sustainably at speed, at scale, and with increasing personalisation. The good news is that the industry has stepped up to the plate. Digital Printing Comes of Age Digital printing has firmly established itself as a critical technology for packaging, particularly in enabling brands to offer premium, personalised experiences without sacrificing efficiency. Advances in inkjet and toner-based technologies have made it commercially viable to produce shorter runs at high-quality – a transformation that was already underway before Covid-19 accelerated supply chain agility requirements almost overnight. Some of the most exciting developments combine the quality and speed of conventional printing with the flexibility and variable data capabilities of digital. The result is fully customised, premium packaging at production speeds that would have seemed implausible just a decade ago. Esko, a leader in packaging prepress and workflow software, has been instrumental in connecting the dots between digital innovation and real-world production. Jan De Roeck, director of marketing at Esko, says: "Digital printing's viability for packaging has reached a major tipping point. The quality, the speed, and the economics have all converged in a way that makes it a genuine first choice option for an expanding range of applications, not just a short-run specialist. “However, what's equally important is recognising that flexo, offset, and other conventional methods aren't going anywhere. They remain the backbone of high-volume packaging production, and rightly so. The real opportunity, and where we see the most exciting work happening, is in deploying the right technology for the right job and then using intelligent software to make the whole system perform at its best regardless of which press is running.” Speaking about the benefits of modern integrated systems, De Roeck adds: “When your workflow, colour management, and prepress infrastructure are truly integrated, you stop thinking about digital versus conventional as a binary ‘this or that’ choice. You start thinking about output quality, consistency, and speed-to-market, and let the technology serve those goals." Material Innovation: Fibre and Circularity Substrate innovation continues to move at speed, particularly while circularity remains so hot on the agenda. Paper-based and fibre-based alternatives to single-use plastics have made the jump from niche to mainstream, while recyclable mono-materials and compostable packaging are now a much more common sight on store shelves. That looks set to intensify over the coming year. Conversations at events like Packaging Innovations 2026 make it clear that when materials are inherently recyclable and circular, it simplifies downstream decision-making for brands trying to reduce their environmental footprint. James Cropper, a business renowned for its specialist paper and packaging solutions, offers an interesting perspective. Andrew Cockerill, business development manager at James Cropper, comments: The packaging industry in 2026 is one of the most commercially interesting places to be The EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) aims to reduce 15% of packaging waste by 2040 15% ▼ James Cropper has unveiled a range of new paper and packaging materials to market in recent years 62 Issue 360 - May | June 2026 email: editor@printmonthly.co.uk PACKAGING OPPORTUNITIES | JAMES COLDMAN
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