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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.” 
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. 
The Future of Steel Drums: Building Sustainability Into Every Component
The Future of Steel Drums: Building Sustainability Into Every Component
From the steel body to the closures and linings, Greif offers a configurable solution that helps companies advance carbon reduction, chemical safety, and operational performance in one integrated package.This Technical Paper is brought to you by Greif.
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.
The biopolymer business evolution: How can packagers buy a market stronghold?
The biopolymer business evolution: How can packagers buy a market stronghold?

In the second of circularity consultant Paul Foulkes-Arellano’s Insider Views on the biomaterials market for packaging, he looks at how the industry will grow through acquisitions, investment in manufacturing, and big-ticket mergers and alliances. He also looks at why a reluctance to invest competitively is causing Europe to fall behind other global markets.

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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. 
January in review: Infant formula crisis, cultivated meat collapse, EU trade...
January in review: Infant formula crisis, cultivated meat collapse, EU trade deals

Food Ingredients First

In January 2026, a major recall of infant formula products unfolded across multiple countries due to contamination. The crisis, initially involving Nestlé, spread to other major companies like Lactalis and Danone, affecting a range of formula brands. The EU-Mercosur agreement sparked debate over its impact on European food supply chains, while the EU-India trade deal promised to slash tariffs on Indian exports, such as spices, tea, and processed foods.
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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.
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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.
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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. 

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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...

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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.

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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.

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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...

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ISM & ProSweets 2026 live: Papacks reveals next-gen molded fiber packaging
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MD&M West live: Plastic Ingenuity talks sustainable thermoforming tech
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