Coveris banner promoting Packaging Innovations 2026, featuring recyclable packaging products and event details for 11–12 February at NEC Birmingham, Stand J114.
Packaging Innovations 2026 live: Aptar Beauty unveils recyclable and EPR-ready solutions

Packaging Innovations 2026 live: Aptar Beauty unveils recyclable and EPR-ready solutions

At Packaging Innovations 2026 in Birmingham, UK, Packaging Insights speaks with Michael Hoer, regional platform manager at Aptar Beauty, business segment of Aptar Group, about how the company’s solutions are evolving in response to emerging market and regulatory trends. From the show floor, Hoer tells us a primary focus of this year’s tradeshow is to advance sustainability in personal care packaging, with brands “developing hair care, sun care and body care applications produced using fully recycled materials.” 
Fresh produce packagers innovate to expand shelf life, safety & lightweighting
Fresh produce packagers innovate to expand shelf life, safety & lightweighting
Food waste reduction, freshness, and safety are central to packaging decisions for fresh produce, according to industry experts. Meanwhile, environmental concerns are pushing packagers toward lightweighting, reuse, and paper-based solutions. Packaging Insights speaks to Ampacet, Avantium, Avery Dennison, DS Smith, and WRAP about the key factors shaping the fresh produce packaging space. 
Bain & Company warns paper packaging industry faces structural overcapacity
Bain & Company warns paper packaging industry faces structural overcapacity
Bain & Company’s 2026 Paper & Packaging Report identifies challenges in how paper packaging stakeholders operate and respond to structural overcapacity, input cost volatility, and weak demand across sectors. The global consultancy outlines three priorities that companies should focus on to improve their performance: focus on capacity, accelerate AI adoption for efficiency, and stronger commercial execution to protect margins. 
Packaging Insights’ sweet spot: Confectionery picks
Packaging Insights’ sweet spot: Confectionery picks
Confectionery launches showed a 2% year-over-year growth between October 2023 and September 2025, according to Innova Market Insights data. Nearly half of the launches occurred in flat pouches, and more than half were packaged in plastic. Meanwhile, launches featuring carbon labeling claims gained ground.
ISM & ProSweets 2026: Vemag leverages automation for confectionery pack production
ISM & ProSweets 2026: Vemag leverages automation for confectionery pack production
At ISM and ProSweets 2026, Vemag showed how manufacturers can scale production without compromising quality. We explore how precision filling, flexible portioning, and versatile equipment support customization, reduce waste, and improve energy efficiency with Vemag’s managing director Christoph Thelen.
Packaging industry 2025: Most read stories
Packaging industry 2025: Most read stories
In 2025, packaging faced tightening regulations, rising scrutiny over environmental claims, and accelerated digitalization, with the integration of AI and connected platforms gaining traction. Meanwhile, cost pressures, consumer priorities, and legal risk led some major brands to scale back or rethink sustainability targets. We look back at the year’s top read stories.

Latest headlines

View more
France misses plastic reduction targets, non-profit urges stronger municipal...
France misses plastic reduction targets, non-profit urges stronger municipal action
Zero Waste France has urged municipalities to use their regional powers to curb single-use plastic ahead of local elections in March. The NGO suggests that local authorities are well placed to accelerate progress through their proximity to residents, regulatory powers, and capacity to promote initiatives such as DRS. As a result, municipalities are positioned as a “decisive lever to transform the fight against single-use plastic into a daily reality,” while national legislation aims to eliminate all single-use plastic packaging by 2040. 
Coveris sells Business Unit Paper to focus on EMEA region
Coveris sells Business Unit Paper to focus on EMEA region
Coveris is selling its labels and board business (Business Unit Paper) to the US private equity firm Kingswood Capital Management. The deal was signed in January, is subject to customary completion undertakings, and is expected to close within the first quarter of 2026. The former Business Unit Paper operated as a stand-alone entity under its previous name, Paragon Print and Packaging. The deal amount has not been disclosed, Coveris tells Packaging Insights. 
Henkel and Sekab scale bio-based adhesives
Henkel and Sekab scale bio-based adhesives
Henkel Adhesive Technologies has collaborated with Swedish chemical company Sekab to accelerate the transition from fossil-based to bio-based raw materials in adhesive production. The partnership aims to replace conventional ethyl acetate with a bio-based alternative.By integrating renewable raw materials into product formulations as a drop-in solution, Henkel aims to support customers in achieving their climate goals and reduce its own environmental footprint.
Amcor supports Inis hair care expansion with lightweight packaging range
Amcor supports Inis hair care expansion with lightweight packaging range
Amcor has equipped Fragrances of Ireland with a range of plastic bottles and flexible tubes to support the company’s expansion of its signature brand, Inis the Energy of the Sea, into hair care solutions. The range includes a 150 mL bottle and pump, a 300 mL bottle, and a 250 mL flexible tube for Fragrances of Ireland’s new shampoo, conditioner, and spray. The bottle and spray are made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), while the flexible tube is a mix of HDPE and linear low-density polyethylene, and the closures are polypropylene. 
Deliveroo launches compostable takeaway box
Deliveroo launches compostable takeaway box
Deliveroo has launched a PLA-lined paperboard takeaway box, designed by students from Sheffield Hallam University, UK, and produced by Biopak. The paper-based solution is biodegradable and can be composted in food waste streams, where applicable. The box’s lining is made from a plant-based material, and the design features a new locking mechanism. 
GLP-1 reshapes UK consumption: Why is dairy positioned to win?
GLP-1 reshapes UK consumption: Why is dairy positioned to win?

