Packaging Innovations 2025 live: Colpac talks fiberization opportunities and challenges

At Packaging Innovations 2025, Colpac is presenting its latest sustainable food packaging solutions, including paperboard innovations and platters. On the show floor, Packaging Insights speaks with Colpac’s Andrew Grimbaldeston, managing director, and Talia Goldman, ESG director, about the F&B industry shifts toward fiber-based packaging. 

Colpac is showcasing its Stagione Light range, which is designed to display cold dishes in chiller cabinets. These containers feature a grease-resistant barrier and a webbed design, ensuring leakproof performance for packaging dressed salads. Additionally, they are suitable for serving hot meals.

“This range builds on the success of our standard Stagione product but features a slightly different format. It is lightweight to comply with the UK’s new EPR legislation, aiming to reduce packaging weight. Additionally, its flatter base provides a better platform for labeling, making it easier to apply labels than the traditional design,” says Grimbaldeston.

Platter innovation

Colpac is also showcasing new platter concepts designed to improve product visibility.

“We have a brand-new design that we are in the process of launching and testing,” shares Grimbaldeston. “This platter offers a slightly different style than the one that’s the norm in the food service world, where you can take the lid off. Consumer feedback suggests that this feature feels like it’s more of a luxury type product because it gives that ‘reveal’ moment.” 

“Additionally, we have simplified the base construction so it’s very easy to pull together. And again, we’ve made it lightweight to fit in with the EPR regulations and to make it easier for packers, bakeries, and the stores to create and fill the packet.”

Colpac designs F&B packs in different sizes and colors to meet the demand of customers.Grimbaldeston says that Colpac has spent years developing new technology for custom food packaging to eliminate the need for a plastic barrier on printed prep platters.

“Historically, if you wanted to have food contact over a printed area, you needed to put a functional barrier, which was typically plastic. What we’ve been able to do with the new technology is remove that plastic completely from the product so you just have a printed finish. It’s also wipeable and complies with the high standards in the industry.”

Fiberization in the spotlight

Goldman says there is a growing trend of fiberization that highlights the power of paperboard as a renewable, traceable, and highly recyclable material, offering a sustainable alternative in packaging.

“Every material has its place in the packaging ecosystem, but there is a real power to paperboard, and we are seeing this growing wave of fiberization. It’s been happening for a very long time, but it’s definitely been in the zeitgeist at the moment.”

However, she notes that overcoming challenges like infrastructure and contamination requires strong supply chain collaboration, policy alignment, and consumer education to realize its potential.

“Food contamination is a key issue, highlighting the need for consumer education on removing food from packaging before recycling to increase the chance of being recycled. While these challenges can be overcome, they will require a lot of work that we have to do.” Andrew Grimbaldeston, managing director at Colpac and Talia Goldman, ESG director at Colpac.

Discussion on regulation

At Packaging Innovation 2025, Goldman joins a panel chaired by Minister for Nature of the UK, Mary Creagh, with key industry voices to explore their aspirations for EPR and the importance of collaboration between PackUK and its stakeholders in creating a fair and efficient scheme. 

“I’m very excited to be taking part in day two of the launch of PackUK. We’re going to be talking about how we can achieve true supply chain collaboration when it comes to raising ambition and moving forward on EPR. For me, it’s about making it clear that as we move forward with this new policy, we have that full industry engagement in width, breadth, and depth.” 

“We need good transparency, effective communication, and a collaborative approach that brings everyone along the supply chain on board at the same time. By listening to voices, bringing in robust data, and leveraging expertise, we can ensure that decisions are made in a sound and effective manner.” 

“As a designer and innovator and manufacturer in food packaging, we’ve been designing and redesigning our packs to adapt to legislation. To develop, move forward, and be ambitious, we need to make sure we can keep pace with policy, but policy can also keep pace with us,” Goldman concludes.

With live reporting from Natalie Schwertheim at Packaging Innovations 2025