You’ve been hearing loads from us about the Conference, but now it is time to hear from you and your colleagues about your highlights and takeaways from the POC Conference 2025.
Steve Manners, vp global marketing and UK managing director of Licensing International
A highlight of the Conference: “Hearing how so many different companies have been so active in making changes that benefit the planet and their respective businesses. A win win.”
Your biggest takeaway for learning from the day: “I know a lot more about packaging. Paul Earnshaw from Tesco is a master at presenting!”
What has inspired you from the Conference: “How our community is all sharing the call to action. I was pleasantly surprised how upbeat it was. Far from being doom and gloom, real progress is not only being made, but is being shared.”
What would you say to someone thinking of attending the Conference next year: “Come… everybody in the industry should be here!”
Sally Carnota, senior director of licensed consumer products UK & Iberia for Hasbro
A highlight of the Conference: “The panel discussion involving the heritage brands. It was so interesting to hear how these establishments, some of which have 800 years of history, are using their legacy for the good on the sustainability front.”
Your biggest takeaway for learning from the day: “When Kate from Open Planet quantified the power of storytelling, sharing that a message has 22% more impact with the consumer if it is told through a story. A strong message for us with entertainment brands.”
What would you say to someone thinking of attending the Conference next year: “Book a ticket! The content and the people you meet will help you shift from the transactional to the transformative, reinforcing that we all have a part to play in our shared sustainable journey.”
One word to sum up the Conference: “Thought-provoking.”
Russell Watts, operations director of Penguin Random House
A highlight of the Conference: “The talk by Kate Goldman-Toomey of Open Planet in which she demonstrated the power of storytelling to get a message across.”
Your biggest takeaway for learning from the day: “How important EPR is!”
What has inspired you from the Conference: “The attendee list was really impressive, matched by the calibre of speakers. With collaboration being key to progress, having so many people in the same room with a shared purpose gives me hope.”
What would you say to someone thinking of attending the Conference next year: “Turn up looking to solve gnarly problems as someone there will offer a solution.”
One word to sum up the Conference: “Optimistic.”
Jessica Connell, circular economy specialist of John Lewis & Partners
A highlight of the Conference: “All the information on packaging. I loved the talk from Tesco’s Paul Earnshaw. He is a master of getting information across in an engaging way.”
Your biggest takeaway for learning from the day: “The content and ideas are all there; just use it.”
Jade Snart, head of product compliance of Primark
Your biggest takeaway for learning from the day: “Collaboration is key.”
What would you say to someone thinking of attending the Conference next year: “It offers a huge opportunity to network with like-minded people.”
One word to sum up the Conference: “Collaborative.”
Marianna Tsien, sustainability lead, licensees, global impact and communications of Ralph Lauren
A highlight of the Conference: “All the case studies of how businesses have reduced their sustainability impact – from large companies like LEGO and IKEA to smaller ones like RDP Creative and smol.”
Your biggest takeaway for learning from the day: “As Tesco’s Paul Earnshaw said: “It is the right thing to do”. I will be reaching out to our packaging team and also be connecting with our licensees so we can work together on sharing learnings and making progress.”
What would you say to someone thinking of attending the Conference next year: “As a first-time attendee, I would encourage you to come, listen to the case studies and then take the learnings back to your business.”
One word to sum up the Conference: “Amazing.”
Elliott Matthews, managing director of Poetic Brands
A highlight of the Conference: “Wendy Mather of RDP Creative. Her frank delivery was great. Hearing how she has made real changes to her business, a SME working with some of the biggest brands was so inspiring.”
Your biggest takeaway for learning from the day: “Packaging optimisation! The talk from Christian Lanckman of LEGO on how you can make your packaging more sustainable and how it can save you money was just fantastic.”
What would you say to someone thinking of attending the Conference next year: “Come but bring your operations people with you so that together you can progress on making things happen.”
One word to sum up the Conference: “Changemaking.”
Lisa Carroll, product development director of StudioCanal Kids & Family
A highlight of the Conference: “Hilary Strong of smol. I have been using this brand for a year, but it was great to hear what quantifiably impact has been made on the environment from people shifting to using the company’s laundry capsules. I was also very impressed by Wendy Mather of RDP Creative and their commitment to sustainability. Two game changing businesswomen!”
