Walking the halls of interpack 2026, one thing quickly became apparent: sustainability is no longer being treated as a parallel innovation stream. It has become the central framework shaping materials development, packaging formats, printing technologies and even machinery design.
Across the show floor in Düsseldorf, exhibitors repeatedly referenced Europe’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) as a major catalyst accelerating packaging redesign. But beyond the policy discussions, the real story was the maturity of the technologies now emerging in response.
The shift toward mono-material structures, recyclable fibre formats, lightweighting, tethered closures and packaging designed explicitly for recovery systems is clearly moving beyond pilot-stage experimentation.
Importantly, many of the developments on display were not futuristic concepts. They were presented as commercially scalable solutions designed to run on existing industrial infrastructure while meeting tightening regulatory and recycling expectations.
Fibre innovation gathers momentum
The materials halls revealed just how rapidly fibre-based packaging innovation is evolving, particularly in applications traditionally considered too technically demanding for paper alternatives.
One standout development came from Sappi and Huhtamaki, which showcased a recyclable fibre-based ice cream cone sleeve intended to replace the long-established aluminium foil-paper laminate structure used in the category since the 1970s.
The technical challenge is significant: maintaining cone crispness, grease resistance and freezer performance while creating a recyclable mono-material paper solution aligned with PPWR direction. Demonstrated live on the stand – complete with real ice cream samples – the project reflected growing confidence around high-performance barrier papers.
Stora Enso also highlighted its developing FlexForma barrier paper platform for flexible packaging. The company claims the pigment-coated paper supports sealing at lower temperatures while maintaining high runnability on high-speed packaging lines – a key consideration as fibre-based materials move closer to mainstream industrial adoption.
Paper-based tube developments attracted considerable attention as well. AISA Automation Industrielle SA and NEOPAC Group unveiled what they describe as the world’s first fully certifiable recyclable paper tube, containing 87 per cent paper and fibre and designed for the paper recycling stream.
The structure combines fibre construction with carefully targeted plastic use only where necessary for product protection and sealing performance. The tube also incorporates a 95 per cent paper-based closure from Blue Ocean Closures.
Elsewhere, PaperFoam – long associated with injection-moulded starch-based protective packaging – revealed a developing extruded solution positioned as a potentially lower-cost process suitable for applications currently dominated by EPS.
Another noteworthy development came from PulPac, which used interpack to highlight the growing industrialisation of Dry Molded Fiber technology through new licensee partnerships. Australian company Zipform Packaging recently signed as a PulPac licensee and is developing a dry moulded fibre meat tray for fresh food applications in collaboration with PA Consulting, supported by Meat & Livestock Australia.
Significantly, the development goes beyond simple material substitution, with integrated liquid management functionality being designed directly into the tray structure to potentially eliminate separate absorbent pads. The project reflects a broader shift across the industry towards engineering performance into fibre packaging formats rather than adding multiple packaging components downstream.
Meanwhile, Metsä Board showcased the Muoto fibre packaging laminated range developed alongside Amcor. By integrating high-barrier film liners with smooth moulded fibre structures, the concept aims to deliver the sealability and protection required for perishable food applications while reducing reliance on conventional plastic trays.
What became increasingly noticeable throughout the materials halls was that fibre innovation is no longer confined to niche sustainability showcases. The emphasis has shifted toward scalable, high-performance packaging capable of functioning within real industrial production environments.
The focus is not just on replacing plastic with fibre, but on redesigning packaging systems altogether.
Mono-material flexible packaging advances
Flexible packaging developments strongly reflected the industry’s growing focus on recyclability and simplified material structures.
Xeikon was presenting a digitally printed mono-material polypropylene pouch developed in collaboration with POLIFILM Performance Films, ACTEGA and converter Gruber Folien demonstrated how printing technology is increasingly intersecting with circularity objectives.
The structure combined high oxygen and water vapour barrier performance with digital surface printing on Xeikon’s TX500 press using TITON technology – notably without varnish or lamination. Eliminating additional converting steps and reducing curing delays highlighted how process simplification itself is becoming part of sustainability innovation.
