Organisations

The University of Nottingham is a British public university with origins dating back to 1881 as University College Nottingham, granted full university status (with degree-awarding powers) in 1948 through Royal Charter. With its main campus at University Park in Nottingham, the university is among the few British universities to operate its own network of international campuses, with locations in Ningbo, China (since 2004) and Semenyih, Malaysia (since 2000).

Of particular relevance to the packaging value chain are the Faculty of Engineering and the Division of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, which conduct research on food packaging materials, preservation technologies and active/intelligent packaging.

Nottingham is also known for its Nottingham Geospatial Institute and for materials engineering research applied to various industrial sectors, including sustainable packaging.

UPM Adhesive Materials is the current name (since June 2025) of the business area of the Finnish group UPM-Kymmene Corporation previously known as UPM Raflatac, headquartered in Tampere. The name change reflects a growth strategy extending beyond traditional label materials into graphics solutions and specialty tapes: the historic UPM Raflatac™ brand remains in use as the product line for label materials.

Expansion into the graphics segment has been driven by the acquisitions of AMC AG, Grafityp and Metamark, strengthening the company's presence in applications such as signage, vehicle wrapping and decorative materials, alongside its traditional core business of self-adhesive labels for beverages, pharmaceuticals, logistics and digital printing.

The business area, is part of the wider UPM forest-industry group.

UPM Raflatac (renamed UPM Adhesive Materials as a business area on 12 June 2025, while retaining the UPM Raflatac™ product brand) is a Finnish company based in Tampere, part of the forest industry group UPM since 1996, among the world's leading manufacturers of self-adhesive label materials. The company's origins date back to the early 1970s, when chemist Juhani Strömberg, at the company Raf. Haarla, developed the water-based permanent adhesive RP51, an alternative to the then-dominant solvent-based technologies; in 1976 Raf. Haarla merged with United Paper Mills to form Raflatac.

The company operates 12 production facilities worldwide, employs around 3,300 people, and recorded revenue of almost €2 billion in 2022.

UPM Raflatac supplies label materials for beverages, pharmaceuticals, logistics and digital printing, and was the first pressure-sensitive laminate manufacturer to receive RecyClass approval for the PE films category, thanks to its Multipurpose UV acrylic adhesive technology.

V-Shapes S.r.l. (CP Italy Srl) is an Italian company based in Calderara di Reno (Bologna), specialising in designing and manufacturing packaging machines for single-dose sachets under the V-Shapes® brand, a patented opening system that allows the pack to be opened with one hand using just three fingers, extracting over 99% of the contained product (liquid, viscous or granular) and reducing waste and environmental littering.

The technology, born from an idea of the Burattini family, is applied in the food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical/medical and chemical sectors.

V-Shapes sachets can be made from materials that are 80% bio-based and from recyclable homopolymers in accordance with local regulations, thanks to partnerships with companies such as NatureWorks, FLO and ISAP and certifications obtained from bodies including Interseroh, TÜV and TOMRA.

The company has offices in India (Mumbai) and the UK (Salisbury), alongside a distribution network across the Middle East, Africa and the Americas.

Vericool, Inc. is a US company based in Livermore, California, founded in 2015 by CEO Darrell Jobe, producing compostable thermal packaging solutions for the cold chain in the food and pharmaceutical sectors.

Its flagship product, the Vericooler®, is a patented thermal package made from compostable corrugated board with natural ingredients, offering thermal performance and reliability comparable to expanded polystyrene (EPS) without its negative environmental effects, used for temperature-sensitive shipments lasting between 24 and 96 hours.

During the pandemic, Vericool developed a sustainable thermal solution for shipping COVID-19 vaccines, both recyclable and compostable, helping reduce the need for EPS coolers.

Vessl, Inc. is a US company based in Tempe, Arizona, founded in 2011 by CEO Walter Apodaca (a former executive at Coca-Cola, Coors Brewing Company and MillerCoors) together with Daniel Montoya and Brad Foster, holding worldwide exclusive rights to the patented Vessl® technology: a pressurised closure device that, fitted to a reusable bottle, instantly releases and mixes a concentrated ingredient stored inside it (in an oxygen-free, UV-protected environment) with water or a base liquid, eliminating the need to ship an already-diluted product.

