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EU Parliament committee backs EPR reprieve for SME’s packaging

Yesterday, the European Parliament’s (EP) Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety voted in favor of a proposal to temporarily suspend authorized representative requirements for EU-based micro and small enterprises (SMEs) under packaging EPR rules.  According to the EP, the proposal comes from the European Commission’s (EC) Environmental Omnibus package and aims to reduce administrative burdens. If adopted, the requirement for SMEs to appoint authorized representatives to export packaging and single-use plastics within the EU will be dropped until 2035. 
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Flexible packaging advances with circular materials and application-driven design
Consumer perceptions continue to reshape packaging, which is no longer a one-size-fits-all product. Flexible packaging manufacturers are designing materials for precise end-use demands, while navigating the path to circular and renewable solutions. Packaging Insights speaks to Braskem America, Verde Environmental Technologies, and Korozo Group about how technical innovation, bio-based materials, and value-chain collaboration are changing the future of flexible packaging.
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Material Week Tokyo 2026: Avery Dennison targets labor and plastic reduction
Avery Dennison highlighted its plug-and-play packaging manufacturing solutions targeting markets in Asia at Highly-Functional Material Week Tokyo 2026 (Sep 30 – Oct 2). Ryo Himuro, senior business development specialist at Avery Dennison said local producers balance environmental sustainability demands with expectations for extreme production speed. 
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Next-gen packaging reshapes bakery aisle
Innova Market Insights data indicates that bakery packaging launches grew at a CAGR of 4% from July 2021 to June 2026. Flat pouches were the leading format, with plastic remaining the top packaging material and carton gaining momentum. Recyclable was the leading sustainability claim, while responsible source claims continued to gain ground.
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Circular by design: unlocking sustainable packaging solutions
Meeting the global challenge of plastic waste and building a low-carbon and circular economy requires innovation, investment and collaboration. Read the LyondellBasell (LYB) white paper to explore how smart packaging design can help optimize packaging performance, reduce material complexity, improve recyclability and support circularity goals.This Technical Paper is brought to you by LyondellBasell.
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Material Week Tokyo 2026: Brückner Group highlights film stretching and testing systems in Japan
Christian Stadler, sales director, Eastern Hemisphere at Brückner Servtec, and Boris Pasternack, head of sales, East Asia, at Brückner Machinenbau, stress the growing importance of the Japanese market for the German plastic and packaging group. They highlight stretching equipment and systems for testing and developing packaging films.

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Duo Packaging launches graphene-enhanced PE film to boost strength and recycled...
bag
Duo Packaging has launched a graphene-based PE flexible packaging film for retail and e-commerce bags in partnership with the University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), UK. The film solution, 2DPE, incorporates recycled content while maintaining tensile strength and tear resistance properties. Graphene is an extremely thin form of carbon that comes from the naturally occurring mineral graphite. 
Mondi brings vibrant digital printing to brown paper packaging
Mondi packaging
Mondi has developed a digital print packaging solution for brown paper packaging. The offering uses multi-color digital printing technology, which results in defined colors and contrast on brown substrate, according to the company. Applying a white underprint is also possible, the paper packaging provider highlights.  The printing and packaging solution supports the market launch of a Kärcher push sweeper for pavements and roads. Mondi says it designed the brown paper packaging to help communicate the product’s recycling content inclusion and to meet the brand’s requirements for packaging impact and print quality.   
EU drafts waste export list as Tomra urges recycling investment
Container ship moving through Istanbul
The European Commission (EC) has published a draft list of countries outside the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that could be allowed to import non-hazardous waste from the EU after May 2027, under the Waste Shipment Regulation. Non-hazardous waste includes recovered paper and cardboard, metal scrap, glass, and certain textiles and rubber, depending on composition and contamination levels. 
Pack Expo 2026: Syntegon debuts modular NeXt packaging automation in North...
two factory operators
Syntegon is launching two modular machine platforms targeting food manufacturers at Pack Expo 2026 in Chicago, US (October 18–21). The machines are part of Syntegon’s NeXt range for the food industry, and their launch marks NeXt’s North America debut.At the trade show, Syntegon will demonstrate its new HFX flow-wrapping platform for primary packaging and TRX topload cartoning platform for secondary packaging. The two machines are compatible with Syntegon’s robotic pick-and-place platform. 
ALPLA expands US plastic bottle production with Las Vegas plant
packaging facility
Alpenplastik Lehner Alwin (ALPLA) is set to open a plant in Las Vegas, US, to strengthen its production of plastic bottles for domestic consumers by providing access to “major transportation corridors and regional distribution networks.” “This investment represents an important step in ALPLA’s long-term North American growth strategy,” says Tasos Pourloukakis, regional managing director at ALPLA North America. 
Abolis CEO: How microbial intelligence reduces food fermentation trial-and-error
female scientist with fermentation tanks

