Sustainable Packaging Without Borders: Global Perspectives at IPACK-IMA 2025

Editors from Europe, Latin America, and Asia explored emerging technologies, shifting consumer expectations, and regulatory impacts, offering a global perspective on key trends shaping the future of packaging at IPPO’s panel during IPACK-IMA 2025.

The conversation brought together Tim Sykes, Editor at Packaging Europe; Dominique Huret, specialized journalist and Director of Cape Decision; Bo Wallteg, co-founder of the Packbridge packaging cluster (Sweden); Aslihan Arikan, communicator at Ambalaj Dünyası – Packaging World (Turkey); Lilián Robayo Páez, Media Director for Latin America at PMMI and Editor-in-Chief of Mundo EXPO PACK; and Lindy Hughson, IPPO President and Editor-in-Chief of Packaging News (Australia).
The conversation brought together Tim Sykes, Editor at Packaging Europe; Dominique Huret, specialized journalist and Director of Cape Decision; Bo Wallteg, co-founder of the Packbridge packaging cluster (Sweden); Aslihan Arikan, communicator at Ambalaj DünyasıPackaging World (Turkey); Lilián Robayo Páez, Media Director for Latin America at PMMI and Editor-in-Chief of Mundo EXPO PACK; and Lindy Hughson, IPPO President and Editor-in-Chief of Packaging News (Australia).
IPACK-IMA 2025

IPACK-IMA 2025, one of the most prominent trade shows for the global packaging industry, provided the backdrop for this international panel and offered a comprehensive examination of the challenges and advancements in sustainability. With an audience composed of professionals from across the packaging value chain, the forum focused on how technological innovation, regulatory pressure, and consumer evolution are reshaping the packaging ecosystem in all its forms.

Lindy Hughson, President of IPPO-International Press Packaging Organisation, moderated a panel of editors and journalists from some of the leading global media outlets covering the packaging industry. Participants included Tim Sykes, editor of Packaging Europe; Dominique Huret, director of Cape Decision; Bo Wallteg, co-founder of the packaging cluster Packbridge (Sweden); Aslihan Arikan, communicator from Ambalaj DünyasıPackaging World (Turkey), and Lilián Robayo Páez, PMMI Media Group’s Latin America Director and Editor-in-Chief of Mundo EXPO PACK.

Held in Milan, Italy, IPACK-IMA 2025 provided the perfect stage for this global panel to take the pulse of innovations, trends, and regulations shaping the future of packaging. All panelists are members of the IPPO, the International Packaging Press Organisation.Held in Milan, Italy, IPACK-IMA 2025 provided the perfect stage for this global panel to take the pulse of innovations, trends, and regulations shaping the future of packaging. All panelists are members of the IPPO, the International Packaging Press Organisation.

Tim Sykes, who also helps organize the prestigious international Sustainability Awards, presented an overview of this year’s most notable award-winning innovations, which highlight major trends in sustainability. Among them, Sykes showcased the Flora Food Group butter tubs by Upfield — recyclable, plastic-free containers made from molded fiber designed to replace traditional plastic packaging with paper-based alternatives. These grease-resistant packs are made from wet-molded paper fiber sourced from suppliers certified by PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification). Because they contain no plastic coating, they are recyclable within local paper waste streams, having been certified by a leading European recycling company. The packaging has also earned a "Conventional Plastic Free" certification and is expected to receive home compostability certification in 2025.

Tim Sykes, editor of Packaging Europe at the Global Packaging Pulse Forum during IPACK-IMA 2025.Tim Sykes, editor of Packaging Europe at the Global Packaging Pulse Forum during IPACK-IMA 2025.

 

Sykes, editor of Packaging Europe, emphasized that although many current packaging innovations do not win awards for being visually impactful or disruptive, their influence is substantial. Technologies like beeping systems (signal-based sorting), delamination (layer separation in composite materials), and dissolution (chemical processes to recover polymers) are critical for enhancing the recyclability of packaging and increasing the use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) content. These incremental improvements, he noted in Milan, have a cumulative and highly significant impact on driving the industry’s sustainable transformation.

Nordic leadership in biomaterials

Bo Wallteg, one of the most authoritative voices in the transition to bio-based materials, shared the progress made by the Nordic countries. Wallteg explained how the Nordic region has become a benchmark for innovation in biomaterials and bioplastics. The co-founder of the Packbridge packaging cluster emphasized that, while plastic remains a material with valuable properties, the Nordic countries have strongly committed to alternatives based on renewable natural resources, especially from their vast forest resources.

Bo Wallteg, co-founder of the Packbridge packaging cluster.Bo Wallteg, co-founder of the Packbridge packaging cluster.

Wallteg mentioned companies producing bioplastics from forestry industry residues, such as lignin — an organic compound fundamental to the woody tissues of plants. These materials are biodegradable and do not generate microplastics, which represents a significant environmental advantage. He also referred to developments in dry fiber techniques by companies exploring cleaner and more sustainable processes to produce paper and cardboard packaging.

More demanding and conscious consumers

Dominique Huret, specialized journalist and Director of Cape Decision, highlighted an interesting duality in consumer expectations: on one hand, they demand functional and attractive packaging; on the other, they increasingly prefer simple, recyclable, and lightweight packaging, and are even attracted to the idea of “packaging-free” solutions. Huret also noted the growth of label-free packaging and the emerging role of the Digital Product Passport as a way to meet changing regulatory and consumer information demands.

Dominique Huret, specialized journalist and Director of Cape Decision.Dominique Huret, specialized journalist and Director of Cape Decision.

Huret noted that in France, there is a rise in bulk and refill packaging, indicating a shift toward more sustainable consumption models. She also mentioned consumers’ willingness to actively participate in recycling, as demonstrated by direct return systems and bottle deposit programs. This evolution points to a more engaged and conscious consumer who expects brands to facilitate responsible practices, she added

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