Your biggest takeaway for learning from the day: “That there is an overwhelming amount of legislation that we all need to be aware of.”
What has inspired you from the Conference: “How there is a community of knowledgeable individuals on whom we can draw.”
What would you say to someone thinking of attending the Conference next year: “Just do it. You won’t regret it.”
One word to sum up the Conference: “Collaboration.”
Gaby Dior, head of licensing EMEA of BBC Studios
A highlight of the Conference: “I was blown away by The Mills Fabrica section. These innovative companies are all coming up with really innovative solutions.”
Your biggest takeaway for learning from the day: “Continue to be curious and ask questions.”
What has inspired you from the Conference: “How we, as a broad community of brand owners, licensees and retailers are making progress in making changes to safeguard our planet.”
What would you say to someone thinking of attending the Conference next year: “Come to learn and be curious.”
One word to sum up the Conference: “Thought provoking.”
Lisa Hey, head of product development of Character World Brands
Highlight: “I really enjoyed Wendy’s presentation, she was really inspiring, and I wasn’t already familiar with the company. A couple of the others, Lego and Tesco, we’re already on board with. I enjoyed her talking about a company I wasn’t familiar with and their learnings and how they have taken it on, and retailers will have to get on board with it because this is the change we’re making, and if you don’t we won’t work with you – and it sounded like they hadn’t had many who haven’t stayed.”
Takeaway: “The tools that are available for us to use as an industry, either on the POC platform or companies like Tesco who are being so open to sharing, and letting everyone get it for free. It’s a unique thing that POC have done – people have always been so protective, but this goes completely across the industry. It’s a really collaborative day, worth taking the time out, it’s just such an inspirational day, coming together to learn from all the case studies and the solutions people have found that you can take on board.”
Attending: “Definitely! And it’s such a benefit to come in person as it’s so motivational compared to online. It’s great that there are both options, but listening to the speakers here is so much more engaging.”
Claire Bates, senior marketing and sustainability manager of Danilo Promotions
Highlights: It’s been really inspiring to see smaller companies like RDP Creative making such impressive progress in product design and packaging innovation. I’ve also been encouraged to see how larger organisations such as Bravado are pushing sustainability across their artist merchandise portfolios — it shows how creativity and responsibility can go hand in hand, no matter the company size.
Takeaway: “It’s not enough to focus on the now — if you’re not planning for the future, you’re already behind the curve. It’s vital to keep looking ahead and thinking about what more can be achieved as a company and as an industry. It’s also incredibly important to gain full internal buy-in on sustainability. To move things forward, you need to speak the language of different teams within your business — helping them understand not just the environmental benefits, but also the financial and strategic value of sustainable practices.”
Inspiration: “Hearing how companies like IKEA and LEGO are going above and beyond their own practices to educate the wider industry and support SMEs through knowledge and resource sharing has been incredibly motivating. And while it’s not a sector I work directly in, I found the textile industry’s innovation particularly fascinating — especially their progress in moving away from conventional dyes and addressing key environmental challenges.”
Attending: “Absolutely do it! Whether you attend in person or online, you’ll come away feeling more passionate about driving sustainability, equipped with practical ideas to take back to your business, and inspired by the collaborative spirit across the industry.”
Anna Owers, head of communications, iCandy
Highlight: “Seeing inspiring and relevant examples of circularity being brought to life, especially repair services and those on-site upcycling/buy-back hubs. It felt practical, not theoretical.”
Takeaway: “Packaging can’t be an afterthought anymore. With EPR tightening and recycling needing to be intuitive to consumers to be successful, we need better transparency and smarter design. The Lego approach was a standout.”
Inspiration: “Ikea’s reminder that ‘it’s good business to be a good business’. And the nugget of inspiration suggesting that individual departments or teams own their own measurable sustainability goals showed how accountability actually drives progress.”
Attending: “Go. You’ll leave with real actions, fresh ideas and connections that drive progress. If you want to stay ahead of evolving expectations, this is the room to be in.”
