Stronger together

The 2025 Grand Tour edition saw the metal packaging industry beat travel adversities in Brussels to come together for an event filled with key insights from industry leading representatives. Alex Rivers reports.

CanTech the Grand Tour’s 2025 edition headed to Brussels, Belgium – the heart of European decision-making. Despite a general transport strike in Brussels on 31 March, all visitors who were signed up to attend this year’s show displayed true resilience and determination in finding alternative routes to the Radisson Grand Place hotel, which ensured minimal disruption to the high-quality agenda the CanTech International team had prepared.

After an afternoon of registrations, presentation rehearsals and tabletop setups on 31 March, delegates enjoyed a buffet dinner and then a good night’s rest before the conference opened on Tuesday 1 April.

Metal Packaging Europe’s (MPE) CEO, Krassimira Kazashka, was the first to take to the stage to inform our audience of the EU Green Deal and how MPE is working with decision makers to ensure fair and harmonised policies – ones that support innovation and accountability – for the whole metal packaging industry on its journey to net zero emissions by 2050, with the interim goal of a 90 per cent reduction by 2040.

Kazashka explained the key considerations of the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan, which includes the packaging and packaging waste regulation (PPWR) framework to make all packaging recyclable by 1 January 2030. “We must ensure metal packaging stays on the market,” she said, before sharing more details on the Commission’s new competitiveness agenda. This includes a Clean Industrial Deal and Steel and Metals Action Plan, both aimed at helping the industry meet the Green Deal goals.

Our event sponsor, Stolle Machinery, then took to the stage with product director for Stolle UK, Andy Raynor, informing delegates about the company’s new UK facility in Burnley, which offers 150,000 square feet of space. It has been built to “streamline Stolle’s operations under one roof,” said Raynor, adding that the site consolidates five existing facilities into one. The facility has been built with considerations in energy, ecology, waste, health and wellbeing, and will be operational by the second quarter of this year. Look out for a CanTech exclusive on this, once the official opening has taken place.

The second keynote on 1 April was from Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association (MPMA) director and chief executive, Jason Galley, who explored the UK packaging reforms landscape and discussed how disconnected thinking regarding packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) and Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) could lead to significant market distortion for metal packaging. Particularly with regard to the current (at time of publication) intended pEPR structure in the UK, Galley warned that metal packaging fees will be incorrectly valued compared to plastic or fibre-based composite materials, which could see a dangerous shift to cheaper, less sustainable options by brand owners and the like. Galley concluded his presentation with a quote from the English poet, John Donne, “no man is an island,” representing a rallying call for the industry to align on their targets and aims, with MPMA at the forefront of supporting UK metal packagers.

Our supplier keynote address came from Belvac‘s Eric Hodge, who explored the development of con sumer packaged goods (CPG) and what the metal packaging industry must keep track of to remain competitive in a heavily populated global packaging market. Advice from Hodge included increasing the amount of post-consumer recycled (PCR) content in aluminium cans and bottles, advancing the offering for packaging personalisation options, as well as maintaining a steady and transparent trajectory in decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.

Quality inspection was also a major topic at this year’s conference. Beth Graves, president of US-headquarted Prime Controls, highlighted the significance of quality control on production lines by asking audience members to vote – via a QR code in her presentation – on how crucial inspection was in their plants. Just over 90 per cent of those who answered, voted that quality inspection was a ‘very important metric within my plant.’ As Antares Vision Group’s Kevin Johnsen contributed, inspection “protects your brand” and isn’t something to compromise on. Torus sales manager for metal packaging at Industrial Physics, Darren Hawkings, also covered the importance of remote troubleshooting, which Torus conducts to keep a virtual track on production lines.

Other topics from our speakers included an entertaining history of the easy open end (EOE) from SLAC’s director, Richard Moore, who high lighted some market trends across five continents. Moore detailed that EOE dominate the pet food market, with 94 per cent of packages using EOE, and that North America has the lowest share across all five continents, representing 53 per cent.

Filtration technology was the topic covered by Solventum’s Oliver Rudman, who explained that lowering the surfactants in coolant oils used in can making machinery is a solution that requires a high quality of filtration, which Solventum offers with its High-Flow filters and cartridges. Rudman provided two visuals to represent the company’s “better and best scenario” for the High-Flow system installed on a bodymaker line.

Our last keynote on the morning of Wednesday 2 April was Steel for Packaging Europe‘s president, Richard Lézé, who shared his company’s work on bringing to government and decision makers’ attention the value of steel, which has been “a known success story” as a packaging option for over 200 years, he noted. Lézé explained how EU legislation such as PPWR is recognising recyclable and recycled materials, and how innovations such as the chromium free passivation alternative (CFPA) have helped make steel a more sustainable packaging choice.

The steel conversation then continued with Joris Essing, marketing manager for packaging at Tata Steel, explaining how “polymer-coated steel can save headaches about future regulations for can makers,” familiarising the audience with the company’s Protact solution. The core of the product is made up of the three pillars of sustainability, efficiency and performance, Essing said, and combined with TCCT (trivalent chromium coating technology), offers an attractive option as the “steel packaging of the future.”

The 2025 Grand Tour conference concluded with Richard Lézé joining Jason Galley, Ball Corporation‘s sustainability director, Predrag Ozmo, and Ardagh Metal Packaging‘s sales account specialist for Iberia, Javier Rico, for the panel event moderated by myself and regular CanTech contributor and freelance journalist at Cape Decision, Dominique Huret.

A lively discussion was had about how the industry, across both aluminium and steel supply chains, can work together on a shared vision for true circularity in the future. Lézé explained the need for continued, consistent messaging about the circularity of steel and its usefulness in providing a nutritious, shelf-stable source of food packaging. We also discussed the complexities involved in communicating with consumers, as well as the benefits of brands collaborating with influencers on social media.

Diving into can maker sustainability targets, Ozmo shared further details on Ball’s work with Beiersdorf to achieve the 100 per cent recycled content for its award-winning Nivea aerosol can, as well as updating the audience on the company’s journey toward net zero between 2040 to 2050 with its Climate Transition Plan.

Speaking about preparing the next generation of can makers, Rico shared his company’s Ardagh for Education programme, which aims to give students the tools they need to carve out careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths). Rico stated that to date, Ardagh has invested in 675 schools and “we expect to invest in more than 2,500 schools over a ten-year period,” he said. He also stated that teachers in the programme are equipped with in-depth training and resources, with access to continuous support and professional development.

Galley was then asked about the MPMA’s sponsorship of the Starpack Students Competition, which, he explained, aims to challenge students aged 18 and over to design solutions to packaging problems and win recognition for their efforts. This year’s metal packaging brief is based around a biscuit tin design, with an emphasis on visual appeal for high end stores specialising in quality foods, giftware and souvenir packs, said Galley. The panel then ended on a high note with each panellist detailing their hopes for the future of metal packaging.

The panel theme of collaboration and shared visions was echoed in the Grand Tour 2025 networking opportunities offered by the dinners across the two event evenings (31 March and 1 April) but more importantly the exhibition hours, where suppliers and can makers came together across two tabletop rooms to share ideas and generate business leads. There will have been some exciting conversations had, so watch this space.

I’d like to reiterate a huge thank you to everyone involved in this year’s conference, including the staff at the Radisson Grand Place hotel in Brussels, the AV team, and our wonderful CanTech events team. Congratulations also to our can maker award winners – you can find details of these on the opposite page.