The Print Business Outlook Conference 2024 (PBOC) was held at the Fairfield by Marriott Mumbai on 5 February, 2024.

Preeti Vyas, president and CEO of Amar Chitra Katha spoke about the five decades journey of the iconic comic brand. She shared the first Amar Chitra Katha cover of Krishna which was born 55 years ago; how the group has grown to 500 titles in multiple languages. What emerged was the huge transformation in children's books and comics over the years. Vyas spoke about highlighted readership trends and the importance of printed books. Vyas negated the view that children don’t like to read these days. “It’s a misconception that in today’s time children do not read. In fact, with the benefits of reading coming to the fore with scientific research, more and more parents should encourage reading habits in their children."

Later Neha Jain of Zerocircle discussed the emergence of good plastic through innovative materials that prioritise both functionality and environmental responsibility. Jain spoke about Zerocircle's films crafted from sustainably harvested seaweed, which are "100% natural and fully biodegradable". The coatings offer barrier properties without harmful side effects of plastics. Jain shared with the delegates that Zerocircle's also creates tree-free paper from seaweed fibres.

After which a panel comprising Akshay Kanoria of TCPL Packaging; Shashi Ranjan of Manipal Technologies; Sanjay Patel of Param Packaging; and Manu Choudhury of CDC Printers confabulated about how cross-border exchanges can fuel innovation and drive success for the printing and packaging landscape. The 75-minutes discussion which was moderated by Ramu Ramanathan discussed the rules and regulations which are impacting the packaging market across the globe. Also how should Brand India communicate the good work to a wider world community.

Many members in the delegates had questions about "How to stay updated and compliant with constantly evolving rules and regulations which govern the export of products is most important." the panel addressed some of these challenges. As Sanjay Patel said, "BRC/IOP has become BRCGS. This is the updated nomenclature of BRC. The full form is Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standard." Also he alluded to the submission of export data as per a new declaration from 3 June 2024. (WhatPackaging? magazine has conducted an interview with Sanjay Patel about how a SME or SME CEO can follow the rules and regulations and legal parameters. Look out for the interview on our YouTube channel)?

Shashi Ranjan spoke about the importance of Indian book exporters learning to say no. He said, "American and European importers don't like to hear yes all the time. " He shared how in addition to sustainability, the other buzzword is "confidentiality". He shared a case study of how "Manipal Technologies was the only print firm in Asia to print the Harry Potter series." The panel discussion concluded with a rapid fire question round with all the four panelists. This ticked most of the boxes from China Plus One policy to customer conversations, and red tapism to  sustainability opportunities and greenwashing.

After the panel discussion, Manish Gupta of Konica Minolta briefed the delegates about the strides in finishing and embellishment on a digital press.

Later Shubham Singh, CEO of Craste enlightened the audience about Packaging with crop waste. Singh said “It takes a Re 1 matchbox to burn a field and get rid of the crop waste. We channelised our concern and the solutions to provide these farmers a side source of income while making sustainable paper, pulp and packaging.”  Pune-based startup Craste has been working to turn farm waste into value-added products as well as to give farmers a source of additional income. He said, "Craste's packaging is sustainable, innovative, circular, and futuristic in nature. It introduces crop stubble as a new raw material, which is currently being burnt, as an alternative to timber. By putting this waste to work, our packaging is combating deforestation, providing an alternative to plastic, giving farmers an additional income for the crop residue and incentivising them to not burn it thus, combating air pollution." 

While talking to the Craste team, WhatPackaging? magazine learnt that "The packaging is high-grade, customisable, 100% compostable, recyclable, food- grade, less carbon intensive (62.5% less carbon footprint) and economical (48.9% cheaper than virgin pulp).

The post-lunch panel discussion revolved around moulded pulp fibres for disposable food packaging. The panel consisted of Kirtiraj Gaikwad of IIT Roorkee; Kritika Tripathy, chief executive officer and co-founder, Ecosure along with Singh.

The two standout presentations of the day were by Amit Shah of Spectrum Scan and the role of artificial intelligence in print design evolution by Shiva Viswanathan of Catenate.Io. Shah's show and tell showcased how to eliminate the use of plastic, by making POP/POS displays 100% sustainable, recyclable product, in addition to providing brand visibility and product position. Also Shah spoke about his partnership with ITC with the recently launched Sign-Up Green which is a virgin solid board that can replace rigid plastics/plastic foam boards in the indoor branding space (POP/POSM materials).

The conference is the brainchild of Vinod Vittoba of Association for PRINT Technologies (formerly NPES). PrintWeek and WhatPackaging? magazines were the media partners for the event.