The logistical benefit is significant: a 40-foot shipping container can hold up to 700,000 Vessl® closures, compared with around 50,000 half-litre filled bottles.

The technology is used by the company's own ready-to-drink brand Tea of a Kind (TOAK) and by third-party applications such as The Glenlivet (Twist and Mix ready-to-drink cocktails, Pernod Ricard) and Minel (mineral-enhanced water, Suntory), alongside a development agreement with Tempra Technology for self-heating packaging applications.

Vibers B.V. is a Dutch company based in Rotterdam (with production in Honselersdijk), founded in 2012, specialising in producing sustainable materials derived from giant miscanthus (Miscanthus giganteus, also known as “elephant grass”), a fast-growing perennial plant cultivated locally in the Netherlands, able to absorb up to four times more CO2 than an equivalent European forest.

The company has developed three product lines:

The company's technology is patent-protected and was shortlisted for the Netherlands' Top 100 most innovative SMEs.

Violeta d.o.o. is a Bosnian company based in Grude, manufacturing household and personal care goods (particularly toilet paper and paper-converted hygiene products) and, under the Lasta brand, filled biscuits and wafers.

The company stands out for a high degree of vertical integration in its packaging supply chain: it invested over €40 million in building its own cardboard packaging plant in Grude, and adopted a complete packaging line supplied by German specialist Schubert for the sustainable packaging of Lasta products, replacing originally planned plastic trays with sustainable cardboard trays integrated into the packing process.

On the packaging innovation front, Violeta won bronze at the 2020 Dieline Awards (Health Care category) for its “Dual Purpose for a Higher Purpose” project, a 100% recycled toilet paper packaged in packaging that is itself 100% recycled and reusable.

Vitally is a health and wellness startup that offers personalised daily vitamin packs. Customers take a free expertly-developed questionnaire covering all areas of health - from digestion and inflammation through to mood and energy. Taking the guesswork out of vitamins, that information is then used to power an algorithm that provides vitamins and supplements tailored to an individual's health goals. From there, customers pick and choose from the subsequent recommendations and receive a tailored monthly subscription of vitamins. Vitally’s growing portfolio of 27 vitamins and supplements – with more on the way - can fulfil over 100,000 unique combinations.

(july 2026 - not updated / link to the original company are not available)

Volvo Car AB (Volvo Cars) is a Swedish automotive company based in Gothenburg, founded in 1927, now majority-owned by the Chinese group Zhejiang Geely Holding since 2010 and listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange since 2021. The company is known for its long-standing commitment to safety (inventing the three-point seatbelt, patent made freely available in 1959) and more recently for its electrification and sustainability strategy.

While not a packaging company, Volvo Cars applies circular economy and waste-reduction principles to its logistics supply chain as well, including packaging for components and spare parts, as part of its goal of becoming a net-zero climate impact company by 2040.

HeijltjesAkkaya (formerly Waarmakers) is a Dutch product design studio based in Amsterdam, founded by Simon Akkaya and Maarten Heijltjes, who met while studying Industrial Design at Delft University of Technology. The studio specialises in circular and sustainable design, industrial design, design consulting, research and prototyping, with an approach characterised by social engagement and attention to sustainability at every stage of the creative process.

The studio's best-known project is Goedzak, a semi-transparent garbage bag designed to make improper waste disposal visible and thus discourage it; other work includes the design of the Be.e bio-composite electric scooter for Van.Eko and R16, a lamp that transforms cardboard tubing — a typically underrated packaging material — into an elegant lighting object through laser cutting, preserving the integrity of its original form and material.

Walmart Inc. is the world's largest retail chain by revenue, founded in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas, by Sam Walton, headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.

In January 2025 the company opened its new global headquarters, a sustainable 350-acre campus designed to house over 15,000 employees, featuring the largest use of mass timber in the United States, LEED Platinum certification, 750,000 native plants and seven miles of bike-pedestrian trails.

Given its weight as one of the world's largest retailers, Walmart is among the top global commissioners of packaging solutions: the company committed to making 100% of its private-label packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025, a target that has pushed suppliers and other retailers toward similar standards, and it regularly hosts a Sustainable Packaging Exposition for its packaging suppliers.