most resilient businesses in our space are not treating sustainability as a compliance burden – they are embedding it directly into cost reduction and efficiency strategies. Lightweighting reduces material and freight costs, while waste reduction lowers disposal costs. Similarly, supply chain resilience work protects against disruption while meeting the data expectations flowing down from customers obligated to report on their sustainability-related impacts. These are not trade-offs or compromises – they are smarter business decisions that happen to deliver environmental benefits. The Power of Events We’re living in an increasingly hands-off and digital world, so in-person industry events have never been more valuable. These are spaces for strategic dialogue, sector advocacy, and collective problemsolving. Packaging Innovations & Empack is one of the centrepieces of the UK packaging calendar for very good reason. The panels and seminars at Packaging Innovations 2026 saw industry leaders engaging with some of the sector's biggest challenges with the kind of cross-sector, multi-stakeholder dialogue that is genuinely difficult to replicate in any other format. Easyfairs, the organiser behind Packaging Innovations & Empack, has been instrumental in creating that environment. Casey McHugh, conference and community manager at Easyfairs, says: "What Packaging Innovations tells us every year is that this industry doesn't just want information, it wants conversation. “The sessions that draw the biggest crowds are never the ones where someone stands up and presents answers. They're the ones where the room debates the questions. EPR is a perfect example. The technology is there, the regulatory intent is there, but the industry is still working through what fair, practical implementation actually looks like. That negotiation happens at events like ours in a way it simply can't happen anywhere else.” The range of events now serving the packaging sector including Packaging Innovations & Empack, LOUPE (formerly Labelexpo), Fachpack, London Packaging Week, and the Responsible Packaging Expo reflects just how dynamic and internationally connected this industry has become. Each event brings its own lens, but together they form a rich calendar of touchpoints that companies can use not only to stay informed but to shape the conversation and build their profiles. Where Does That Leave Us? The packaging industry in 2026 is not short of challenges. Regulatory pressure, cost exposure, talent gaps, and the constant demand to do more with less are all very real. However, what strikes us when working across this supply chain every day is how consistently the industry meets that pressure with ingenuity, rather than retreat. The businesses pulling ahead all share a common thread: they're not waiting for certainty before they act. They're making bold investments in the right technologies, making smarter material choices, engaging with the regulatory agenda on their own terms, and showing up at events, in conversations, and in the market with a clear point of view. That's always been the hallmark of a strong packaging business and now in 2026, it's also the definition of a resilient one. The businesses that will feel the squeeze most are those still running mixed-material structures and hoping the cost can be absorbed or passed on ▲ Eco Flexibles reportedly doubled its turnover since purchasing two Fujifilm FP790 digital presses 64 Issue 360 - May | June 2026 email: editor@printmonthly.co.uk PACKAGING OPPORTUNITIES | JAMES COLDMAN
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