TOPPAN Group also presented a mono-material retort pouch capable of withstanding temperatures up to 131°C for 30 minutes – a significant technical achievement given the difficulty of replacing traditional multi-material retort structures.
The development combined BOPP films, water-based gravure inks, solvent-free adhesive systems and high-barrier sealant technology, involving collaboration between multiple suppliers including IRPLAST, Henkel and Nordmeccanica. The project also highlighted Australia’s connection to global packaging innovation, with related mono-material pouch developments already recognised through the WorldStar Awards for work involving Flavour Makers.
Packaging functionality meets circular design
One of the stronger themes emerging at interpack was the effort to combine sustainability outcomes with improved consumer functionality rather than treating them as competing priorities.
United Caps demonstrated several tethered cap solutions designed for different neck sizes and carton applications, alongside its ProtecScoop concept for infant nutrition packaging.
The spoon-in-lid design keeps the scoop secured within the closure system rather than loose inside the powder product, while also reducing material weight by more than three grams compared with previous designs. Importantly, the system maintains a mono-material construction approach aligned with recycling requirements.
Single-use portion packaging is also being rethought. Easysnap Technology, powered by Gualapack, presented Powdersnap – a paper-based sachet for powders and granules designed without tear-off components and intended to meet PPWR expectations around accessibility and material recovery.
Metal packaging pushes new boundaries
Metal packaging innovation was another strong feature of the exhibition, particularly as the sector positions itself around recyclability and material permanence.
Steel for Packaging Europe used interpack to announce that the European steel packaging recycling rate had reached 84 per cent in 2024. Speaking at the Metal Packaging Forum, Frauke Tyrrell, CEO of Australia’s NCI Packaging, highlighted the stability and infinite recyclability of steel packaging formats.
But sustainability messaging was only part of the story.
Klinghammer introduced its new Stretch Forming Fast (SFF) technology platform designed for high-speed production of asymmetrical shaped cans with improved positional accuracy. The development points to growing brand-owner demand for proprietary packaging differentiation even within highly recyclable formats.
Sonoco also previewed several intriguing metal packaging concepts, including the CaponCan – a resealable all-steel food can designed as an alternative to the traditional glass jar and metal lid combination.
Still under development, the vacuum-sealed format maintains twist-to-open functionality while allowing the lid to clip back securely after opening, enabling refrigerated storage without odour release.
Perhaps most surprising was Sonoco’s microwaveable metal can concept, positioned as a potential alternative to plastic meal trays and aligned with PPWR-driven packaging redesign efforts.
PET cans signal alternative pathways
Not every sustainability discussion pointed toward fibre or metal.
At KHS Group, the focus turned to PET can development – specifically hybrid formats combining PET bodies with aluminium closures.
The concept is being explored for markets where aluminium supply is constrained or where product visibility is considered commercially advantageous. Produced using PET preform stretch-blow moulding before trimming and seaming, the format also enables unusual shapes not achievable with conventional metal cans.
While still in early-stage development and not yet commercially available for high-speed production environments, the project demonstrated how packaging innovation continues to explore multiple material pathways rather than converging around a single solution.
AI, machinery and the next phase of packaging innovation
Beyond materials themselves, interpack also revealed how machinery manufacturers are adapting rapidly to new substrate demands and digital production environments.
Where previous editions of the show focused heavily on Industry 4.0, this year the conversation had shifted decisively toward AI, connectivity, edge computing and intelligent automation.
At the same time, machinery suppliers repeatedly discussed the engineering challenges associated with running new recyclable substrates, lighter materials and fibre-based structures at industrial production speeds.
In many ways, that may be the clearest takeaway from interpack 2026.
Packaging innovation is no longer occurring in isolated silos. Materials suppliers, converters, printers, machinery manufacturers and brand owners are increasingly working collaboratively across the value chain to solve circularity challenges while preserving production efficiency and commercial viability.
And increasingly, those solutions are no longer conceptual. They are already on the show floor, and fast on their way to factories and shelves.
There are more interpack insights to come from PKN... keep an eye on the website, enews and the next print issue.
