May in review: Amcor-Berry merger, PepsiCo scraps reuse targets, Top Packaging Trends 2025

May in review: Amcor-Berry merger, PepsiCo scraps reuse targets, Top Packaging Trends 2025

In May, Amcor finalized its business combination with Berry Global, and PepsiCo canceled its packaging reuse targets for 2030. Meanwhile, China published its packaging regulations to slash express delivery waste and digital watermarking experts explored mechanical recycling’s untapped potential. In innovation, Tata Steel launched its steel decarbonization campaign, while KHS and Husky Technologies developed one of the lightest PET bottles for still beverages. Ahead of Packaging Insights’ Top Packaging Trends 2025 webinar this week, we sat down with our expert speakers to explore the industry’s future. 
Fighting food waste with Graphic Packaging International, Huhtamaki and Stora Enso
Fighting food waste with Graphic Packaging International, Huhtamaki and Stora Enso
As the food packaging industry shifts toward circular, recyclable solutions, packagers must ensure that they still provide adequate protection to preserve product shelf life and alleviate food waste. We sit down with experts at Graphic Packaging International, Huhtamaki, and Stora Enso to discuss how to achieve a balance between food protection and packaging recyclability. Advanced barrier coatings are among the top innovations packaging companies are developing to reduce food waste and facilitate the transition to more sustainable packaging. Businesses are expanding paperboard’s packaging potential by supporting sensitive and demanding products such as food and liquids, improving packaging integrity and structure, and increasing shelf life. 
Recycling in Brazil: Researcher warns of inactive urban waste sector and calls for transparency
Recycling in Brazil: Researcher warns of inactive urban waste sector and calls for transparency
Recycling and waste systems in Brazil are unlikely to reach regulatory targets despite recent infrastructure improvements, according to Tadeu Junior de Castro Gonçalves, researcher at the faculty of accounting, Federal Rural University of the Amazon. Brazil’s main recycling regulations are the National Solid Waste Plan (Planares) and the National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS — Law No. 12.305/2010).
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.
Pakka talks compostable packaging challenges and opportunities
Pakka talks compostable packaging challenges and opportunities

Indian packaging company Pakka produces home-compostable solutions for food applications, using sugarcane residue (bagasse) as its primary material. We speak to Pranay Pasricha, Brand and Marketing head at Pakka, about how the company ensures compostability, the markets it is targeting, and the concept of regenerative packaging.

IFFA 2025 review: Protein ingredient, processing & packaging innovation
IFFA 2025 review: Protein ingredient, processing & packaging innovation
(Alt-)protein ingredient systems for enhancing flavor, texture, and shelf life proliferated at IFFA 2025 in Frankfurt, Germany, as the industry contends with environmental and economic challenges. Automation, robotics, and digital monitoring tools elevated the productivity and efficiency of meat and plant-based ingredient processing and packaging. We reflect on the key innovations in protein ingredients and machinery solutions at this year’s event amid spiking consumer interest in human and planetary health.

