The plastics packaging sector faced a mix of regulatory changes, recycling challenges and investment developments during July, with companies and policymakers continuing to address the practical requirements of building a more circular economy.
The UK government’s decision to delay mandatory flexible plastics collections in England until 2030 was one of the month’s key developments. The requirement, originally planned for 2027, was postponed due to concerns over collection, sorting and recycling capacity, as well as the availability of suitable end-markets.
Industry responses were mixed, with some organisations welcoming more preparation time while others warned the delay could affect investment confidence.
Scotland and Wales confirmed they would continue preparing for mandatory flexible plastics collections from 2027 despite England’s revised timetable. Both governments said they would continue working with councils and industry to develop systems capable of collecting and processing flexible packaging.
Flexible films
The challenges around flexible films recycling are also being explored internationally. The Flexible Film Recycling Alliance launched two commercial recycling pilots in California to test different approaches to collecting, aggregating and transporting flexible films from warehouses, distribution centres, retail backrooms and manufacturing facilities.
PET recycling was another major focus during July. UK recycler Enviroo warned that the country faces a £750 million ($1 billion) infrastructure gap ahead of the introduction of a deposit return scheme for drinks containers in 2027.
The company said additional recycling capacity would be needed to process future PET bottle collections domestically and reduce reliance on exporting plastics waste.
In the Philippines, PETValue Philippines launched a Zero Waste to Landfill initiative with Republic Cement to recover materials from the PET recycling process that cannot be turned back into new packaging.
The partnership will see materials such as caps and labels removed during recycling used in cement manufacturing through co-processing.
Chemically recycled content
The European Commission also introduced a methodology for calculating, verifying and reporting chemically recycled content in single-use PET beverage bottles. The rules establish how companies and member states should measure recycled content claims, including requirements for supplier declarations, record keeping and mass-balance accounting.
Packaging regulation has continued to evolve globally. Switzerland approved new packaging legislation that will introduce minimum recycling rates and separate collection systems for single-use plastics packaging from 2027.
The rules include a 55 per cent recycling target for plastics packaging and requirements for packaging to be designed for improved recyclability.
Elsewhere, Georgia postponed planned restrictions on single-use plastics food containers and cups used by catering businesses following consultations with industry. Tunisia, on the other hand, proposed a nationwide ban on single-use plastics bags, including requirements for reusable alternatives and Extended Producer Responsibility measures.
Investment across the plastics packaging supply chain was also prominent. Arburg agreed to acquire Stork Plastics Machinery, expanding its injection moulding portfolio with equipment designed for thin-wall packaging applications.
Injection moulding
The acquisition is expected to strengthen Arburg’s position in larger, high-speed injection moulding machines as the sector responds to changing market conditions and increased international competition.
At the same time, Südpack Medica completed an expansion of its Coulmer site in France, nearly doubling cleanroom production areas for medical and pharmaceutical packaging.
The company said the investment would support higher-volume production and the development of recyclable mono-PE concepts designed to replace conventional multi-material structures.
In the chemicals sector, Ineos reached a major milestone at its Project One ethane cracker in Antwerp after receiving the first of two large modules needed to complete construction. The €5bn ($5.76bn) project is expected to begin production in 2027 and is intended to increase European ethylene capacity.
Technology and skills development remained in focus through Sidel’s Nextgen Innovation Lab, where young engineers worked alongside packaging experts on challenges involving artificial intelligence, robotics, computer vision and intelligent machine control.
The scheme aims to encourage fresh approaches to future packaging and manufacturing challenges.
And finally…
Spanish researchers launched the Oceanzye project to explore whether enzymes could help recycle marine plastics waste that is too degraded for conventional mechanical recycling.
The initiative will combine marine litter collection with biological research to investigate new approaches for recovering difficult-to-recycle materials. The researchers hope the project can help turn the tide on marine plastics pollution.
