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African Development Bank: Tackling waste management challenges with regulations and investments

African Development Bank: Tackling waste management challenges with regulations and investments

Effective waste management strategies across Africa continue to be hindered by imported waste, lack of recycling infrastructure, and fragmented policies, according to Sarra Ovuike, chemicals and waste specialist consultant for the African Development Bank (AfDB). She argues that financial investment from private entities, like the AfDB, can positively impact the development of local waste management streams and the work of waste pickers in Africa. Packaging Insights speaks to Ovuike about Africa’s waste management challenges, including fractured policy and “deeply rooted challenges” that hinder progress toward efficient packaging recycling infrastructure.
Meat and fish packaging: Balancing functionality and fiber amid demands for safety and recyclability
Meat and fish packaging: Balancing functionality and fiber amid demands for safety and recyclability
Retailers and packaging providers are increasingly creating meat and fish packaging that reduces plastic but does not compromise functionality or shelf life. Meat and fish packaging must protect and preserve products during transport and display in supermarkets.Packaging Insights speaks to Sealpac and Cirkla about their latest packaging innovations, aiming to reduce plastic, highlighting the meat and fish packaging industry’s unique challenges of providing safety, functionality, and protection.
World Refill Day: City to Sea presses for reuse laws and national systems in UK
World Refill Day: City to Sea presses for reuse laws and national systems in UK
While UK consumers are increasingly open to refillable packaging, businesses and infrastructure are failing to keep pace, says Celine Deschamps, program lead at City to Sea, a Bristol-based environmental organization focused on reducing plastic waste.To mark World Refill Day, Packaging Insights speaks with Deschamps about the current growth of refillable packaging in the UK. “We’re calling for legally binding reuse targets — specifically a 30% refill and reuse target by 2030 (30x30) — and for a portion of EPR fees to be ringfenced to fund a national reuse infrastructure.”
Circular Economy: Metals
Circular Economy: Metals
Innova Market Insights data reveals a 2% increase in packaging using metal materials with sustainable claims from April 2020 to March 2025. Tin was the leading packaging format among these launches, offering durability and eco-conscious appeal.
Top Packaging Trends 2025: How can businesses navigate new sustainability regulations?
Top Packaging Trends 2025: How can businesses navigate new sustainability regulations?
Join us as we explore Innova Market Insights’ Top Packaging Trends 2025 in this exclusive webinar. The global market researcher’s senior analyst, Alisa Selezneva, shares exclusive insights behind this year’s leading trends, which are dominated by the intensifying regulatory and consumer demand for environmentally responsible packaging. We are joined by leading experts Edward Kosior, CEO and founder at Nextek, and Tey Bannerman, partner at McKinsey & Company, as they debate the packaging industry’s latest big developments, from the emergence of AI in waste management to innovation in sustainable materials and systems. 
Michigan State University professor highlights new packaging center  
Michigan State University professor highlights new packaging center  

We sit down with Dr. Muhammad Rabnawaz, a professor at the Michigan State University’s School of Packaging, to discuss its new Center for Plastic, Paper, and Hybrid Packaging End-of-Life Solutions (C3PS). The School of Packaging’s C3PS works with the industry, academics, and government leaders to tackle plastic waste and plastic-coated paper waste challenges.

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Beyond The Headlines: Amcor’s shrink bag launch, Nestlé’s AI marketing campaign
Butterball Amcor's pack
This week in industry news, Amcor launched its Perflex shrink bag packaging design for Butterball’s turkey breast, and Nestlé introduced an AI-based marketing campaign that digitally “adjusts and localizes” product packaging. Meanwhile, JBT Marel’s Proseal announced the launch of its XTP Automatic Tray Sealer, and TotalEnergies publicized the acquisition of Petronas’ interests in multiple offshore oil and gas blocks in Malaysia and Indonesia.
James Cropper backs children’s book made from recycled coffee cups 
A picture book
James Cropper has supported the debut children’s book “Little Coffee Cup and the Big Surprise,” which is the first of its kind to be printed on paper made from recycled coffee cups using the group’s Cupcycling process.Each copy of the 36-page book is made from approximately 13 used coffee cups collected across the UK and processed at James Cropper’s facility at Burneside Mill in the country’s Lake District.
Modepack introduces lignin-based mailers to cut carbon emissions
A person holding a white shirt from a bag
European packaging manufacturer Modepack has launched the Lignin Mailing Bag, an environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional packaging crafted from a blend of post-consumer recycled LDPE and Lignin Industries’ Renol, a bio-based thermoplastic derived from lignin.The product is the result of a collaboration between Modepack and Swedish start-up Lignin Industries. 
Spectra equips cleaning company with prevented ocean plastic reusable bottles
hand wash bottle
Spectra has supplied Bumboo, a household cleaning supplier, with its prevented ocean plastic (POP) and post-consumer recycled (PCR) reusable bottles. Bumboo’s latest bottles use the Spectra Tall Boston design, which has a 500 mL capacity, a 28/410 neck finish, and a trigger spray closure. In addition, the bottle is a translucent amber and carries a “one-pass print to complete the brand’s clean, minimal aesthetic.”
Study finds misleading labels cost Australians millions in food waste
A person holding a jar of red sauce.
A new study by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University (RMIT) and End Food Waste Australia has revealed that confusing food labels are prompting Australians to throw away edible food, underscoring label impact on consumer behavior and sustainability.The study, titled Date Labelling and Storage Advice Collective Intelligence Workshops: Position Paper, finds that unclear label design and inconsistent packaging are key drivers of food waste, costing Australian households up to AU$2,500 (US$1,630) annually.
H2Plus leverages electron-based tech to strip PFAS from beer without filters
Bearded brewery master holding glass of beer and evaluating its visual characteristics

