Messe Düsseldorf’s K 2025 trade fair confirmed what the European plastics industry has been anticipating for the last few years: the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation is set to reshape the sector fundamentally. Erik Kruisselbrink reports for PKN.
Across the sprawling halls of Messe Düsseldorf, from high-tech polymer booths to smaller design-focused stands, one phrase kept recurring: circularity. Recyclable, reusable, and renewable are no longer just buzzwords. They are strategic imperatives for any company aiming to stay competitive in Europe beyond 2030.
Deadline 2030
The PPWR, which will take effect in 2030, introduces binding targets for recycled content, recyclability, and reuse. It not only forces producers to rethink material selection and packaging design but also accelerates investment in recycling infrastructure and bio-based feedstocks. At K 2025, companies didn’t just talk about compliance, they showed real, implementable solutions. The show was a microcosm of the transition from linear to circular packaging, demonstrating that innovation and regulation can move hand in hand.
Downgauging as a strategic tool
Among the leading innovators were TotalEnergies and SML, who highlighted how downgauging – reducing material thickness without compromising performance – can deliver both environmental and commercial benefits. Their new films are designed for stand-up pouches and deep-freeze bags, achieving material savings of up to 50 per cent while maintaining critical barrier and mechanical properties.
The 60μm film for re-sealable pouches combines polyethylene with a thin ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) layer to protect oxygen-sensitive contents. Its versatility is striking: it works laminated or unlaminated, simplifying recycling streams and reducing processing complexity. The MDO-PE film for freezer bags is even more radical, eliminating the need for energy-intensive lamination while cutting thickness by 35–50 per cent. Both films are produced using Lumicene Supertough, a material that aligns with current recycling streams and supports circular economy goals.
“This is exactly the type of solution PPWR encourages”, the companies stated. “Downgauging isn’t just about saving plastic, it’s about combining sustainability with cost efficiency and operational practicality.” In other words, environmental goals and profitability are no longer mutually exclusive, a message that resonated across the industry.
Scaling bio-based polymers
If TotalEnergies and SML focused on efficiency, Braskem put the spotlight on renewable materials. Through collaborations with Dutch innovators Bottle Up and Eurobottle, as well as German partner Polytan, Braskem brought bio-based polymers into commercial packaging solutions that are stylish, functional, and circular.
Highlights included MDO Film with ‘I’m green’ Bio-based PE: sugarcane-derived and suitable for flow packs, MDO labels, and stand-up pouches. Machine direction orientation (MDO) adds stiffness and optical clarity, while mono-material construction simplifies recycling. Developed in partnership with Cazoolo, Braskem’s circular packaging design lab, and the FCO Group, these films demonstrate that renewable content does not compromise performance.
Another highlight was Medcol Bio-based LDPE for healthcare. Designed for pharmaceutical applications such as blow-fill-seal ampoules, this low-density polyethylene meets regulatory requirements without additives and offers improved temperature resistance and flowability. Braskem’s updated Life Cycle Assessment shows a carbon footprint of –2.27 kgCO2e per kg, highlighting the environmental benefits.
Last but not least, Bottle Up & Eurobottle reusable bottles are fashionable, refillable bottles made entirely from ‘I’m green’ bio-based PE. Both companies combine sustainability with consumer appeal, showing that renewable materials can enter everyday markets beyond niche applications.
According to Walmir Soller, VP of Olefins and Polyolefins, K 2025 is not about experimentation; it is about market-ready solutions. “Braskem’s approach demonstrates that technical performance, design flexibility, and sustainability can coexist, offering a model for other polymer producers looking to integrate bio-based materials at scale.”
Closing the Loop
LyondellBasell underscored the growing maturity of circular polymer technologies. Its Circulen portfolio spans mechanical recycling (CirculenRecover), chemical recycling (CirculenRevive), and bio-circular feedstocks (CirculenRenew). The company also showcased its MoReTec chemical recycling technology, which can process pre-sorted mixed plastic waste into high-quality polymers with an 80 per cent plastic-to-plastic yield, while reducing the carbon footprint by roughly 50 per cent compared to fossil-based feedstocks.
