From the increased use of recycled content to using less material overall, 2025 has been a landmark year for the development and commercialisation of ever-more sustainable packaging applications that offer no compromise on functionality.
Take the example of Sidel, which unveiled a new bottle base to enable the use of 100 per cent rPET with water, juices, milk, and edible oils in formats from 0.25 litres up to 2.5l. The StarLite-R Still is claimed by the company to be the only base on the market able to achieve the performance necessary in this competitive marketspace while using rPET.
According to Sidel, the base’s patented technology includes smooth material stretching and precise distribution, optimised venting for easy shaping, and an efficient cooling circuit ideal for rPET, which is likely to be processed at higher temperatures.
The carefully designed grooves and venting holes in the StarLite-R Still mould base ensure that air escapes efficiently, allowing the bottle base to take its desired shape perfectly, even at lower pressures, Sidel claims. This reduces energy consumption and production costs while maintaining quality, the company adds.
From PET technology to pet food, and Nestlé Purina PetCare Europe’s standout innovation in 2025 was patented pyramid packaging for its newly extended upmarket wet cat food range.
The jelly-based meal, which features finely diced tender cuts, is being sold in ‘easy release’ 57g pots, which ensure the food retains its pyramid shape during serving without the need to use cutlery or clean up spills, the brand says.
The novel shape of the food is said to be the result of years of research and behavioural studies by Purina scientists to encourage natural eating behaviours in cats.
“Our patented packaging design is truly unique in the category and helps to offer a premium serve, elevating the serving experience for pet owners who want to pamper their feline companions,” says Rossana Regalia, the company’s European marketing manager for Gourmet.
Pouches for both pet and human food were honoured at the 2025 World Packaging Organisation WorldStar Awards, held at Ipack-IMA in Milan, in May.
Developed for Fugini Condiments, Brazil-based MAD Creative received an award for pouches with 3.5mm nozzles. Designed to replace condiment bottles, the pouches use 60 per cent less plastics in doing so. The nozzle also prevents air entering the package, helping to preserve the product.
A key advantage is that almost all the product can be squeezed out, while the nozzle assists controlled dispensing, further reducing waste, says MAD. There are logistical benefits when compared with rigid containers as well, the manufacturer adds, as 32 per cent more pouches can be transported in the same space.
With a similar mindset, Japanese manufacturer Ajinomoto also won a WorldStar Award for what it calls a ‘tube-pouch’. Designed for Doubanjiang seasonings – Chinese chili bean paste – the container’s body film has been thinned, cutting the amount of plastics used by around 50 per cent and enabling the consumer to more easily squeeze the product out of the tube-style cap opening. This ease of use is further increased by the spout diameter, adds the manufacturer.
Additional features include the use of a clear high-barrier film, as the body film – when combined with the inner-seal on the spout – enhances the shelf-life of the product while allowing the consumer to view the amount remaining in the container.
More pouch innovation came from compostable film producer Futamura this year, which worked with flexible packaging converter Repaq, and machinery specialist GK Sondermaschinenbau to jointly develop a fully compostable pack format for liquid sachets.
Designed for products such as sauces, condiments and creams, the packaging is touted as a sustainable alternative to traditional plastics sachets, which are difficult to recycle due to their complex multilayered structure and small size.
The pack uses Futamura’s NatureFlex cellulose film combined with a bio-based sealing layer. It has been certified for both home and industrial composting. The compostable packs have been tested on GK Sondermaschinenbau machinery and were found to perform comparably with existing plastics sachets in terms of production efficiency and shelf-life.
Additional features include the use of a clear high-barrier film, as the body film – when combined with the inner-seal on the spout – enhances the shelf-life of the product while allowing the consumer to view the amount remaining in the container.
From compostables to refillables, and Alpla Group got heads turning this year with the CleanCharger, designed to circumvent the potential recycling issues caused by pump dispensers – which typically contain a metal spring, or other non-plastics components – on single-use bottles of personal care products, such as hand soap or lotions.
The CleanCharger consists of a pump and accompanying casing, into which lightweight plastics bottles – which can be manufactured from up to 100 per cent rPET – are fitted as ‘cartridges’.
The outer case is designed to be reused for years, says Alpla, and it also bears the downward pressure when the pump is actuated, protecting the integrity of the lightweight cartridges. The system’s airless pump system, meanwhile, leads to a controlled collapse of the cartridge, minimising waste volume and providing a residual emptying of more than 97 per cent. It was also a WorldStar Award winner.
In applications less suited to refills, the emphasis has instead been on moving to mono-materials in order to promote recyclability. ProAmpac has been at the forefront of this trend, launching a recyclable polyolefin-based packaging platform for blocks of cheese, designed to be used on high-speed production lines.
The films are intended to maintain product appearance and shelf-life while withstanding the demands of cheese processing. They provide clarity for retail display, puncture resistance, and tolerance for high temperatures during filling.
