The Flexible Packaging Association has created a Brand Owner Council, a new membership category giving brand owners direct input on flexible packaging issues. Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble are the inaugural members, sitting alongside converters, suppliers and policymakers.
Why this mattersDirect brand-owner engagement in a US trade body signals growing buyer influence over flexible packaging's sustainability and policy agenda.
- FPA launched a Brand Owner Council as a new membership category
- Inaugural members are Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble
- The council includes brand owners, converters, suppliers and policymakers
- Focus areas include circularity, design innovation, consumer education and public policy advocacy
- FPA expects additional companies to join the council over time
Pulpex has started production at its first commercial-scale fibre bottle plant near Glasgow, with initial capacity of 40 million units a year and an ambition to scale to 1 billion units. More than 90% of the plant's capacity for the current financial year has already been secured, including by Purely Scottish Natural Mineral Water and smol.
Why this mattersFirst industrial-scale supply of plastic-free fibre bottles gives brand owners an alternative to PET and glass, and gives licensees a route into the format regionally.
- The plant near Glasgow started commercial production in October 2026 with initial capacity of 40 million units a year.
- Long-term target is 1 billion units globally.
- More than 90% of the plant's capacity for the current financial year is secured; early adopters include Purely Scottish Natural Mineral Water and smol.
- Pulpex is backed by a consortium including Diageo, Unilever, PepsiCo and Kraft Heinz.
- Swiss manufacturer Perlen Industrieholding holds licence rights for Switzerland, Austria, Italy and southern Germany.
- India-based Alternicq holds exclusive development rights for India and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Jokey Poland is building an automated high-bay warehouse at its Kędzierzyn-Koźle site, with Kardex Polska as general contractor and Kardex Mlog supplying the automation technology. The facility will reach about 20 metres in height, store 8,616 Euro pallets and support up to 200 storage operations per hour, with commissioning planned for the end of 2026.
Why this mattersAutomating storage and retrieval raises throughput and delivery reliability for the plastic packaging maker as it scales output for food and non-food customers.
- The warehouse in Kędzierzyn-Koźle will stand about 20 metres tall and hold 8,616 Euro pallets.
- Kardex Polska is general contractor, with technology supplied by Kardex Mlog.
- The facility is designed for up to 200 storage operations per hour.
- Commissioning is planned for the end of 2026.
- Three automatic storage and retrieval machines, each rated to 450 kg, will serve the warehouse.
- A rooftop photovoltaic system will supply part of the site's energy needs.
PepsiCo has cut virgin plastic use in primary packaging by 6% across its India operations, according to its 2025 ESG Performance Update. The company is redesigning foods packaging into mono-material polyolefin structures and moving select beverage products to 100% recycled PET bottles.
Why this mattersA major brand owner's shift to mono-material and rPET packaging in India signals demand converters and recyclers must meet for barrier films and food-grade rPET.
- PepsiCo cut virgin plastic use in primary packaging by 6% in India, per its 2025 ESG Performance Update.
- Foods packaging is being redesigned to mono-material, polyolefin-based structures.
- Select beverage products are moving to 100% recycled PET bottles.
- PepsiCo India states compliance with local Extended Producer Responsibility rules for foods and beverage businesses.
- The Pune manufacturing facility cut water utilisation by more than 90%.
- Biomass makes up 97% of PepsiCo India's fuel mix.
Colgate-Palmolive, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble and Unilever have become founding members of the PaperFlex Consortium, convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and (RE)SET, to jointly fund and trial paper-based alternatives to flexible plastic packaging such as sachets, wrappers and pouches. The consortium targets markets where flexible plastic use is high but collection and recycling infrastructure is limited, and remains open to further brand owners, innovators, suppliers and investors. Each member will continue to make its own packaging decisions independently.
Why this mattersA joint R&D push by six of the largest packaging buyers could accelerate paper-based substitutes for flexible plastic, reshaping demand for converters and material suppliers.
- Colgate-Palmolive, Mars, Nestle, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble and Unilever are founding members of the PaperFlex Consortium.
- The consortium is convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and powered by (RE)SET.
- Work will cover technologies including biodegradable coatings to improve product protection, shelf life and manufacturing-line performance of paper-based materials.
- The initiative follows an Ellen MacArthur Foundation report published earlier in 2026, endorsed by 48 businesses, NGOs, investors and academics, setting six design criteria for paper-based alternatives.
- Flexible plastic packaging, including sachets, wrappers and pouches, is described by the Foundation as the fastest-growing type of plastic packaging globally.
- The consortium remains open to additional FMCG companies, innovators, suppliers and investors.
- The Ellen MacArthur Foundation says responsible paper-based flexible packaging does not yet exist at required performance, scale and cost.
- Research priorities include coatings, product protection, shelf life, consumer usability and manufacturing-line performance.
- The consortium targets flexible packaging formats sized A5 or smaller, including sachets, wrappers and pouches, in markets such as India, Indonesia and the Philippines that lack formal plastic collection systems.
- Ellen MacArthur Foundation said it has invited further companies to join the consortium.
