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Material Week Tokyo 2026 review: Japan’s plastics policies drive innovation

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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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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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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Billerud upgrades Flute to boost strength and cut packaging weight
oranges on containerboard
Billerud has introduced the New Billerud Flute, an updated corrugated packaging with higher compression strength that enables lighter weight and reduced material use. The New Billerud Flute has been on the market for nearly two decades and has faced multiple upgrades. Now, new headbox technology at the company’s Gruvön site in Sweden further optimizes fiber formation, resulting in higher compression strength and greater lightweighting potential. 
ACG tackles pharma recyclability gap with PP blister
ACG's RecycloPod PP Ultra
ACG has launched the RecycloPod PP Ultra blister packaging with high moisture and oxygen barrier protection and a design for recyclability. ACG developed RecycloPod PP Ultra alongside its customers to use a PP/ethylene vinyl alcohol/PP forming structure. The company says this results in a water vapor transmission rate of less than 0.60 g per square meter per day and an oxygen transmission rate of less than 0.20 cubic cm per square meter per day. 
Ardagh aluminum can brings convenience to alcohol-free wine launch
AMP's can for wine
Ardagh Metal Packaging (AMP) has supplied a 250 mL wine can for the launch of BarLoca, an alcohol-free wine by Royal Swinkels. BarLoca Bianco and Rosso are now available in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany in a semi-matt can created for wines. The can design keeps light and air out and includes an interior lining specially designed to preserve the quality and taste of wine, as described by the packaging provider. 
Poor packaging design undermines waste-picker earnings, industry report finds
indonesia, waste pickers, informal waste management, picking up waste for recycling, asia, ocean pollution
A recent report by the Consumer Goods Forum, a global industry organization, has revealed the importance of recyclable packaging design for waste pickers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In many LMICs, informal waste pickers collect and sort millions of metric tons of plastic waste annually. The report highlights how their livelihoods are linked to the value of the materials they collect, meaning materials that are difficult to recycle are likely to reduce earnings. 
Tetra Pak enters ice cream packaging category with 85% paper wrap
person opens ice cream packaging
Tetra Pak has advanced into the ice cream category with its new Ice Cream Wrap made from up to 85% paper. The company says the packaging solution responds to increasing consumer interest in environmentally conscious packaging in the ice cream category.  Peter Lindstrom, VP for Food Solutions at Tetra Pak, comments: “Ice cream is one of the world’s most loved food categories, and innovation now extends beyond flavors and formats. Packaging is becoming an increasingly important way for brands to differentiate, attract attention, and respond to changing consumer expectations.”  
Innova Market Insights’ top 2027 F&B trends: Nutrient density, protein quality...
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Food Ingredients First

Innova Market Insights has unveiled its “Top 10 Trends for 2027.” Every year, Innova compiles its top ten F&B trends, based on direct consumer research to identify shifts in behavior and preference, as well as on product launches and on-pack information from the market.
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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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Packaging & Technology News
September in review: Industry navigates decarbonization,...
In September, the packaging industry continued to navigate supply chain, market, and sustainability challenges, with companies taking different approaches across packaging formats. We explored the competing pathways to packaging decarbonization, from PET’s carbon footprint to bio-based additives, as well as the practical challenges facing flexible packaging and machinery manufacturers as recyclability demands evolve.We also examined regulatory developments across the UK, EU, US, and Latin America, including diverging approaches to recyclability, the expansion of EPR, and new rules around packaging claims.

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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.

Trend analysis

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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
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CBE JU highlights bio-based packaging projects including fiber bubble wrap
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SIG on advancing aseptic packaging through lightweighting and innovation
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