Paula Sanabria Luque, senior director of Circular and Low Carbon Solutions, emphasized the importance of regulatory clarity: “The PPWR sets the stage for accelerated demand in circular materials. Without it, investment would move more slowly. Now, we have a predictable horizon for recycled and renewable PE/PP.”
LyondellBasell’s own market assessment points to a demand of 13 million tons of recycled and renewable PE/PP by 2030, against a projected supply of 9 million tons, leaving a 4-million-ton infrastructure gap. As VP Gianluca Brescia summarised: “Circularity is no longer optional; it’s a competitive differentiator.”
From debut to demonstration
For ExxonMobil, K 2025 saw the showcasing of Signature Polymers, a lineup of resins aimed at recyclability and downgauging. Practical examples included mono-material PE for cereal pouches, freezer films, silo covers, pet food bags, and vacuum-skin cheese films. The company also demonstrated high-performance materials incorporating post-consumer recycled content, alongside its Exxtend advanced recycling technology.
A VR experience allowed visitors to trace mixed plastic waste through its transformation into certified circular polymers for wrappers, food trays, bags, and pouches. By pairing material innovation with digital storytelling, ExxonMobil highlighted how circular solutions can be integrated seamlessly into the production chain.
Bridging mass market and luxury
While many exhibitors focused on functional packaging, Dow illustrated that circularity can also meet brand and consumer expectations. The D-Pak carton, developed in collaboration with Elopak and Orkla Home & Personal Care, combines recycled PE with bio-circular polymers, offering a practical solution for consumer goods while ensuring compliance with PPWR requirements.
Dow also showcased collaborations with luxury brand Guerlain, using Surlyn Ren Ionomers for perfume caps that require both transparency and design freedom. The company extended the demonstration to footwear and accessories, proving that high-performance materials can support both premium aesthetics and sustainability goals.
Extending end-of-life options
BASF focused on compostable solutions. Its ecovio polymer allows paper-based food packaging to achieve necessary barrier properties for liquids and fats while remaining home – and industrial-compostable. This approach provides brands and converters with alternatives where mechanical recycling may not be feasible, aligning with the PPWR’s principle of material-specific solutions.
Meanwhile, Sabic highlighted circular polymers made from ocean-bound plastics and bio-renewable feedstocks, emphasizing functionality, recyclability, and extended shelf life. Both BASF and Sabic showed that circularity is not a one-size-fits-all model, but rather a toolbox for achieving environmental, functional, and regulatory goals simultaneously.
Investing in scale and performance
Borealis showcased how investment can accelerate the shift toward circularity. Its €100 million expansion at Burghausen, Germany, for high melt strength polypropylene (HMS PP) will triple production of recyclable foam for automotive, consumer products, and construction applications. Borealis also demonstrated Borstar Nextension PE for high-barrier monomaterial PE pouches, as well as renewable-based synthetic corks developed in collaboration with Tapì Group.
By combining innovation with scale, Borealis emphasised that circular materials can achieve both performance excellence and mass-market viability.
Science driving practical solutions
The Spanish Itene, one of the many scientific institutes at K, provided a comprehensive look at the research underpinning circular packaging. Its innovations span polymeric materials, recycling technology, eco-design, and testing for food safety and compostability. Projects include PLA bottles with enhanced oxygen barriers, reinforced trays for meat, and active, smart bio-based packaging under the BioSmart initiative.
Itene demonstrates that scientific R&D is critical for bridging regulation, market demand, and industrial implementation, providing converters and brand owners with tailored solutions that are ready for scale.
Shaping the circular future
K 2025 made one thing clear – the era of voluntary sustainability is over. With the PPWR setting firm targets and deadlines, innovation has become a necessity, not a differentiator. Across every hall, the alignment of regulation, research and industrial capability signalled a new maturity in the plastics and packaging sector. From downgauging to bio-based resins, advanced recycling to compostable films, the message was consistent: circularity is achievable at scale when design, investment and policy move in concert. As Europe leads this transition, K 2025 offered a preview of how the global packaging industry will look in a truly circular economy.