- A separate EU flagship project, BIOWRAP, targets replacing over 100 million square metres of plastic bubble wrap within five years of the project ending, aiming for a 90% paper recycling material recovery rate
- Ellen MacArthur Foundation states commercially viable paper-based replacements do not yet exist at the performance, scale and cost required across all applications
- Unilever has doubled its packaging R&D spending and built a team of more than 60 material scientists focused on paper and barrier coatings.
- Unilever cites its 2024 UK launch of a grease-resistant paper-based Knorr stock cube wrapper as a reference case for the consortium's work.
- The Ellen MacArthur Foundation's 2030 Plastics Agenda for Business names small-format flexible plastic packaging as one of three key systemic barriers to tackling plastic waste.
- Coverage specifies the consortium targets small-format flexible plastic packaging such as sachets and pouches
- The Ellen MacArthur Foundation said no responsible paper-based flexible packaging solutions yet exist at the required performance, scale and cost.
ProAmpac is presenting a range of fibre-based hot-hold packaging formats, including the newly launched Hot HandRap, at the LUNCH! 2026 trade fair in London on 16-17 September. The formats target food-to-go retailers and foodservice operators seeking extended hot-hold performance with reduced plastic content, in line with the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU 2025/40).
Why this mattersFibre-based hot-hold formats aligned with PPWR give food-to-go retailers a route to cut plastic use while keeping temperature retention and product visibility.
- ProAmpac is presenting three fibre-based hot-hold formats at LUNCH! 2026 in London on 16-17 September, at Stand L349
- The 6041 Hot Hold Box is tested to maintain food temperature for up to four hours in hot cabinets
- The 5021 Hot Hold Carton is a flat-pack format with a clear waterfall window and grease resistance
- Hot HandRap combines a flexible bag with profiled carton board for items such as breakfast sandwiches, burgers and paninis
- Hot HandRap includes a fog- and grease-resistant window and a tamper-evident tear strip
- The formats are designed to meet applicable requirements of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU 2025/40)
- ProAmpac designed a custom fibre-based tray for Circle K's Flamin' Hot Boneless Chicken Wings, developed with PepsiCo/Frito-Lay
- The Circle K tray is engineered for heat retention, moisture control and grease resistance in heated display cabinets
- The Hot Hold Carton has a fully lined construction to prevent grease saturation
- The carton ships flat for storage and transport efficiency
- ProAmpac supplied a fibre hot-hold box for Circle K's Flamin' Hot chicken wings, launched July 2026 with PepsiCo's Frito-Lay
- The box uses a polypropylene liner without intentionally added PFAS and fog-resistant coatings on a two-sided viewing window
- The wings product sold over 40,000 units per week from July through early September 2026
- ProAmpac says demand for hot-hold packaging is outpacing demand for chilled prepared-food packaging
Mondelez International, PepsiCo and Pladis have launched a nationwide Belgian trial of digital watermarking technology to improve sorting of flexible food packaging for recycling. The pilot, run under the HolyGrail 2030 consortium with Fost Plus, AIM and Ceflex, embeds Digimarc watermarks read by Pellenc ST optical sorting equipment, with sorted material processed at Hündgen Entsorgungs in Germany. The project aims to build data ahead of a 2030 EU requirement for 10% recycled content in certain contact-sensitive plastic food packaging.
Why this mattersReliable sorting of flexible film is the main technical barrier to closing the loop on food-contact plastics ahead of the EU's 2030 recycled-content mandate.
- Trial launched nationwide in Belgium by Mondelez International, PepsiCo and Pladis
- Participants include Fost Plus, AIM (European Brands Association) and Ceflex
- Part of HolyGrail 2030 consortium, which comprises about 79 organisations
- Uses Digimarc digital watermarks embedded during printing, read by Pellenc ST optical sorting cameras
- Sorted film bales move from Fost Plus in Belgium to Hündgen Entsorgungs' sorting centre in Germany
- EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation will require 10% recycled content in certain contact-sensitive plastic food packaging from 2030
Unilever has become a founding member of the PaperFlex Consortium, set up by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and consultancy (Re)set to develop paper-based alternatives to plastic flexible packaging such as sachets, wrappers and pouches. Colgate-Palmolive, Mars, Nestle, PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble are also founding members, funding joint trials of materials intended to protect products and run on existing filling lines.
Why this mattersSix of the largest consumer goods groups backing paper flexibles as a group could accelerate converter investment in fibre-based barrier packaging for sachets and pouches.
- Unilever joined the PaperFlex Consortium in September 2026.
- Founding members also include Colgate-Palmolive, Mars, Nestle, PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble.
- The consortium was formed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and environmental consultancy (Re)set.
- Members will jointly fund and run trials of paper-based flexible packaging as a plastic alternative.
- Unilever says it has doubled its packaging R&D investment and employs more than 60 material scientists working on paper-based materials and barrier coatings.
- The consortium's launch builds on a 2026 Ellen MacArthur Foundation report backed by 48 companies, NGOs, investors and academics
- Six design criteria for the transition include recyclability, biodegradability and responsible sourcing of raw materials
- The consortium remains open to additional companies, suppliers, innovators and investors
