Activity around packaging regulation and industry collaboration this past month has increased across Europe and beyond.
The UK Packaging Pact was launched with more than 100 businesses and organisations committing to reduce waste, cut emissions and accelerate the shift to a circular economy.
Developed by environmental NGO WRAP, the 10 year programme extends earlier plastics focused agreements to cover all packaging materials, including glass, paper, card and metal. The focus is on aligning design, regulation and cost reduction across the system, rather than treating them as separate pressures on industry.
That shift towards system level coordination is also visible in policy developments. In India, new rules require packaging to contain at least 40 per cent recycled material, with phased targets and carry-forward provisions intended to ease implementation.
The policy embeds recycled content directly into production decisions rather than relying solely on downstream recovery. Industry groups say the changes will require significant expansion of domestic collection and reprocessing capacity, particularly for food-grade applications.
In Sweden, the country’s deposit return scheme collected more than 3 billion containers in 2025, with return rates approaching 90 per cent. The system links consumer behaviour directly to material recovery through supermarket-based return points, making collection part of routine retail activity. High capacity reverse vending systems are increasingly handling the majority of volumes in busy locations.
Tracking
As regulation embeds further into material supply chains, companies are also increasing efforts to track what happens to packaging once it enters the market.
The Kraft Heinz Company has joined Polytag’s Ecotrace programme, using invisible UV tags to track packaging through recycling systems and generate data on its post consumer journey.
The pilot is initially focused on Heinz Beanz and Heinz Tomato Ketchup products, with potential expansion across additional categories depending on results. The aim is to build a clearer picture of capture rates and sorting efficiency across UK recycling infrastructure.
Tomra Recycling is also expanding its use of data through its Waste Analyser system, which monitors composition, throughput and yield across sorting lines.
The system uses colour cameras positioned at multiple points in the process to generate real time performance data, including waste composition changes and material losses between stages. This allows operators to identify inefficiencies linked to input variability and equipment performance.
Visibility across the recycling value chain is increasing, from collection through to processing, as these systems are deployed more widely. At the same time, research is drawing attention to what is still not being captured within existing systems.
A report by Earth Action and RePurpose Global estimates that packaging contributes around 1,000 tonnes of microplastics entering food each year. It highlights how conditions such as heat, UV exposure and repeated handling can increase particle release during normal use.
The findings suggest that exposure is shaped not only by material type but also by how packaging performs in real world conditions, raising questions about how current food contact frameworks account for particle migration.
That focus on practical performance is also influencing material innovation. UK-based Natural Negative, supported by Innovate UK, is developing bioplastics designed to run on existing manufacturing equipment rather than requiring new production systems. The aim is to reduce barriers linked to industrial compatibility rather than focusing solely on material substitution.
Similar constraints are shaping recycling scale up efforts. Nextek and Coveris have launched a UK demonstration plant producing food-grade recycled resin from flexible polyolefin waste.
The process uses supercritical carbon dioxide to remove contaminants such as oils and odours that limit the use of mechanically recycled plastics in higher value applications. The facility is intended to generate operational data over a multi year period to support future regulatory assessment and commercial scaling.
In parallel, Waste Plastic Upcycling is planning an 80,000 tonne chemical recycling facility at Rotterdam. The plant will use batch pyrolysis technology already deployed in its Danish operation, where capacity is currently running close to full utilisation at around 20,000 tonnes per year. The new site is expected to significantly expand feedstock conversion capacity for post consumer plastics in Europe, subject to permitting.
Business developments
As capacity expands, ownership and control across recycling infrastructure are also shifting.
Agilyx has increased its stake in GreenDot Global to 50.1 per cent, taking control of a business that processes more than 1 million tonnes of packaging waste across 29 countries. The platform sources, sorts and supplies plastics waste for recycling and plays a central role in European feedstock aggregation for mechanical and chemical recycling systems.
In North America, Reconomy has expanded through the acquisition of Waste Disposal Solutions, extending its Lincoln Waste Solutions platform in a market still characterised by relatively low recycling rates and fragmented infrastructure.
Meanwhile, in packaging machinery, ProMach has acquired Evolution Bottling and Packaging Solutions in Scotland, expanding its technical capability and strengthening its presence across the UK and Ireland. The business supplies systems across beverage, food and industrial packaging applications.
Coveris has also had its emissions reduction targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. The company has committed to reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 54.6 per cent and Scope 3 emissions by 32.5 per cent by 2033 from a 2023 baseline. The plan links operational efficiency, renewable energy sourcing and supply chain engagement into a single transition framework, supported by its ReCover division focused on recycling and waste procurement.
And, as manufacturers formalise climate targets across operations and suppliers, attention is also turning to how raw material supply chains are structured.
Ineos Olefins & Polymers Europe has signed new distribution agreements with Omya Performance Polymer Distribution and Snetor to expand access to PET and PP across Europe.
The agreements are intended to strengthen regional supply routes for converters and improve availability of locally manufactured polymer grades in key European markets including Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and France.
