For the 2026 edition, 12 roundtables will be held in the conference area dedicated to packaging.
Discover the first topics on the agenda as well as the confirmed speakers.
Léko will host a roundtable bringing together several stakeholders committed to reuse in order to share perspectives and explore their visions for the development of the sector. Through their experiences and feedback, they will highlight the importance of building on existing initiatives to accelerate and structure the growth of reuse.
This discussion will also be an opportunity to look back at the “En Route pour le Réemploi!” initiative led by Léko, present an initial assessment, and open the conversation on the key challenges involved in sustaining and scaling the reuse sector.
Introduction to the Buddie-Pack project and its relevance for EU circular economy and packaging policies
In many sectors, reusable crates are increasingly becoming essential to scaling reuse systems. However, their deployment requires several key conditions to be met: traceability, standardization, and the involvement of the entire value chain.
Using the concrete example of reusable crates, this session will explore the levers needed to structure and accelerate the development of reuse across all sectors.
This panel discussion will explore the key challenges related to the collection, sorting, and recovery of professional packaging. The objective is to examine the methods and levers that help ensure reliable flows, secure material streams, and promote recycling and reuse, while complying with environmental standards.
The viability of reuse cannot be achieved in isolation: it is built at every link in the value chain, from the packaging manufacturer to the reverse logistics loop. Brought together around Pierre Malbranque (REUTEC) and Anne-Laure Daniel (RE-ZIP), five complementary stakeholders share their concrete roles, constraints, and perspectives to better understand what enables or hinders scaling up.
Residues, disrupted washing cycles, and high rejection rates: in reuse systems, labels still too often represent a point of industrial friction.
Yet when properly designed, they can become a powerful lever for performance.
How can water-soluble and eco-designed label solutions improve washing cycle efficiency, reduce losses, and ensure consistent quality? How can the entire value chain align to establish standards suited to a rapidly accelerating market?
Through industry insights and shared experiences, this roundtable explores how to transform a critical bottleneck into a sustainable competitive advantage.
Dive into the aisles of Carrefour stores through the reuse projects presented by Carrefour’s partners, from primary packaging to industrial and commercial packaging.
To be effective, the reuse of professional packaging must extend beyond national borders and operate at a broader geographical scale to meet PPWR targets.
In this session, our speakers will explore the challenges of ensuring proper coordination of reuse systems at the European level, as well as the opportunities created by the introduction in France of the new extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme for professional packaging, coming into force on July 1, 2026.
This roundtable will explore the key policy levers needed to accelerate the transition from single-use to reusable systems. Bringing together industry, policymakers and experts, the discussion will examine how a coherent mix of tools—such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), fiscal incentives, taxation of virgin materials and targeted investment—can create the right economic conditions for reuse to become the norm.
Participants will identify practical principles and policy recommendations to ensure a level playing field, drive innovation, and unlock the full potential of reuse models. The session aims to contribute concrete insights to inform future EU policy and support a more circular, resource-efficient economy.
Highlight operational initiatives in controlled environments (stadiums, festivals, cinemas, hospitality), identify success factors and remaining barriers.
Themes:
• Operational models
• Roles and responsibilities of stakeholders (including user and staff involvement – consumer journey)
• Upstream choices: standardisation, branding, pooling
• Operational flows: collection tools, washing, storage, return logistics
• Economic models
• Financial flows
• Key viability conditions
• Conclusions: levers, barriers, recommendations
We will explore the profound transformations shaping circular economy sectors and how eco-organizations can act as catalysts for change. Through a forward-looking perspective, we will examine four key pillars: innovation, environmental performance, sector structuring, and stakeholder engagement. We will highlight how these dimensions support the scaling up of circular models, including reuse.
Speakers will shed light on acceleration levers, the necessary paradigm shifts, stakeholder expectations, and the strategic choices that enable eco-organizations to play a leading role in the transition. This session will offer both an operational and forward-looking perspective on how sectors can move from a linear model to a truly circular one, drawing on concrete actions, proof of concepts, and ambitious roadmaps.
The Reuse Champions Award is an honorary recognition granted by the Board of Directors of New ERA to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of reusable packaging systems.
Selected annually, Reuse Champions embody New ERA’s mission to help unlock the full potential of well-designed reuse and refill systems
Up to three individuals are honoured each year. Selection is based on four guiding criteria:
• Industry impact: Contributions to innovative, scalable, or collaborative reusable packaging solutions;
• Academic and educational leadership: Advancing reuse through research, education, or policy influence;
• Quantifiable contributions: Measurable impact through indicators such as waste reduction, lower emissions, or increased material reuse;
• Long-term commitment: Sustained dedication to reusable packaging systems beyond one-off projects.