Food Ingredients First

Water technology start-up H2Plus has developed a gas-based method for destroying Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or “forever chemicals” in water, which it says is applicable to beer. The method aims to bridge the gap for “real PFAS destruction” in beer beyond traditional filtration to offer manufacturers a scalable solution to eliminate contaminants without compromising taste, clarity, or product integrity.
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Regulatory News

New York State Assembly fails to pass Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act

New York State has not passed the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, which would have required the packaging industry to pay a tax for the disposal of plastic waste. Tuesday marked the end of the legislative session, but for the second consecutive year, the State Assembly did not hold a vote on the proposed law, even though, according to the US NGO Beyond Plastics, a sufficient number of lawmakers would have supported the bill if it had been brought to a vote.

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Regulatory News

UN Ocean Conference 2025: UNESCO urges marine literacy to tackle plastic pollution

The third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) has concluded with a joint call to expand marine protection and curb ocean pollution. The event has highlighted the role of education in changing consumer behavior, particularly in addressing packaging as a major source of plastic pollution.Packaging Insights speaks to Valentina Lovat, associate programme specialist at the Ocean Literacy project within UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), about how the IOC promotes ocean literacy and raises consumer awareness by integrating ocean sciences into standard education. We also discuss how young innovators can help reshape the packaging industry. 

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Packaging & Technology News

Environmental Packaging Summit 2025: Industry to talk carbon footprint, design and regulations

The seventh annual Environmental Packaging Summit is scheduled to take place in London, UK, June 24–25. Packaging industry experts will gather to explore the latest developments in packaging manufacturing, design, technology, sustainability, and supply chain opportunities. Packaging Insights discusses the upcoming event with featured speakers Tim Barbary, director and co-founder at Benchmark Consulting, which offers a CO2 estimation and quotation software solution for the packaging industry, and Martin Kersh, executive director of the Food Service Packaging Association (FPA).Barbary, who will highlight his company’s efforts to support the environmental sustainability of clients’ packaging solutions, says: “Benchmark’s software provides daily estimating for some of the larger converters of flexibles, labels, corrugates, and cartons.”

Packaging focus

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Compostable ChampionsJun2025

Innova Market Insights data reveals an 11% increase in compostable claims for global food and beverage launches from April 2020 to March 2024. Over half of these compostable packaging launches occurre...

Product innovation

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Circular Economy: Metals Jun 2025

Innova Market Insights data reveals a 2% increase in packaging using metal materials with sustainable claims from April 2020 to March 2025. Tin was the leading packaging format among these launches, offering durability and eco-conscious appeal.

Trend analysis

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Trends in soft drink packaging launchesJun 2025

Innova Market Insights data indicates a 3% average annual growth in Soft Drink packaging launches between 2020 to 2024. Over half (53%) were packaged in bottles, with plastic being the most commonly used material.

Multimedia

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Video09:36
Michigan State University professor highlights new packaging center  

We sit down with Dr. Muhammad Rabnawaz, a professor at the Michigan State University’s School of Packaging, to discuss its new Center for Plastic, Paper, and Hybrid Packaging End-of-Life Solutions (C3PS). The School of Packaging’s C3PS works with the industry, academics, and government leaders...

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Video12:46
Borro co-founder on scaling digital reuse systems at large venues
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Webinars56:07
Top Packaging Trends 2025: How can businesses navigate new sustainability regulations?
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Video17:42
Aduro Clean Technologies supports EU PPWR compliance through chemical recycling
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