Arburg packaging banner featuring colorful molded plastic caps, a blueberry container, and the Arburg logo.
E-commerce seller packs order

EU weighs PPWR compliance relief as cross-border small businesses face costs

The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) has raised concerns among micro and small businesses selling across borders within the bloc with its authorized-representative requirements, part of its EPR rules, industry groups warn.   While EU lawmakers consider temporary relief for eligible businesses, industry stakeholders remain divided over how exemptions should work and how to ensure producers continue to meet their packaging waste obligations. 
woman working in a bakery, packing a pastry into a brown paper bag in a shop with various bread and pastries behind her
The cherry on top: Bakery packaging puts visual appeal at the center of recyclable design
Most bakery products require packaging that protects their delicate structure and intricate ingredients. Meanwhile, converging recyclability and consumer convenience trends are pushing manufacturers to balance these demands while maintaining bakery packaging’s visual appeal. Packaging Insights speaks to Coveris, Klöckner Pentaplast (KP), Korozo Group, and Solidus about current trends in the bakery packaging landscape, as well as prominent formats, and the challenges unique to the fragile nature of pastry and breads. 
Ryo Himuro
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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Pulpac on scaling dry molded fiber from pilot to commercial reality

Viktor Wingård Borgesson, chief operating officer at Pulpac, discusses scaling dry molded fiber technology from pilots to commercial production, competition with plastic and wet molded fiber, and recent partnerships. 

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Z1ro develops non-wood molded fiber pack to replace plastic and virgin pulp
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Z1ro, a France-based materials deep-tech company, has engineered bio-designed molded fiber packaging derived from non-wood biomass sources. Z1ro points out that many manufacturers remain dependent on virgin wood pulp, plastic materials, or emerging bio-based alternatives that often struggle with cost, scalability, or premium aesthetics. The company aims to deliver scalable alternatives to conventional wood pulp and plastic packaging. 
Pack Expo 2026: Evergreen by Novolex debuts dry filling machine and digital...
carton machine
Evergreen by Novolex is set to debut its SmartPour dry filling machine and EverIQ digital platform at Pack Expo 2026 in Chicago, US (Oct 18–21), tapping into convenience and digitalization trends. The SmartPour filling machine aims to help manufacturers reduce spills and inconsistent fills and is said to run 50 cartons per minute. 
Pulpex opens first commercial fiber bottle plant in the UK
A line of paper bottles
Pulpex has opened its first commercial manufacturing facility near Glasgow, UK, to scale up fiber-based solutions. The opening is said to represent the transition of Pulpex fiber bottle technology from pilot-scale production into commercial manufacturing.The site has an initial capacity of up to 40 million units per annum. According to the company, the facility has created 39 skilled manufacturing jobs.
Pack Expo 2026: APC to explore how geopolitics and EPR reshape flexible...
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American Packaging Corporation (APC) will examine how geopolitics and regulations have shaped the packaging industry over the past year and how their influence is expected to evolve in 2027, at the upcoming Pack Expo 2026 in Chicago, US (Oct 18–21). It is also set to present a range of flexible packaging solutions that respond to consumer and regulatory demands. Ahead of the show, Packaging Insights speaks with APC’s Kevin Bergeson, director of purchasing, Seth Holmen, VP of R&D and technical solutions, and Shawn Banaszak, corporate sustainability and compliance engineer, about how geopolitical shifts, tariffs, and regulations are reshaping global supply chains and material choices. 
SP Group buys majority stake in Livcer, targeting French pharma pack market
Rotor Print and Livcer representatives shake hands
Rotor Print, SP Group’s pharmaceutical packaging division, has expanded its industrial capacity and expanded its French market presence following the acquisition of a 51% stake in Livcer, a pharmaceutical packaging provider based in France. Livcer has now become a subsidiary of the Spanish SP Group and will operate under the management of Rotor Print. The deal adds Livcer’s three flexographic printing lines and 10 million square meters of annual pharmaceutical packaging production capacity to Rotor Print’s existing 90 million square meters.
Mars and HowGood-backed food carbon standard targets sourcing and Scope 3 data...
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Food Ingredients First

F&B companies face growing difficulty in comparing product emissions as suppliers rely on different footprinting methods and databases. Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and Wageningen University & Research (WUR) are now calling on businesses to help develop a common international GHG footprinting standard through the Global Sustainable Transition Alliance (GSTA).
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Packaging & Technology News
Material Week Tokyo 2026 review: Japan’s plastics policies...
At Highly Functional Material Week Tokyo 2026, Japan, 1,016 exhibitors spanning corporations, industry organizations, and research institutions, presented packaging innovations across films, plastics, metals, ceramics, and sustainable materials to approximately 35,811 visitors. Driven by the expansion of the regional packaging market, businesses are aligning their strategies with Japan’s accelerating plastics policies, as well as international regulations such as the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).
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Policy & regulation news
EU Parliament committee backs EPR reprieve for SME 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 micro, small, and medium 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. 
Container ship moving through Istanbul
Packaging & Technology News
EU drafts waste export list as Tomra urges recycling...
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. 

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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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Video15:30
Pulpac on scaling dry molded fiber from pilot to commercial reality

Viktor Wingård Borgesson, chief operating officer at Pulpac, discusses scaling dry molded fiber technology from pilots to commercial production, competition with plastic and wet molded fiber, and recent partnerships. 

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Video04:18
Material Week Tokyo 2026: Brückner Group highlights film stretching and testing systems in Japan
Dr. Shekhar Nath, Hindalco Industries
Video06:06
Material Week Tokyo 2026 live: Hindalco presents ceramic solutions for pharma glass
Bahar Koyuncu, CBE JU
Video16:12
CBE JU highlights bio-based packaging projects including fiber bubble wrap
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