Food Ingredients First

F&B manufacturers using fermentation and other microbial processes can produce large amounts of biological and process data, yet still struggle to understand why these systems behave a certain way, what to test next, or whether a promising approach will translate successfully to industrial scale.
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Packaging & Technology News
Material Week Tokyo 2026 live: Oji showcases bio-based...
Oji Holdings, one of Japan's largest paper, pulp, and packaging companies, is presenting an array of solutions at the ongoing Highly-Functional Material Week in Tokyo 2026 (September 30 – October 2). On the show floor, Packaging Insights catches up with Vipavan Sae Gang, manager at Oji Paper, a subsidiary of Oji Holdings, to discuss the company's material innovations, which span food containers for fresh food products and fabrics aimed at replacing conventional bubble wrap. 
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Packaging & Technology News
Material Week Tokyo 2026 live: Cargill presents...
Cargill Bioindustrial is presenting its Incroflo P50 additive for polymers at the Highly-Functional Material Week trade show in Tokyo, Japan (September 30–October 2). The 86% bio-based Incroflo P50 can be added to polymers for food-contact film packaging to aid processing. “Our specialty polymer additives can help reduce static discharge, improve scratch resistance, increase output rates, and optimize manufacturing processes,” a spokesperson at Cargill Bioindustrial tells Packaging Insights. The bio-based solutions business unit within Cargill outlines that its processing aid is engineered to replace conventional fluoropolymer additives in the extrusion of linear low-density PE, while improving polymer flow and reducing melt fracture effects such as sharkskin. 
Woman holding a white bottle toward the camera, framed by lush green leaves in a soft-focus background.
Technical paper
Circular by design: unlocking sustainable packaging...
Meeting the global challenge of plastic waste and building a low-carbon and circular economy requires innovation, investment and collaboration. Read the LyondellBasell (LYB) white paper to explore how smart packaging design can help optimize packaging performance, reduce material complexity, improve recyclability and support circularity goals.This Technical Paper is brought to you by LyondellBasell.

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Trends in AI use for packaging manufacturingOct2026

Innova Market Insights data indicates that more manufacturers are launching products in new packaging formats. The growing number of formats, materials, and sustainability requirements is creating mor...

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Caps & closures reimagined Sep 2026

Innova Market Insights data indicates that product launches have increased over the past two years, with reclosable claims showing particularly strong growth, reaching a +15% CAGR from July 2021 to June 2026. As reclosability gains momentum, caps and closures are becoming an increasingly important area for packaging innovation.

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Next-gen packaging reshapes bakery aisleSep 2026

Innova Market Insights data indicates that bakery packaging launches grew at a CAGR of 4% from July 2021 to June 2026. Flat pouches were the leading format, with plastic remaining the top packaging material and carton gaining momentum. Recyclable was the leading sustainability claim, while responsible source claims continued to gain ground.

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Material Week Tokyo 2026: Brückner Group highlights film stretching and testing systems in Japan

Christian Stadler, sales director, Eastern Hemisphere at Brückner Servtec, and Boris Pasternack, head of sales, East Asia, at Brückner Machinenbau, stress the growing importance of the Japanese market for the German plastic and packaging group. They highlight stretching equipment and systems for...

Dr. Shekhar Nath, Hindalco Industries
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Material Week Tokyo 2026 live: Hindalco presents ceramic solutions for pharma glass
Bahar Koyuncu, CBE JU
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CBE JU highlights bio-based packaging projects including fiber bubble wrap
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Video22:13
SIG on advancing aseptic packaging through lightweighting and innovation
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