content following Packaging Innovations & Empack 2025 illustrates this spirit. By making technical discussions, case studies, and keynote presentations available on demand, the sector is helping professionals of all sizes access new thinking on digital transformation, sustainability, and design innovation. Such openness accelerates collective progress, enabling even smaller or regional print houses to adopt digital workflows and participate in the next wave of packaging evolution. by minimising waste and enabling smarter resource allocation. Industry discussions have highlighted the growing need for software literacy across the packaging supply chain. Many speakers and exhibitors at shows point to a convergence between print, data, and digital engagement, urging printers to view packaging as part of a connected ecosystem. Smart packaging, for instance, relies on seamless software integration: technologies such as QR codes, NFC tags, and embedded sensors demand back-end systems capable of managing authentication, product provenance, and consumer interaction data. What was once static packaging now acts as a live communication channel, extending brand storytelling into consumers’ hands and delivering insights back to producers. These shifts also underscore a broader cultural change within the industry, a willingness to share expertise and learn collaboratively. The widespread publication of recorded sessions and open-access Alongside technological progress, inclusivity in packaging design has also emerged as a defining priority. At Packaging Innovations & Empack 2025, RNIB Enterprises’ managing director, Daphne Mavroudi-Chocholi, captured the issue succinctly: “When we talk about designing for all, we need to think beyond obvious disabilities. Any friction in the user experience can be a barrier, therefore packaging must be designed with the future for all in mind.” Her comments reflect a growing understanding that accessibility is both a moral imperative and a commercial opportunity. For printers and converters, this means incorporating accessibility features directly into the production process, whether through tactile markers for the visually impaired, braille or raised lettering, high-contrast printing for legibility, or ergonomic packaging structures that ease use. The tools that enable digital personalisation and connected packaging can also support inclusive design by allowing products to be tailored for diverse consumer needs Inclusive, digitally integrated packaging is becoming a benchmark for modern print operations. Those who align technological ▼Packaging can encompass various substrates and product types ▲ Premium packaging solutions were showcased at London Packaging Week 2025 63 www.printmonthly.co.uk Issue 357 - November | December 2025 PACKAGING OPPORTUNITIES Packaging Innovations & Empack 2026 takes place from February 11th to 12th at the NEC in Birmingham Factoid No printer succeeds in packaging alone. The complexity of material sourcing, testing, certification, digital integration, compliance, and consumer insight demands collective problem-solving
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