The platform features sealing technology with a low seal initiation temperature and strong seal-through properties, reducing the risk of leaks on fast filling lines. It can also include post-consumer recycled (PCR) material and is compatible with PE recycling streams.
Coveris, meanwhile, introduced mono-material packaging for tortilla wraps as part of its No Waste mission. The new MonoFlex Thermoform film replaces non-recyclable mixed-material substrates, while ensuring a long shelf-life, according to the converter.
The development followed close collaboration with a tortilla wrap manufacturer looking for a more sustainable alternative to the previous polyamide/PE structure. The main challenge was to identify a recyclable material that could preserve tortillas with a low quantity of preservatives for at least six months.
After extensive testing at Coveris’s Food Science Lab in Gainsborough, UK, the team selected a mono-material top and base thermoforming film. This solution successfully protected the wraps from mould during testing and can be recycled in the same waste stream.
Providing strong barrier properties to extend shelf-life and offering puncture resistance, MonoFlex Thermoform is compatible with existing packing lines, allowing a smooth transition from previous materials without reducing packaging speed, claims Coveris.
Advancements in mono-material packaging were not just exclusive to food, either.
Südpack Medica, a producer of films and packaging for sterile medical goods, used the Vitafoods trade show in Barcelona in May to unveil a new PP-based blister pack.
NutriGuard is classified as recyclable, and is designed for dietary supplements such as vitamins, minerals, proteins and natural additives. It has been developed as an alternative to conventional blister packs made from materials such as PVC and aluminium, which are difficult to recycle.
Südpack says the material offers similar barrier protection and usability to existing solutions, while being compatible with mechanical recycling processes.
Allied to the move towards mono-materials is the removal of less readily-recyclable polymer types. Schwan Cosmetics, for example, has developed a recyclable packaging material for cosmetics pencils to help brand owners move away from styrene and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, before upcoming EU restrictions take effect.
The Germany-based private-label manufacturer launched the patent-pending FLXTechnology as a replacement for traditional styrenics. The new solution uses PET and PP, both of which are more widely recycled in global waste systems.
The shift comes in response to tightening regulations, such as the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive, which will require all packaging placed on the market to be recyclable or reusable by 2030. Extended Producer Responsibility frameworks are also encouraging producers to avoid hard-to-recycle formats, while retailers are phasing out packaging made with styrene-based materials.
The new material contains up to 92 per cent recyclable content.
Greiner Packaging quite literally lifted the lid on the need for hard-to-recycle aluminium foil seals last year by introducing two new sealing options, Click On and Click In, to improve sustainability and user convenience. Both lids use a mono-material, such as PP or rPET, simplifying recycling and helping to reduce carbon emissions.
The lids follow a two-part system, removing the need for aluminium foil seals that are harder to recycle. Both lids are reclosable, helping to keep contents fresh for longer.
The Click On lid fits securely without requiring any change to the cup and offers two tab options for different uses. Requiring a slight modification to the cup rim, the Click In lid gives an audible click when closed, with the aim of ensuring a secure seal and leak protection. The latter is suitable with both thermoformed and injection moulded cups.
Also in 2025, Faerch revealed it had developed a rPET drinking lid for hot beverages. Crafted from up to 85 per cent rPET and fully recyclable into food-grade packaging, Faerch claims the hot drinking lid can reduce carbon footprint and enhance sustainability credentials.
Anyone doubting the potential of rPET drinking lids should need reminding that McDonald’s Japan has begun rolling them out in favour of paper straws, the use of which consumers have found problematic. The fast food chain says the shift also forms part of a multi-year packaging plan aimed at cutting the use of virgin plastics.
There has been recycled content progress in jars as well, after Mars teamed up with Berry Global (now Amcor) to create 100 per cent recycled packaging for its M&M’s, Skittles and Starburst pantry jars. The move will eliminate 1,300 tonnes of virgin plastics annually, the packaging provider says.
The easy-grip square jars are available in 60, 81 and 86-ounce sizes. They are made using certified food-grade mechanically recycled resin sourced from kerbside collection streams and are widely recyclable, apart from the lids.
The move marks a significant leap forward for Mars, after it launched pantry jars featuring 15 per cent recycled plastics in 2022.
Another snack manufacturer, Burts, also made significant headway in increasing recycled content by rolling out new crisp (chip) packaging made from 55 per cent PCR plastics.
Unveiled across the brand’s Mature Cheddar & Onion, Lightly Sea Salted, Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar, and Devon Roast Beef flavours (40g and 150g formats), the move is set to save an estimated 8,000 tonnes of virgin plastics annually.
The updated packs also feature a green flash to indicate the use of recycled plastics in the packaging.
