https://www.packworld.com/flexibles/article/22977075/mars-packaging-innovation-chemistry-solutions-for-epr-compliancePackaging Worlden2026-10-23T19:40:36.000ZMars Building a ‘New Muscle’ with Chemistry to Address EPR, PPWRhttps://img.packworld.com/mindful/pmmi/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/10/img-2294.a7boZIANyM.jpg?auto=format%252Ccompress&q=70From left, Rebecca Lipscomb, VP, global regulatory affairs, INX International; (speaking) Laura Shimmin, associate director, global packaging R&D, Mars; Stefan Laske, head of R&D, consumer flexibles, Mondi; and Lowell Huffman, director of channel partnerships, rePurpose Globalhttps://img.packworld.com/mindful/pmmi/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/10/img-2291.RfI1oxXElW.jpg?auto=format%252Ccompress&q=70In Plug and Play’s model, brand owners set the spec and share SKU-level data for EPR fee calculations, and converters validate structures on real lines at real speeds. Chemistry suppliers such as INX formulate the inks, coatings, and dispersions that let a recyclable structure perform. Startups add barrier, PFAS-free, and recycling-aid technologies, drawn from the roughly 100,000 that Plug and Play tracks.https://img.packworld.com/mindful/pmmi/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/10/img-2290.MTlNEfHIqI.jpg?auto=format%252Ccompress&q=70Plug and Play judges a new packaging technology’s cost only after counting eco-modulated EPR fees and avoided redesigns. It also wants recyclability results from a recognized body such as APR, RecyClass, or CEFLEX by 2028. A technology that misses any one of the six criteria won’t reach the market, no matter how strong its chemistry.https://img.packworld.com/mindful/pmmi/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/10/img-2283.jy1W971Cmk.jpg?auto=format%252Ccompress&q=70Brand owners such as Mars now file their own EPR reports, which makes the inks, adhesives, coatings, and additives in a structure their responsibility. Under PPWR, California’s SB 54 and SB 343, and AB 1200, a single fluorinated processing aid or incompatible coating can push a pack to a failing recyclability grade, over a PFAS limit, or into a higher fee category.https://img.packworld.com/mindful/pmmi/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/10/img-2282.NdzmwU8nfZ.jpg?auto=format%252Ccompress&q=70PPWR has applied since Aug. 12, 2026, and it works as a product rule rather than a fee, so packaging that doesn’t comply can’t be sold in the EU. Recyclability grades A–C become mandatory in 2030. In California, SB 54 requires all covered packaging to be recyclable or compostable by 2032, and eco-modulated producer fees through Circular Action Alliance start in 2027, so redesign has become a requirement for brand owners like Mars rather than a voluntary pledge.https://www.packworld.com/trends/package-design/article/22976416/thepackhub-colgatepalmolives-paper-carton-benbits-replaces-plastic-chewing-gum-jar-and-gerao-s-uses-carton-format-for-juicePackaging Worlden2026-10-18T22:00:00.000ZColgate-Palmolive's Paper Carton, BenBits Replaces Plastic Chewing Gum Jar, and Geração S Uses Carton Format for Juicehttps://img.packworld.com/mindful/pmmi/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/10/geracao.suYlS1w6I9.jpg?auto=format%252Ccompress&q=70The 250 ml Tetra Pak carton provides a single-serving format and is designed to protect the beverage and its functional ingredients during storage and distribution.https://img.packworld.com/mindful/pmmi/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/10/colgate.Ba4kXHnHEn.jpg?auto=format%252Ccompress&q=70The redesign removes the need for consumers to separate a plastic blister from a paper backing before disposal.https://img.packworld.com/mindful/pmmi/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/10/benbits.8gqVzejsy3.jpg?auto=format%252Ccompress&q=70The BenBits XL format contains 35 individual pieces and is designed around the company's approach of avoiding unnecessary plastic in both its packaging and chewing gum formulation.