As we settle into the new year, many turn an eye toward the label and packaging industry’s event calendar to check out the shows that pique our interest. I, for one, am very excited for Labelexpo Europe in Barcelona, as well as another edition of the growing PRINTING United Expo, this year coming to Orlando. But both of those big shows aren’t until the fall, and there will be plenty to write about and discuss in their lead-up. However, there are lots of smaller yet interesting events to examine right now. 

As this issue of L&NW goes to press, the packaging world is focused “across the pond,” on the National Exhibition Center in Birmingham, UK, the co-location of Packaging Innovations & Empack, taking place February 12-13 and expected to draw close to 7,000 visitors with over 450 exhibitors. The event includes a dedicated Label & Print Zone.

The show bills itself as “the perfect platform to launch new products with a bang.” The Packaging Innovations tagline is “leading the future of packaging solutions,” with Empack “leading the future of packaging machinery and technology.”

In reviewing the product launches and technologies taking center stage in Birmingham, it should surprise no one that sustainability is the most prominent theme among exhibitors. Here are just a few of the innovations making their debuts at the event.

Driven by its “No Waste” agenda, Coveris is showcasing its latest sustainable paper, plastic, and hybrid solutions designed to support upcoming pEPR requirements. In the UK, pEPR stands for Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging, and is a set of regulations that require brands and retailers to pay for the collection, sorting, recycling, or disposal of their packaging. 

With extensive knowledge spanning both paper and plastic packaging, Coveris’ specialists work with show visitors to review their packaging needs and assess pEPR impact, utilizing tools and product roadmaps to help them make informed choices to minimize environmental impact and reduce financial liabilities.

The Coveris portfolio of product offerings features lightweight designs that prioritize recyclability, use mono-material structures, and incorporate recycled content to align with RAM and modulated fee requirements, in accordance with evolving regulatory standards, while driving sustainability goals. Product highlights include Coveris’ award-winning MonoFlex range, lightweight paper alternatives, including lidding and trays, and a new range of wash-off labels designed for improved recyclability.

Viscose Closures is aiming to “shake up” the shrink sleeve sector with plastic-free technology. Following a successful showing at London Packaging Week back in September, Viscose is exhibiting at Packaging Innovations & Empack for the first time in over five years. Show attendees explore the benefits of its plastic-free shrink sleeves, which have been shortlisted as one of the most innovative products in the annual Innovation Gallery showcase. These sleeves, made from sustainable wood pulp, are Viscose’s flagship products. In line with Viscose’s belief that small choices can add up to make a big difference in packaging, these sleeves are plastic-free, biodegradable, and home compostable, yet can self-shrink without the use of heat, making them ideal for heat-sensitive applications while also reducing energy consumption. Plus, each sleeve can also be applied by hand, eliminating the requirement to invest in sleeving machinery.

EP Group, along with its partners, is launching RePapaPac bag, which doubles as the official visitor bag for the show. The RePapaPac bag, crafted from high-strength biodegradable paper, is manufactured in the UK and delivers on durability and strength, with a low carbon footprint. Even with its lightweight structure, the bag can hold up to 20kg, and thorough testing has proven its durability for up to 50 uses. At the end of its lifecycle, every bag is fully recyclable through standard curbside recycling.

Speaking of bags, SVP is showcasing innovative reclosable bags, including offerings that are oxo-biodegradable, landfill-degradable, and zipper bags with up to 50% recycled content. The oxo-biodegradable and landfill-degradable options are engineered to break down more efficiently by utilizing oxygen in the air or microbes in the landfill, ensuring that plastic waste has a lifecycle. Additionally, SVP’s bags made with up to 50% recycled content help to close the loop on plastic use by incorporating recycled materials.

The Berry Global stand at Packaging Innovations & Empack is featuring a wide range of rigid and flexible plastic packaging that the company offers for retail and industrial applications. Samples on display cover a wide range of end-use markets, including food and beverage, beauty and personal care, surface coatings, homecare, horticulture, and agriculture.

Central to Berry Global’s ongoing new product development work is the creation of solutions in line with circular economy principles, designing out waste and emissions wherever possible while keeping products and materials in use. Examples at the show include products with a high content of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic, solutions that offer improved recyclability, lightweighted packs, mono-materials, and reusable solutions. Berry is also featuring its proprietary closed-loop CleanStream technology, touted as the UK’s first domestically-recovered, mechanically recycled PP for contact-sensitive, homecare, and industrial applications.

