EU–UK deal: Masterpress discusses industry competition and sustainability impact

The EU and the UK have concluded a Defence and Security Partnership dialogue to boost trade and cooperation. The EU-based printing and labels specialist Masterpress tells us how the deal can improve predictability in trade flows post-Brexit and reduce regulatory friction, allowing more confident business planning and investment. 

Masterpress is a manufacturer of shrink sleeves and self-adhesive labels produced with various printing techniques and chiefly targeting the EU and UK markets.

Packaging Insights speaks to Gabriel Magdaleno, strategic product management and marketing director at Masterpress, about how he expects the new EU–UK deal to affect cross-industry packaging collaboration and environmental sustainability innovation.

How does the new EU-UK trade deal reshape the packaging industry across both markets?

Magdaleno: The trade deal marks a significant step forward in easing post-Brexit friction, especially for industries like ours that operate across borders. For the packaging sector, the biggest change is improved predictability in trade flows. 

With reduced regulatory hurdles and a renewed push for mutual cooperation, businesses like Masterpress are better positioned to plan and invest confidently. Moreover, easier trade also opens the doors to closer cross-industry collaboration and innovation with UK companies — two key drivers of the transition toward more environmentally sustainable packaging. 

Can you tell us more about the impact of the Common Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Area on F&B packaging?

Magdaleno: The establishment of a Common SPS Area would simplify the movement of goods that previously faced delays due to differing inspection standards and potentially expand EU–UK F&B trade.

For packaging companies based in the EU, like Masterpress, this should result in increased demand for packaging materials and solutions tailored to these products. 

How do you expect the trade deal to impact supply chain efficiency and cross-industry collaboration?

Magdaleno: Masterpress hopes to be a leading facilitator of cross-industry collaboration and innovation along the transition toward sustainable packaging. With that in mind, we foresee a notable improvement in supply chain resilience and speed. 

By reducing customs red tape and aligning key standards, the agreement opens the door to tighter integration with companies across the packaging value chain, including raw material suppliers, on both sides. 

In June of last year, we helped our German partner, Siegwerk, launch its first full UV flexo deinking system for the European market: Cirkit Clear Prime UV E02. The new primer technology for non-food packaging applications offers a validated solution for the safe and economic deinking of UV-printed self-adhesive labels — shaping circular economy solutions for the packaging supply chain. 

We want to build similar partnerships with our UK partners and guide the industry along the journey toward sustainable packaging. 

How do you expect the deal to impact the push for more environmentally sustainable packaging?

Magdaleno: While the trade deal provides new business opportunities, we must not forget about the commitment to the sustainable packaging transition. The competitor mindset has been a key barrier in our industry’s ability to make progress in this transition, as seen, for instance, in the case of reusable packaging. 

Too often, reuse systems fail because they’re fragmented — unique designs require bespoke collection and cleaning processes, making them inefficient and costly. The path forward is standardization. By aligning on shared packaging formats, we can streamline logistics, reduce complexity, and accelerate the broader adoption of reuse models. 

We hope that these challenges will be addressed in this next chapter of the EU–UK packaging trade, and we want to play an active role in shaping that chapter toward a more sustainable and competitive European packaging industry. 

Has Masterpress engaged in any new cross-industry collaborations across the EU and the UK in response to this deal?

Magdaleno: We’re currently in the process of conducting a deeper analysis of the deal’s impact on our operations and broader strategy, thus it’s too early today to point to any new business avenues.

However, the UK is an important market for Masterpress, and we are open to exploring future opportunities with potential partners across the UK who are proactively engaged in the sustainable packaging transition.