After the event

Packaging belongs on the company leadership's table

15 October 2026 | Aquapalace Hotel Prague

Packaging affects costs, production, logistics and whether a customer picks a product at all. Decisions about it therefore cannot remain a question of material and purchase price alone. These very connections were the focus of Obal roku Summit 2026, held on 15 October at the Aquapalace Hotel Prague.

The theme “Packaging as a strategic decision” connected the perspectives of packaging manufacturers, their customers, retail, expert institutions and public administration. From the market leaders' round table through expert discussions and case studies to the “10 minutes to the point” themed meetings, the programme focused on decision-making in practice: how to handle new requirements, where to direct investments and how to tell that a packaging change brings real improvement.

Five key ideas for further decision-making

Packaging is a strategic topic

A change in packaging can affect the production line, warehousing, transport costs and access to foreign markets. It therefore deserves the attention of company leadership and cooperation across departments. The lowest purchase price alone does not mean the most advantageous solution. What matters is how the packaging performs and what costs it creates across the entire chain.

We need to know more about packaging — and be able to prove it

Knowing the material, its origin and properties, and how responsibilities are split between suppliers and customers is the basis of good decisions and mutual trust. Attention therefore went to documentation, packaging safety and companies' readiness for new requirements.

An important theme was a proactive approach: addressing changes in advance, clarifying uncertainties in time and preparing the necessary documents. At the same time, there was a call to reduce the administrative burden so companies can devote more capacity to real operational changes.

Good packaging must hold up across the whole chain

Packaging must protect the product, cope with handling and transport, and work both in production and for the customer. It is equally important to think through what happens to it after use.

The discussion also touched on reusable packaging. Here too it is not enough to judge the packaging itself: what matters is how the whole system works, including returns, logistics and the conditions for further use. Every change needs to be evaluated in context, not by a single property.

Innovation needs a measurable benefit

What does a new solution actually improve? How much material does it save, how far does it reduce product damage, does it simplify production or make use easier?

The case studies offered a view of cooperation between suppliers and customers and of the journey from a specific brief to the final solution. It is precisely the demonstrable benefit for operations, the customer and the company's economics that gives packaging innovation its value.

Cooperation must continue after the summit

Packaging manufacturers, their customers, the waste sector and public administration each address different parts of the same problem. Progress requires ongoing communication, sharing experience and an open discussion of obstacles.

Room for such exchange was offered by the round table, the panel discussions and the smaller “10 minutes to the point” themed meetings. The point is to carry the conversations into practice: follow up on a new contact, test a usable idea and take a concrete step in your own company.

From expert discussion to award-winning packaging

The summit was followed by the Obal roku 2026 gala evening. Attention shifted to the award-winning packaging solutions and the people behind their design and realisation. The expert programme and the gala evening thus connected the debate about the future of packaging with the concrete results of companies and their teams.

Thank you to all participants, speakers, partners and guests for the experience, the questions and the openness with which they joined the discussions.

Take a look at the photos from the summit and the gala evening and relive this year's gathering of the Czech and Slovak packaging market.

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Photo gallery from the summit and gala evening — 363 photos, browse by page.