New to the company’s extensive range of beauty and personal care products is the introduction of additional smaller sizes – 15 ml, 20 ml, and 25 ml – into its Exclusive Stick and Refill range, offering a convenient, attractive, and refillable on-the-go pack solution.

Rottneros Packaging AB, a supplier of thermoformed molded pulp packaging, is launching its NATURE range of sustainable food packaging trays. The NATURE range represents Rottneros’ dedication to reducing plastic usage and optimizing food packaging performance, all while minimizing environmental impact. Crafted using FSC-certified raw materials from North European sources and produced with 100% renewable energy, they are made from 86-98% renewable materials and incorporate barrier properties designed to extend the shelf life of food while reducing plastic content to below 10%. Each NATURE tray is fully recyclable in paper streams, in line with CEPI and 4EverGreen protocols, and offers the added benefit of utilizing bio-based inner liners that can be separated and composted.

Univest, a designer and manufacturer of a number of successful circular packaging innovations for the food industry, is bringing its latest launches to the show. It has implemented a new coating line that enables the creation of an alternative water-based barrier coating to replace polyethylene in cup production. This new solution, which is compatible with both hot and cold beverages and can be applied to single-wall or double-wall containers, played a part in the development of Univest’s fully recyclable and compostable tableware, UniCup and UniLids.

The UniCup features a high-quality virgin (pure cellulose) cup. The inner wall of the cup is then coated with a unique water-based dispersion mixture, which effectively prevents leaks. Univest is fully flexible when it comes to the customization of these cups. Currently, the company produces up to 50 million per month, all available in various sizes – from 6 oz to 20 oz – with or without printing, and in both standard and custom formats.

Univest’s UniLids, which are made from molded fiber, are cost-effective and more economically viable than their polystyrene- and polyethylene-coated paper counterparts. UniLids are also known for their strength, smooth texture, and high-quality appearance.

Hartmann’s FiberWise innovation is being showcased at the event, too. The company aims to change the meat industry with its fiber-based tray solutions as it makes its Packaging Innovations debut. Designed to address growing environmental concerns, the new tray offers a sustainable alternative to conventional rigid plastic trays, boasting key benefits that make it a clear choice for eco-conscious producers of fresh meat and convenience foods.

Hartmann has used its near-century of experience in rough molded fiber technology to develop FiberWise, a tray range made from 100% renewable resources. FiberWise reduces plastic usage by 70% compared to traditional rigid PET or PP plastic trays, which provides a tangible solution for reducing waste and contributing to a circular economy.

One of the standout features of FiberWise is its separability, which allows for efficient recycling of the fiber and plastic components, ensuring materials are repurposed. This innovation enables consumers to make responsible choices by opting for a packaging solution that is easy to recycle and environmentally friendly.

Following a debut Top 10 position in last year’s Innovation Gallery with its plastic-free blister pack, FACER Progressive Printed Packaging has entered the Innovation Gallery again for 2025.

This year the Leeds-based printed folding carton manufacturer has entered its own-brand plastic-free solution for pen packaging. The all-paper pack remains a heat-seal solution that utilizes the same packing processes and machinery as conventional blister packs while retaining the benefits of this long-established packaging solution. The specially designed packaging achieves the shelf presence of a traditional blister pack without compromising on sustainability and is a completely recyclable, mono-material solution.

FACER is also exhibiting an alternative to the plastic-free blister pack. It has combined a conventional tuck-end folding carton with an extended back panel. This retains the size and marketing real estate while still hanging by a euro slot. This will be exhibited alongside a variety of client packaging and folding cartons produced with alternative sustainable materials.

Complete Co-packing Services Limited will take to the Contract Pack & Fulfilment Zone, having recently formed a partnership with wellness brand SIIP, helping to bring innovative beverage products to market via a range of trials and testing.

Development work has included the blending of the product using high shear mixers and filling the liquid into PET squeezy bottles designed to dispense the correct amount of product per serving. The bottles are then capped and shrink-sleeved with a full body sleeve and built-in anti-tampering feature, giving it a premium, sleek finish.

After production, the finished bottles are transported to Complete Co-packing Services’ 54,000-square-foot Warehouse and Fulfillment Center, where they are stored and prepared for online orders, including those placed via the Amazon platform. 

As part of the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) prep work, a team at Complete Co-packing Services packs the bottles into multi-pack gift boxes, allowing customers to sample each flavor and enjoy 90 drinks that can be served hot, cold, still, or sparkling. This partnership has allowed SIIP to bring a high-quality and versatile product to market while reducing its supply chain and carbon footprint.