Creativity, collaboration and change: A day at Packaging Innovations 2026

I love trade shows, even if I do sometimes have RBF while walking around them. I typically walk away energised and full of positivity about the future of whatever industry I’m in, but often that feeling ebbs away as the train takes me home. Last week at Packaging Innovations felt different. I walked away genuinely excited for how much packaging is going to change over the next few years, and had that feeling reinforced as I flicked through trade mags on the way home. A week later the feeling is even stronger.

When I tried to explain this to my eight-year-old, I found it all came back to one central theme - a whole hall full of people trying to make things better, whether for the planet or for the consumer. Maybe I was simply ‘looking for the helpers’, maybe I picked my seminars well, or maybe I’m just buzzing after getting to geek out over DTO-printed Johnnie Walker bottles, but overwhelmingly, as I type, I’m full of the idea that the packaging industry is in the midst of a seismic change for the better.

“Sustainability isn’t a value proposition in isolation”

‘Greener’ options were everywhere, of course. With EPR on everyone’s lips (and featuring prominently on the branding of many stands), the talk on ‘Designing packaging that really gets recycled’ was standing-room only. And whether it’s lightweighted wine bottles, fibre-based packaging of every possible shape, size and application, compostable condiment sachets (yes please!), or a paper-based sensor that reacts to the presence, density, and type of bacteria with a colour change - it was clear that there are a lot of problem-solvers out there. The show was chock full of the innovations its name implies.

However, it was also clear that we’re moving into a phase in which innovation alone is not enough. Environmental claims need to be quantifiable, and changes need to be commercially viable, technically scalable, and practically adoptable by consumers. Or in the words of Smithers’ Robert Outram, who spoke about the outlook for the packaging market: “Sustainability isn’t a value proposition in isolation.”

Alongside this, two broad shifts seem to be taking place: the adoption of holistic approaches to packaging (and waste), and multi-organisation collaborations tackling challenges by choosing “courage over comfort”.

Strategy demands an holistic approach

An holistic approach to sustainability is something we talk a lot about as part of our work in the world of visual communications. As is so clearly demonstrated by the thinking behind EPR, as well as LCA-led approaches to sustainability and the incorporation of Scope III emissions into sustainability reporting, organisations cannot afford to think only of their piece of the puzzle when it comes to sustainability.

As both a cynical consumer and a longtime lover of brand creativity, it’s exciting to see how much end-to-end thinking is going into packaging design today. As an epicurean, it’s even more exciting to hear how often discussions of addressing and reducing food waste form part of these conversations. 

It was also hugely encouraging to learn about collaborations bringing together forward-thinking businesses that otherwise essentially compete to pool resources in the name of tackling shared challenges. One that really stuck with me was PA Consulting and PulPac’s work with multiple brands on The Bottle Collective, and I am really looking forward to seeing how that evolves.

“Courage over comfort”

“Courage over comfort” from Hunter Luxury’s Paul Hamilton was one of my favourite quotes of the day. He was speaking about their award-winning watering can project for Hendrick’s Gin, which is a great testament to how refusal to give up on a vision can make the seemingly impossible possible. Yet his excellent quote could be applied to so many other groundbreaking projects, whether sustainability-focused or centred on consumer experience.

Speaking of consumer experience, my favourite packaging project of the day - probably because I’m a digital print nerd, a DTO geek, and a fan of the odd dram of Scotch - was undoubtedly Paul Horton and Will Harvey’s presentation on how Diageo blended art, AI and live brand experience to turn bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue into unique works of art.

From creativity to collaboration and change, the packaging industry is marching bravely into the future.