All Sustainability articles
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ArticleAluminium value chain teams up to sort and recycle small packaging formats
The European Aluminium Foil Association and Flexible Packaging Europe have founded an alliance to drive recycling performance for small aluminium packaging, supported by Nestlé Nespresso, JDE Peet’s, Lindt, and Bel Group.
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ArticleCirrec sorts three billion recycled food-grade PET trays with AI system
Faerch company Cirrec is using an AI-based system to sort PET trays from household recycling into a food-grade stream – claiming to sort 60,000 tonnes of plastic and over three billion trays annually.
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ArticleFirst 13 partners chosen for L’Oréal’s €100 million sustainable innovation programme
L’Oréal has announced the initial 13 startups and SME’s due to take part in its L’AcceleratOR programme, endowed with €100 million over five years and run in partnership with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), aiming to help develop scalable solutions to solve climate, nature and circularity challenges.
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ArticleDS Smith’s packaging predictions for 2026
2025 was a year of innovation, evolving consumer demands and intense regulatory upheaval – but what are the factors that will most affect the packaging industry in 2026? DS Smith’s new Managing Director for UK and Ireland Packaging, James Lomax gives us his predictions.
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Article‘Bombshell’ article casts doubt on studies of microplastics in the human body
Have scientists been wrong about microplastics in our bodies all along? The Guardian has reported on ‘bombshell’ concerns that contamination and false positives could have led studies to overestimate their findings, sparking fears of disproportionate countermeasures.
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ArticleSerele Super ‘eliminates ten million plastic trays’ with switch to recyclable fibre-based punnets
DS Smith has announced its partnership with Romanian agricultural cooperative Serele Super to replace ten million of its plastic packages with recyclable, fibre-based and FSC certified corrugated cardboard solutions.
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PodcastLessons for scaling up reusable packaging
Legislation is driving an urgent need to scale up reusable packaging systems. What levers are available to us to shift from limited pilots to volume deployment? Noam Assael talks to Tim Sykes about the lessons Avery Dennison has drawn from market activities and collaborative projects - covering the wider preconditions for scale-up, the crucial need to optimize profitability, and why it’s necessary to mobilize the consumer as a key stakeholder in systemic change.
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ArticleMake Waves upfronts recycled plastic in antiperspirant and deodorant refills
Make Waves offers a refillable format for antiperspirant and deodorant products – emphasizing that the refills are manufactured onshore, contain recycled plastic, and are recyclable at end-of-life.
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ArticleOrganic spices packaged in recyclable pouches made from agricultural waste
One.Five is helping Foodie & Friends package its organic spices in recyclable barrier packaging made from agricultural residues – a move set to generate 30% less CO2 than petroleum-based polypropylene films.
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ArticleDHL circulates DimaMax’s smaller parcel boxes in Berlin
DimaPax had developed new DHL Small Parcels in a move set to improve durability and unlock environmental benefits.
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ArticleSingapore to launch return scheme for beverage containers from 1st April
Singapore’s Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) will commence on 1st April 2026. Drinks will be required to display a deposit mark and readable barcode to be returned for recycling, with the government targeting an 80% return rate by 2028.
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ArticleDo consumers demand too much?
The success or failure of a sustainability-minded packaging design can ultimately hinge on consumer participation, but do they hold impossible expectations? In this edition of the Brief, we delve into the most controversial packaging alterations in recent years, consider why consumers responded so poorly, and ask the important question: is the demand for convenience holding us back?
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PodcastSustainability Perspectives: The potential of ultra-lightweight paper in flexible packaging
What is ultra-lightweight paper, and what role can it play to help companies reach their sustainability goals? SWM International’s Anne-Laure Jaeckel discusses LCA, consumer perceptions, required properties as well as challenges and opportunities with Packaging Europe’s Elisabeth Skoda.
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ArticleGlobal food waste to cost $540 billion by 2026, Avery Dennison cautions
New data from Avery Dennison indicates that food waste will cost businesses a total of $540 billion (€462,099,299,760) in 2026, with insufficient supply chain visibility playing a major role.
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ArticleThe packaging stories and trends to follow in 2026
Happy New Year! The Packaging Europe editorial team kicks off the New Year with its predictions for the year ahead – covering regulation, new innovations, the financial health of the packaging industry, reusable packaging, and much more.
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ArticleCircularity for plastics: the European Commission’s New Year’s Resolution
The European Commission has set out its plans to pursue a circular economy for plastics in 2026, such as proposing a Circular Economy Act, enforcing end-of-life criteria for mechanical recyclate, and introducing new customs codes for imports.
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ArticleWhy is the EU struggling to meet its circular economy goals?
In this Brief, we outline the EU’s municipal waste objectives and detail the main findings and recommendations of the report published the European Court of Auditors (ECA), which examines the action taken by the Commission and the member states to achieve the EU’s objectives for municipal waste between 2014-2024.
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ArticleMercadona acquires Logifruit in bid to boost its circular logistics
Supermarket chain Mercadona will acquire the reusable packaging supplier Logifruit in hopes of bringing together its logistics processes and contributing to a new circular strategy.
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ArticleMajor retailer embraces circular logistics with Returnity’s reusable box
A major retail chain has adopted The Last Box, Returnity’s reusable packaging box solution, in a move hoped to streamline backroom operations and cut down on single-use waste.
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ArticleAre advent calendars driving packaging waste – or overcoming it?
Advent calendars are a well-established Christmas tradition, but are they inherently wasteful – or are they adapting to a more sustainability-conscious market? We dive deeper into the format’s recent developments to learn more.