Packaging Innovations 2026 preview: Industry responds to pEPR with data and functional designs

As Packaging Innovations 2026 in Birmingham, UK, approaches, packaging experts are gearing up to showcase solutions addressing regulatory change, functionality, and data-driven transformation.

Packaging Insights catches up with representatives from ATS-Tanner, Ecosurety, PakTech, and Tipa to explore the topics expected to dominate discussion at the trade show, and how exhibitors plan to drive these conversations forward.

“We expect a strong focus on sustainable packaging and material reduction. That means less plastic, more paper-based solutions, and designs that support recycling and monomaterial flows,” Mark Pugh, general manager at ATS-Tanner, tells us.

“On the production side, the trend is toward automation, flexible lines that handle many SKUs, and smarter end-of-line optimization. In that context, banding instead of full wrapping will stand out more, because it secures and bundles products with far less material.” 

Gary Tee, vice president of Global Converting at Tipa Compostable Packaging, adds that as regulations and infrastructure continue to evolve, the company provides “practical, scalable solutions” to help brands and customers stay ahead while delivering “the same, and often better, performance than what the market offers today.”

Regulatory catalyst 

This year marks the UK’s first full year under its packaging EPR (pEPR) scheme. The framework includes modulated fees and mandatory recyclability labeling, with flexibles following in 2027. Ecosurety, the country’s pEPR compliance scheme, expects to see “a noticeable shift” in packaging portfolios across the show.

Jon Brookes, partnership director at Ecosurety.Partnership director Jon Brookes tells us: “Ecosurety has always been about catalyzing change rather than being disrupted by it, led by our mission to rid the world of unnecessary packaging. We have been working proactively with our members — including many of the world’s leading brands and retailers — throughout the implementation of the pEPR.”

The tradeshow’s Innovation Gallery 2026 will spotlight ten packaging innovations standing out with their “original, impactful, and problem-solving” design. One of the ten solutions, Rightweight’s Mountain reduced-weight glass bottle range, was developed to support sustainability and pEPR objectives “without compromising strength or aesthetics.”

Brookes continues: “Alongside this, we will continue to lead initiatives that target some of the biggest opportunities for improving packaging circularity, including expanding reuse programs, supporting progress on flexible plastic recycling, and increasing consumer awareness of the impact of food contamination on recyclability.”

The Innovation Gallery 2026 also features Atera reusable tableware and food containers by eGreen International, made from the rice husk-based material Oryzite.

Brookes says that for Ecosurety’s customers across multiple sectors, improving packaging circularity also includes a move toward monomaterial formats, increased “paperization,” and a stronger focus on evidence-based recyclability to support robust RAM assessments with less reliance on unsupported environmental claims.

“We expect, and will be actively encouraging, more discussion and practical examples of the continued move towards reusable packaging, which is becoming an increasingly established part of the packaging landscape rather than a niche alternative,” he adds.

Eco-functionality in demand

Keenan Hoar-Perez, international sales manager at PakTech, expects environmental sustainability to be “front and center” at Packaging Innovations 2026, reflecting brands’ needs to meet the expectations of increasingly eco-conscious consumers.

Keenan Hoar-Perez international sales manager at PakTech.However, he adds: “sustainability isn’t the only thing on the agenda.”

“Functionality continues to be a top priority, particularly when it comes to solutions like secondary beverage multipacking. Packaging has to protect products, support easy transportation, maintain structural integrity throughout the supply chain, and ensure items arrive in perfect condition.”

“As a result, we anticipate to see strong momentum behind packaging solutions that successfully balance sustainability with performance.”

At the tradeshow, PakTech will offer multipack handles made from fully recycled high-density PE, sourced from post-consumer waste and fully recyclable. “This means they can be reintegrated into the value chain multiple times, supporting circular material flows and reducing waste to landfills and marine ecosystems.”

“And with performance remaining just as important, the handles were engineered to withstand extreme conditions throughout distribution and transportation.” 

Similarly, Innovia Films will exhibit its biaxially oriented PP and cast PP films for packaging, labels, graphics, and tobacco products, designed to replace traditional multimaterial laminates with monomaterial structures that improve recyclability.

Meanwhile, Pugh says that ATS-Tanner responds with banding solutions that support paper and recyclable band materials, run reliably at high speeds, and stay stable in demanding 24/7 operations.

“Flexibility is key: quick changeovers, easy handling of different product sizes, and robust performance on mixed-product lines. We also focus on process consistency and quality, like accurate band placement, controlled tension, and good print and barcode readability to support traceability and retail requirements.”

End-of-life solutions

Tee says Tipa plans to focus on solutions designed with use and disposal in mind.

Gary Tee, vice president of Global Converting at Tipa Compostable Packaging.He points to Tipa’s recently launched compostable labels, which the company will showcase at the show, and which he says are an example of where the industry is heading.

“Labels play a critical role at end-of-life, especially since consumers typically discard them together with food scraps. Most conventional labels contaminate organic waste streams, creating significant challenges for composting operations,” he explains.

“Tipa’s compostable labels directly address this gap by aligning packaging design with how waste systems actually function, and regulatory developments are increasingly pointing toward compostable labels as the preferred solution.”

The Innovation Gallery 2026 also highlights two compostable packaging formats: Futamura UK’s compostable sachet for liquid products and a new folded cartonboard range featuring the plastic-free Morro coating by Huhtamaki and Xampla.

High-quality data

Like most sectors, the packaging industry is seeing a growing importance of working with high-quality data and digital tools, including AI, notes Ecosurety’s Brookes. He says data efficiency can improve decision-making and business processes for multiple stakeholders.

Mark Pugh, general manager at ATS-Tanner.“At Ecosurety, our vision is clear: our software solutions are designed to remove much of the complexity and administrative burden of navigating packaging regulations, allowing businesses to focus instead on higher-value activity, from insight-led decision-making to developing genuinely transformative packaging strategies.”

“Across the packaging, resources, and waste value chain, we are already seeing strong examples of software playing a positive role, helping organizations work more efficiently while also delivering better outcomes for the environment.”

Last week, Packaging Insights spoke with Yaseed Chaumoo, managing director at Deepnest by Greyparrot, who explained how its AI platform for waste analytics measures packaging performance based on recovery rates.

ATS-Tanner’s Pugh says software is becoming more central because manufacturers want full transparency across performance and resources: “overall equipment effectiveness, scrap rates, energy use, maintenance, and material consumption.”

“We expect to see more solutions around monitoring, predictive maintenance, and line integration. For ATS-Tanner, this means stronger connectivity to line controls and clearer ways to make machine and process data available, so customers can improve performance and reduce waste faster.”