Welcome to the New President

At the Pro Carton AGM on 8th June 2018 Roland Rex formally stood down as President of the association after eight years in the role and Horst Bittermann was duly elected as his replacement. Roland has led the organisation magnificently over his period in charge having been responsible for much change and was the catalyst behind the controversial “cartons don’t create plastic waste” campaign which has become the foundation of Pro Carton’s rather outspoken marketing stance. Horst Bittermann has a distinguished career history which includes 3 years in private banking and 15 years in retailing in a variety of senior Sales and Marketing roles. He came into the packaging industry ten years ago and is now responsible for the Marketing team at MM Karton as well as for driving the company’s Key Account Management approach to the FMCG, Pharmaceutical and Retail sectors. His experience in classical marketing, communications and research will prove to be a major asset for Pro Carton going forward. Horst had this to say about his new role: “I am delighted to be the President of Pro Carton at this exciting time for the cartonboard industry. Pro Carton is the voice for cartonboard and folding cartons – the Natural Choice of Packaging. I believe that we need to communicate the sustainable nature of our products even more intensively, louder and clearer to the brand owners and retailers and ultimately end consumers. Packaging has to deliver on three main functions, the 3 P’s. Protect the product, promote the sale of the product and protect the environment. Folding cartons support premium and natural appearance on shelf and are an extremely eye-catching medium. Cartons do not leave any long lasting scars on the environment but help to protect it by reducing product damage or food waste. Cartonboard is made from renewable sources, is biodegradable and is virtually fully recyclable and epitomises the circular economy. I am fully convinced that cartonboard and folding cartons will be the winner in the coming decade and that Pro Carton can play an important role in achieving that success.”