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Tomra Recycling unveils next-gen X-ray sorting for high-purity recycled wood
Tomra's X-Tract
Sensor-based sorting solutions company Tomra Recycling has unveiled its latest-generation X-Tract unit, capable of detecting and separating wood waste from impurities — such as inert materials, metals, heavy plastics, and glass — based on atomic density.Tomra’s sorting system can process up to 30 metric tons of wood chips per hour, depending on material conditions such as moisture content and grain size.
Cadbury releases color-changing chocolate bar wraps for summer range
chocolate bar
Mondelēz International’s Cadbury has launched color-changing packaging for its limited-edition summer chocolate bar range. The Chill to Reveal campaign uses thermochromic technology to reveal a deep blue coloring when chilled. Available from June, the Cadbury Dairy Milk Summer Edition depicts four summer-themed designs: deck chairs, umbrellas, kites, and inflatables.
Eco-Products equips US baseball venue with compostable foodservice packs
The entrance of a ball park
Eco-Products, a Novolex brand and foodservice packaging provider, has announced it is the Official Zero Waste Partner of the San Francisco Giants, a US baseball team based in California. The collaboration brings Eco-Products’ compostable products to Oracle Park, the home of the baseball team, to support San Francisco Giants’ environmental efforts.Eco-Products’ Controls Intended to Remove Contamination Program offers open-source tools for the stadium to reduce non-compostables in organics streams.
Plastic particles in F&B products harm human health, research finds
Researcher in a lab
Microscopic plastic particles found in F&B may affect glucose metabolism and harm organs such as the liver, according to a new animal study. The findings, presented during the ongoing Nutrition 2025 conference (May 31–June 3), point to the need for more research. The researchers gave mice a daily dose of polystyrene nanoparticles (<100 nm) in addition to their standard rodent diet. Polystyrene is a commonly used plastic in food packaging and products. 
ExxonMobil and Winpack launch PCR stretch film is response to Chile’s EPR push
polymer film roll
ExxonMobil has partnered with Winpack, a Chilean packaging company, to develop high-performance stretch films that meet the growing demand for materials aligned with Chile’s EPR laws.The two companies produced manual and automatic seven-layer stretch films containing up to 50% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content and ExxonMobil’s signature polymers without compromising performance or processing efficiency.
PLMA 2025 review: Industry spotlights alternative protein, dairy and clean label amid plant-based boom
The PLMA show floor.

Food Ingredients First

Shifting consumer expectations toward healthier, more sustainable, and creatively indulgent food choices was the focus at this year’s Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) trade show in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (May 20-21). Plant-based proteins, climate-conscious ingredients, and hybrid combinations took center stage on the show floor as manufacturers presented innovations such as algae-based egg replacers and hybrid dairy products.
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Packaging & Technology News

Webinar preview: Top Packaging Trends 2025

Ahead of Packaging Insights’ Top Packaging Trends 2025 webinar on Wednesday next week, we sit down with our expert speakers, Edward Kosior, founder and CEO at Nextek, Tey Bannerman, partner at McKinsey & Company, and Alisa Selezneva, senior market analyst at Innova Market Insights. You can register for the webinar for free here. Kosior highlights design for AI-powered waste sorting as a key industry development. “One of the fundamental shifts will be a focus on designing packaging with readily recognizable, stereotypical attributes that allow packages to be easily identified by AI sorting systems as recyclable/food-contact/monopolymeric,” he explains. 

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Business News

PepsiCo’s reusable packaging rethink stirs waste management debate

PepsiCo has scrapped its 20% reusable packaging by 2030 target. Instead, the beverage giant will now follow a broader agenda aimed at 97% of its packaging being reusable, recyclable, or compostable by the same deadline. The company plans to focus on key packaging markets “where it anticipates its initiatives will have the greatest positive effect,” but waste management associations and environmental NGOs are voicing mixed responses to the change. Dan Cooke, director of Policy and External Affairs for the Circular Economy Institute and Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), tells Packaging Insights that PepsiCo’s intention to further reduce its use of virgin plastic and improve packaging design to be more reusable, recyclable, and compostable is welcome from a circularity and resource-efficiency perspective. 

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Special report

Top Packaging Trends 2025: AI-enhanced “Connected Platforms” to advance circular economy

Innova Market Insights has revealed its Top Packaging Trends 2025, with “Connected Platforms” taking center stage. Connected technologies are widely expected to transform the packaging value chain, from waste management to brand-consumer engagement, by converting packaging into digitalized platforms. The emergence of AI systems will enhance and expedite this industry shakeup.

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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.

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Pakka talks compostable packaging challenges and opportunities

Indian packaging company Pakka produces home-compostable solutions for food applications, using sugarcane residue (bagasse) as its primary material. We speak to Pranay Pasricha, Brand and Marketing head at Pakka, about how the company ensures compostability, the markets it is targeting, and the...

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IFFA 2025: Ishida Europe launches QX-800 traysealer for high-volume production
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