Food Ingredients First

Analysis from the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) finds that the increased use of weight loss and appetite-suppressant drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro presents key opportunities for the country’s dairy industry. The research comes amid rising GLP-1 adoption, which is heavily influencing how protein-rich products like milk, cream, yogurt, and cottage cheese feature in diets, as consumers seek F&B that delivers more nutrition per bite.
Highlighted features
Image
Regulatory News
Japan steps up recycled content, campaigners urge greater...
Japan is accelerating efforts to increase recycled content in F&B packaging as part of its national plastic reduction agenda. However, Hiroaki Odachi, plastic campaigner at Greenpeace Japan, tells us that the country’s packaging policies should focus on reuse to achieve a circular economy shift.Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has revised its guidelines for the Task Force on Plastic Container and Packaging Resource Circulation in the Food Sector, confirming that a public–private task force will be convened to discuss and examine strategies, with a focus on expanding the use of recycled plastics.
Image
Packaging & Technology News
Plastic Recyclers Europe welcomes EU vote on SUPD...
Today at the European Commission (EC), the Waste Technical Adaptation Committee for the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) is voting on the draft implementing decision on recycled plastic content in single-use plastic beverage bottles. We sit down with a spokesperson at Plastic Recyclers Europe (PRE) who tells us the outcome of the vote will determine the timeline of its implementation. “In case of a positive vote, the EC is expected to adopt the measure without delay,” they share.
Image
Packaging & Technology News
Henkel acquires Stahl for €2.1B to expand specialty...
Henkel has purchased the Dutch Stahl Group for €2.1 billion (US$2.5 billion) from the majority owner, Wendel SE, a French investment firm. Through the acquisition, Henkel gains access to Stahl’s high-performance specialty coatings for flexible materials used in packaging. Stahl’s portfolio includes leather finishing coatings, performance coatings, as well as high-performance paper packaging and graphics coatings. 

Packaging focus

View more
Image

Fresh produce packs reinventedFeb2026

Innova Market Insights data reveals that consumers increasingly prioritize packaging that preserves freshness when cooking at home. This preference drives brands to innovate in fresh fruit and vegetab...

Brought to you by:

Innova Market Insights

Product innovation

View more
Image

Valentine’s Day food packaging Feb 2026

According to Innova Market Insights data, food product packaging launches for Valentine’s Day recorded a 14% CAGR between October 2020 and September 2025. Confectionery accounted for more than two-thirds of these launches. Nearly half were packed in folded boxes, and 71% in plastic.

Trend analysis

View more
Image

Packaging Insights’ sweet spot: Confectionery picksFeb 2026

Confectionery launches showed a 2% year-over-year growth between October 2023 and September 2025, according to Innova Market Insights data. Nearly half of the launches occurred in flat pouches, and more than half were packaged in plastic. Meanwhile, launches featuring carbon labeling claims gained ground.

Multimedia

View more
Image
Video04:19
ISM & ProSweets 2026: Vemag leverages automation for confectionery pack production

At ISM and ProSweets 2026, Vemag showed how manufacturers can scale production without compromising quality. We explore how precision filling, flexible portioning, and versatile equipment support customization, reduce waste, and improve energy efficiency with Vemag’s managing director Christoph...

Image
Video06:10
ISM & ProSweets 2026 live: Papacks reveals next-gen molded fiber packaging
Image
Video09:51
MD&M West live: Plastic Ingenuity talks sustainable thermoforming tech
Image
Video19:09
Duni Group expands reuse systems as regulatory support increases
Subscribe to our newsletters
PlatformsFood Ingredients FirstNutrition InsightPackaging InsightsPersonal Care InsightsThe World of Food Ingredients
About usContact usAdvertisingPrivacy statementSitemapArchive
Follow us
linkedinrss_headergoogle_news
Image