NPE2024 Consumer Products Industry Session Highlights Trends, Innovations

If you are looking to learn about trends and innovations in the consumer products industry, check out the Consumer Products Industry Sessions at NPE2024. Hear from industry leaders about the latest in sustainability, materials and more.

May 6

11:00 – 11:30 a.m: Get Your Certification or Recertification, Production and Delivery Processes Back on Track | Ken Vessey Jr.

Plastic manufacturers and users continue to encounter challenges in fulfilling customer orders for essentials like electrical components and consumer products. Whether these challenges are due to the economy, long-lasting global pandemic issues or restrictive chemical regulations and sustainability initiatives, the results are the same: higher costs, increased production times, longer paths to market and — ultimately — frustration. Learn how UL Solutions can help you find the plastic material resources and substitutions you need to get your certification or recertification, production and delivery processes back on track quickly.

May 7

11:00 – 11:45 a.m: Designing for Circularity From Cradle to Grave | Melissa Kurtz

Modern consumers want environmentally conscious products, and this trend is only expected to grow. Simultaneously, the call for enhanced producer responsibility is gaining momentum. There are a variety of material strategies that brand owners can use to reduce their environmental footprint. This session will guide you through the journey of developing products that incorporate postconsumer recyclate while keeping a product’s end of life in mind.

1:00 – 1:45 p.m: Sustainable Footwear Solutions — Hear What Timberland, Vans, Solomon and U-Power are Doing to Meet Consumer Demands | Greg Sanders

Footwear brands such as Timberland, Vans, Solomon and U-Power are listening to consumers about the importance of sustainability. Learn how they are working with BASF material solutions to enhance the circularity of shoes. Highlights will include solutions for shoe uppers, midsoles, footbeds and outsoles using expanded thermoplastics polyurethanes (e-TPU), solvent-free synthetic leather called Haptex, 3D printed solutions, low-carbon biomass balance solutions and advanced recycling options.

2:00 – 2:45 p.m: Sustainability: The Retailer Perspective | Scot Case

Retailers’ sustainability commitments reflect company goals, investor interests, regulatory pressure and, most importantly, consumer demand. While different retailers define sustainability differently and prioritize different aspects of sustainability within their own companies, ultimately, sustainable retail is about sustainable products, sustainable suppliers and sustainable supply chains. Hear an overview of sustainability from the retail perspective.

3:00 – 3:45 p.m: How to Maximize the Value Proposition of Sustainability as a Leader in the Consumer Products Market | Sarah Weishaar

Strong commitments have been established throughout the consumer products supply chain to maximize product circularity, reduce the environmental footprint, protect the well-being of stakeholders and ensure strong sustainability performance. Join leaders in the industry as they demystify the complex landscape of sustainability by walking through the pressures and realities leaders are facing, the factors driving change, and solutions that are transforming the ways we design, make and manage products to preserve a sustainable future.

May 8

3:00 – 3:30 p.m: Enabling Versatile Innovation With Polyolefin Elastomers | Sasha Schmitt

With a diverse portfolio of polyolefin elastomers, ExxonMobi has been able to push the boundaries in key market segments. The polyolefin plastomers and elastomers give customers versatile and innovative solutions that replace other materials and improve performance. From replacing polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in applications like resilient flooring and intravenous (IV) bags, to enhancing comfort and feel in absorbent products like diapers and feminine care, you will see the various possibilities ExxonMobil’s polyolefin plastomers and elastomer materials offer in key segments like construction, medical, hygiene and other emerging areas.

May 9

2:00 – 2:30 p.m: How Electrification Powers Health Care, Consumer Goods, Automotive and Aerospace With Specialty Polymers | Victoria Lee, DeeDee Smith

Engineers spanning markets are increasingly needing to identify materials for electrification that can withstand high temperatures. Learn how Solvay’s sustainable portfolio of materials provide temperature performance above 150°C, comparative tracking index (CTI) ratings of 600 volts as well as dielectric resistance. Join this session to see how to design electrical components with specialty polymers, the role of selecting the optimal material and dig into several application case studies that can be considered across materials.

May 10

10:00 – 10:30 a.m: Digital Transformation Success Using OPC Standards | Michael Clark

With the world’s largest ecosystem of end users, manufacturers and partner associations, The OPC Foundation is the gravity center for secure industrial interoperability. Learn how leading industrial facilities, from renewable energy and cosmetics to automakers, employ secure digital interoperability from the shop floor to the top floor. Plus, discuss how wind, solar, robotics and cybersecurity are served under the International IEC62541 Standard of OPC UA.