The latest packaging modification follows several changes made by the brand owner over the last five years to help reduce its carbon footprint. This includes reducing the thickness of its film and pack dimensions from 50 to 40 micron – which Burts claimed resulted in 12.2t less plastics last year alone.
Additionally, the brand owner says it has decreased the weight of its film by 10 per cent. The new PCR packaging will take used materials and incorporate it into new plastics, helping to create a circular economy and a happier environment, Burts says.
Most advancements in recycled content for food packaging currently involve rPE or rPET, but that is expected to change in the months and years ahead, after a coalition of businesses achieved an industry breakthrough by developing the first rPP suitable for food-contact packaging under EU law.
Prevented Ocean Plastic (POP), working with a group of packaging and recycling companies, revealed what it says is the first rPP to gain European Food Safety Authority approval.
The collected plastics are sorted and washed under POP’s franchise model, which operates in coastal communities at risk of ocean pollution. The material is then processed by PETman using Starlinger Viscotec technology to produce high-quality, food-safe rPP. Bantam Materials, which owns the POP programme, supplies the output to offtakers.
Other partners in the project include Innovia Films (a division of CCL Industries), and Spectra Packaging. Innovia will use the rPP in BOPP flexible films, which have historically been difficult to make with recycled content. Spectra will use it to mould bottles and caps, while other applications include trays for fruit, vegetables and protein products.
Not to be outdone, NextLoopp, the multi-participant global project led by Nextek, gained a letter of no objection (LNO) from the US Food and Drug Administration, confirming that its proprietary recycling process for rPP meets the requirements for direct food contact.
The LNO, logged as Prenotification Consultation (PNC) No. 3291, authorises NextLoopp rPP for use at levels up to 100 per cent across all food types and under Conditions of Use A through H, spanning the full spectrum of applications – from high-temperature heat sterilisation to frozen storage.
Progress was also made in light-weighting this year, and one standout innovation came from Klöckner Pentaplast (KP), which unveiled a ‘next generation’ modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) tray that is said to be the lightest in its class.
The KP Elite Nova tray uses a novel ribbed design to add strength in critical areas, while keeping weight and material use to a minimum. This, says KP, makes it around 10 per cent lighter than any other tray in its category – without compromising on barrier performance, sealing integrity, or mechanical strength.
The MAP is made with up to 100 per cent rPET, including material from KP’s Tray2Tray initiative, which creates a closed recycling loop for food trays. It is available in a variety of sizes and depths, and is designed with the realities of food production and logistics in mind.
Not all packaging innovation concerns the material itself. Labelling technologies provider Checkpoint Systems introduced an RFID inlay for reusable food packaging that is safe for microwave use.
The Chinook inlay is designed to support improved traceability across the food supply chain while helping businesses shift towards more sustainable packaging systems.
Chinook is built to withstand repeated reuse and exposure to microwave heating without compromising food safety or RFID functionality. In testing by the European EPC Competence Centre, the inlay retained more than 50 per cent of its maximum read range after 45 microwave cycles.
The technology is suitable for fresh, frozen and prepared food packaging.
Back to bottles, and Aptar Closures’ two award wins at the 2025 Association for Dressings & Sauces (ADS) Annual Business Forum in Scottsdale, Arizona, in October, were helped by its new Tower closure for McCormick’s Frank’s RedHot Squeeze Sauces.
Tower is a flip-top dispensing closure that, according to Aptar, provides one-handed, user-friendly convenience and ensures precise, controlled dispensing for a smooth drizzle. One ADS nominating member said the team at Aptar Closures “actively participates in material qualification and helps define the quality parameters that are meaningful to the consumer”.
Also making a difference to consumers this year was Amcor’s (formerly Berry Global’s) bottle and closure made from 100 per cent PCR plastics for lubricants manufacturer Green Oil’s Gardinól brand.
The closure is manufactured using a non-carbon black masterbatch, which enables it to be detectable by near-infrared scanners in waste sorting processes, unlike conventional carbon black plastics, which in many cases cannot be detected for recycling.
Staying in lubricants, and motor oil specialist Mannol was busy strengthening its anti-counterfeiting capabilities with new container caps featuring visible authenticity marks.
To make it easier for distributors and end-customers to verify authenticity, the new screw caps bear the SCT and Mannol brand marks, including the motto ‘Professionals in Lubricants’.
The top of the cap features a tactile, embossed texture with an iridescent effect that shimmers depending on the light – a detail that is intentionally difficult to copy. The inner seal now reads ‘Made by SCT’, while the ‘Original Quality’ notice and the SCT logo remain.
The caps are produced in a distinctive silver tone that is echoed on the product labels, including in the product names, viscosity grades, and elements of the new vehicle sketches.
This allows the security feature to blend seamlessly into the brand’s overall visual identity, says Mannol, without overshadowing its functional purpose – clear identification and counterfeit prevention.
