FEPE, the European Federation of Envelope Manufacturers, held its 54th congress in Edinburgh, 22-24 September, on “Meeting the Needs of a Demanding Market”. The event, which was co-hosted by the Global Envelope Alliance (GEA) was attended by 110 delegates from 18 European countries, the USA, Canada, South Africa, Israel and Japan, representing envelope manufacturers and their suppliers.The Director General of the Universal Postal Union, Edouard Dayan, the Chairman of the US Regulatory Commission, Ruth Goldway, and Jane Dyer from the International Post Corporation reported about transformation and diversification of postal services at global level required to serve consumers, which, according to recent studies in the US and Switzerland, still favour “paper” as the most secure and reliable communication media.GEA´s founder Bert Berkley stressed the importance of cooperation with postal operators, a message picked up various times during the event. Presentations on market developments revealed a recovery in envelope sales in 2010 and indicated an overall slowing down of the much predicted decline in the coming years – a message supported by consumer preferences for paper and new business opportunities as demonstrated during the congress.The congress was sponsored by a dozen companies, among others Stora Enso and UPM. /AA