – a key role to play in helping Europe transition from a linear to a more circular economy.
In order to address these challenges head-on, APEAL and its members have been actively moving forward in a range of topics related to sustainable production; from the promotion of recycling to the vision of zero steel for packaging to landfill, as well as the cooperative development of a chromium-free passivation alternative (CFPA) for electrolytic tinplate.
We are delighted that APEAL will be taking to the stage as well as CarnaudMetalbox Engineering who we previously announced has secured a place as both speaker and exhibitor at the conference.
If you would like to get involved in the event as an exhibitor and/or keynote speaker, get in touch with conference director Neil McRitchie at: [email protected].
Also, look out for the December/January issue of CanTech International in which there will be a Poland focus feature dedicated to the can makers and metal packaging industry in the country.
- Jill Sayles, CanTech International editor.
Keep in touch via email: [email protected] Twitter: @CanTechIntl or LinkedIn: CanTech International magazine
