July/August 2026

Packaging World July/August 2026

Inclusive Design Is Good Business

Deb Gokie of the Arthritis Foundation talks ease-of-use certification, the financial upside of accessible design, and how packaging built for arthritis makes life easier for all consumers.

July 8, 2026

Senior woman examining Easy Open arthritis-friendly bottle in pharmacy aisle

Are They Going to Cut the GRAS?

Proposed changes to the Generally Recognized As Safe framework could create new compliance, reporting, and operational challenges for the food packaging industry.

June 29, 2026

White stand-up pouch with navy blue circular badge displaying GRAS text

Digital Transformation

Ask the Right Questions of AI in Packaging

AI is accelerating packaging innovation—but long-term success depends on defining the right problems before seeking the right answers.

June 29, 2026

Claude AI chatbot interface with greeting message asking 'What would you like help with today?' and input field suggesting packaging innovation topics

Bagging & Pouching

Potato Chips Packaging System

WeighPack Systems integrates its PrimoLinear V5 net weigher, VersaPak tabletop VFFS bagger, and conveying equipment to automate weighing and bagging in a compact footprint.

June 24, 2026

Packaging’s Part in the Ultra-Processed Food Debate

They are a convenient, comforting, innocent indulgence, say the defenders of so-called ultra-processed foods. Critics trash them as health threats. Packaging is caught in the middle.

June 22, 2026

Infographic about ultra-processed foods under legal assault, showing health concerns, Nova classification, and plastic waste impacts.

New Liquid Milk Pouch from India Converts to Bioavailable Wax

Following four years of development, Indian dairy company Mother Dairy has introduced a pouch for liquid milk that microbes in soil can fully consume, leaving no plastic residue.

June 19, 2026

Mother Dairy product display featuring degradable pouches, branded mug, and packaging with blue and pink branding

CVS Pharmacy Swaps Plastic for Aluminum in OTC Product Packaging

The company will introduce the new package format on select wellness essentials.

June 17, 2026

Four CVS Allergy Relief medicine bottles with blue, green, magenta, and pink caps displayed together

Logistics/Supply Chain

Live at GS1 Connect: Driscoll's Gives a Billion Clamshells Unique IDs

The fresh berry juggernaut had more than two million consumer survey responses, but no way to act on any of them. Changing that now is item-level serialization via one unique QR code per clamshell, across four thousand growers and a billion packages.

June 11, 2026

Bob's Red Mill Refreshes Packaging to Sharpen Shelf Navigation

The 200-SKU redesign leans on a custom typeface, color families, and clearer dietary callouts while preserving the heritage cues longtime fans recognize.

June 11, 2026

Two Bob's Red Mill organic all-purpose flour bags in blue and red packaging displayed side by side

Reusable/Returnable

Lierac Brings Refillability to Skincare with Custom Square Glass Jar

Lierac’s Lift Integral Day Cream pairs a custom square Gerresheimer container with Medicos Group's patented Re-CliCK rotation-locking refill system.

May 29, 2026

LIERAC Lift Integral firming day cream in pink and black jars with open containers

Hawaiian Water Brand Debuts Algae-Based Ink for Labels

Waiākea Hawaiian Volcanic Beverages collaborates with technology partners over five years to formulate a carbon-negative algae-based ink designed for commercial UV flexo label printing.

May 27, 2026

WAIAKEA water bottle surrounded by vibrant tropical flowers and green monstera leaves in a styled flat lay arrangement

Controls & Machine Components

Direct-to-Object Printing Application a Practical Proving Ground for Planar

Norwalt applied Beckhoff’s XPlanar planar technology to a direct-to-object printing platform designed to handle multiple package geometries through software-defined motion rather than dedicated mechanical change parts.

May 21, 2026

The Tesseract from Norwalt is an advanced direct-to-object printing machine based on XPlanar adaptive automation technology.

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