At Paris Packaging Week 2026, I will be moderating a panel discussion on the Circular Economy Stage titled “Dreams, Material Realities of Biomaterials vs. Traditional Plastics” (14:30–15:15), bringing together a cross-section of voices from materials innovation, packaging manufacturing, brand ESG leadership, and polymer science. The panel features Eva Lagarde, CEO and Founder of Re/sources; Helen Yang, CEO and Founder of Clement Packaging; Jamie Richards, Director of ESG at Bansk Beauty; Olivier Le Cour Grandmaison, Business Development Manager, Specialty Plastics at Eastman; and Philippe Michon, Co-Founder and Associate Director at Eranova Bioplastics. Together, we will examine the growing gap between sustainability narratives and material realities in packaging, with a focus on what is technically, economically, and systemically achievable today.
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The discussion will open by addressing the tension between storytelling and data, exploring how well-intentioned marketing narratives around “plastic-free” solutions can sometimes obscure scientific and industrial constraints. Panelists will share where misconceptions most often arise—particularly around performance, scalability, and environmental impact—and how the industry can align communication more closely with measurable outcomes and verified data. From there, the conversation will turn to the real potential of biobased and bio-feedstock materials, examining how close plant- and biomass-derived polymers are to true commercial scalability, and what technical, regulatory, and economic barriers must still be overcome before they can compete with established materials such as PET or PP in terms of cost, consistency, and supply reliability.

Your scientific and technological innovations play a vital role in shaping the future of the cosmetics and perfumery industry. THE COSMETIC VICTORIES, Cosmetic Valley’s flagship scientific competition, is now open to companies, start-ups, R&D teams, and industrial project leaders whose solutions contribute to transforming the sector toward more innovative and sustainable models. The competition is designed to identify, recognize, and showcase projects with strong scientific, technological, and industrial impact across the cosmetics value chain. For its 11th edition, THE COSMETIC VICTORIES places a particular focus on sustainability and the transition of processes, materials, and technologies.

In the global skincare industry, innovation has long focused on new ingredients—stronger actives, higher concentrations, and increasingly complex formulations. Yet despite these advances, the same structural challenges persist: poor skin penetration, unstable actives, and rising ingredient costs driven by over-formulation. A new generation of delivery technology is shifting that paradigm. Instead of reformulating the product, it re-engineers how actives reach the skin. At the forefront of this shift is NTP Research, an IP-driven Canadian R&D company developing nanofiber-based skin patch technologies for skincare brands and OEM manufacturers. By acting as an external R&D and scale-up partner, NTP Research enables brands to move beyond traditional creams and serums—offering innovation-ready products that dramatically reduce time, cost, and technical risk.