NOVEMBER 2019
The congress program included a south tour to block manufacturer Euroblock and woodland management at the State Forests Lower Saxony and a north tour to the facilities at the port of Hamburg, Europe’s third-largest port, export packaging company Andresen & Jochimsen Exportpack, and Joh Friedrich Behrens AG, one of Europe’s leading fastening technology businesses.
Brent J McClendon, president of the NWPCA, spoke about the cross-sector #ForestProud initiative that is promoting wood usage in the U.S. and aims to raise awareness of the positive effects of forests beyond manufacturing.
The congress business session included an evaluation of the success of the ISPM 15 certification standard and an outlook for future developments by Dr. Thomas Schrӧder from the plant protection department of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). Concluding that ISPM 15 had been successful in protecting plant health, Schrӧder said there is still a need to educate users of wooden packaging in the supply chain about the correct way to implement ISPM 15 and the necessity for them to do so.
Professor Bernd Sadlowsky from Hamburg University updated delegates on latest research into protecting wooden packaging and pallets from damage; while professor Michael Kohl presented a rationale for using wood and wood products in terms of the effect on CO2; and Dr. André Wolf of the Hamburg Institute of International Economics gave the congress an overview of the economic challenges that face the European and world economy – including the growing importance of China to global trade.
A total of 264 delegates and partners from 24 countries attended the congress, which also featured a partner program and evening dinner events at Hamburg’s sailing club, Le Méridien hotel and the World Heritage Speicherstadt, location of Hamburg’s maritime museum.
Left to right: FEFPEB secretary general, Fons Ceelaert; HPE president, Jürgen Rademacher; HPE managing director, Marcus Kirschner; and FEFPEB president Rob van Hoesel