Every year the European Carton Makers Association (ECMA) brings together folding carton converters, cartonboard mills, national associations and suppliers to the folding carton industry. The ECMA Congress 2024 took place at the Hilton Berlin Hotel in Berlin, Germany on 19 & 20 September 2024. This year's strapline was 'Resilience in a sea of adversity'.

After a warm welcome from Michael Kellner, Parliamentary Secretary of State, the event kicked off with a superb presentation by Andrea Boltho from Oxford Economics with his views on where the European economy is going. This was followed by an insightful presentation by Dr. Trunk of the European Commission, providing critical updates on upcoming legislation impacting our sector.

Throughout the congress, we heard inspiring perspectives from industry leaders like Philip Morris International, McKinsey, CEPI, Metsa Group, Moorgate Capital, and the Paper Packaging Council of America. The CEO Roundtable was particularly fascinating, highlighting the future of our industry in light of the Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation.

On Thursday evening we celebrated innovation at the European Carton of Excellence Awards, congratulations to all carton converters and cartonboard mills who won awards! Check out the winners here.

Friday was packed with valuable insights from Neil Osment, who shared his 'View from the Edge' on the status and future outlook of our sector, followed by an entertaining and forward-thinking session on Artificial Intelligence by Henry Coutinho-Mason.

The congress ended on a high note with ECMA President Jean-Francois Roche announcing that the 2025 Congress will take place in Istanbul on 18 & 19 September 2025 – mark your calendars and we look forward to seeing you there! 

Many thanks to our sponsors for helping to make the ECMA Congress 2024 happen: