Packaging Innovations doesn’t just talk the talk, it walks the walk, with any number of real-life solutions available for you to deploy immediately to make your brand “pack-ceptional”.

As the next edition of Packaging Innovations & Empack draws close, attendees can rest assured that they will be presented with real-world options and tangible solutions that are perfect for their brand and products.

While the curated educational program and extensive speaker lineup will tackle the hypothetical and strategic challenges and opportunities facing the supply chain, exhibitors are coming through with actual solutions designed for the needs of the packaging industry.

When you’re walking the aisles of Packaging Innovations & Empack 2025 at the NEC Birmingham on 12 & 13 February, these will be there to see, touch and experience first-hand, then take away and use immediately.

Same look, different feel
For a number of exhibitors, prioritizing the removal of unnecessary plastic and replacing it with sustainable alternatives is to be front and centre of their presence at Packaging Innovations & Empack 2025. Each of these have been developed to deliver sustainable solutions without compromising the look, feel and performance of packaging products.

FiloPack and FiloServe are paperboard alternatives to single-use plastic and LDPE-coated boards for food delivery and food service, respectively. Brought to market by EBB Board (F54), both are food-grade paperboards that are certified PFAS-free and feature a barrier coating designed for water, oil and grease resistance. FiloServe is designed specifically for food service applications like cartons for bakery, confectionery and frozen food, with Kit Values 8 and 11. FiloPack come with Kit Value 16, making it suited for the serving and delivery of oily and greasy foods. Both FiloPack and FiloServe can be printed for enhanced branding opportunities, can be recycled, and are compostable under industrial composting conditions.

Plastic-free shrink collars from Viscose (Q74) similarly use fiber and wood pulp to replace polymers in a common packaging application. The collars are hand applied and self-shrink without the application of heat, making them suitable for the packaging and protection of temperature-sensitive products. The bands self-shrink within an hour at room temperature and can be left in an ambient environment to dry on the container to form a tight seal, providing protection against counterfeiting and tampering. Self-shrink capability also makes the sleeves ideal for awkward and unusual container shapes. Once ready to be recycled, the bands can be placed in food waste bins or home compost piles, as they will biodegrade in soil within four months.

TerraMoulds are baking moulds produced using grass. Specifically, grass fibre collected from the mowing of golf courses. According to Ecopack (A22), using 40% grass fibre in their construction lowers the product’s impact on the environment and promotes sustainable choices, while maintaining aesthetics and product quality. Specifically, TerraMoulds are oven-proof and suitable for food contact, while being PFAS-free and compostable and using 33% less water and 14% less energy to produce.

New approach, same result
Other exhibitors have fully embraced innovative new solutions to meet the challenges and needs of modern packaging.

STARDIRECT is a proprietary no-label look technology developed All4Labels (V64). Special inline applicators or rotary applicator modules, developed with partners, provide high-quality labelling, meaning STARDIRECT can be used to decorate glass, plastic, and aluminium containers. By eliminating the use of printing substrates, STARDIRECT allows brand owners to convert their packaging into attractively designed solutions with a lower environmental impact. The patented technology offers improved design flexibility, results in lower carbon dioxide emissions, and improves reuse and recycling rates.

Coming at the issue of waste in the label supply chain from another direction is Reflex Group (D74) with its patented Stereo Labels solution. These are the first labels to be printed on both sides of the liner, so cutting liner waste by 50% and also resulting in a significant reduction in water and electricity usage during liner manufacture. Stereo Labels also have substantially more labels per reel than their single-sided equivalent, meaning lower transport and handling costs, reduced liner disposal costs and minimised storage requirements.

TIPA (F56) has developed a laminating film, 312MET, that is home compostable and maintains high barrier properties that make it suitable for creating recyclable packaging for crisps, cereal, granola, tea, coffee, meat, and more. With a low thickness and excellent sealing properties, 312MET can be used in the construction of stand-up pouches, gusseted pouches, pillow bags, sachets, stick pack and flow wrappers.

A commercial first on the market from Facer (L44) is a plastic-free blister pack. The all-paper pack remains a heat-seal solution that utilises the same packing processes and machinery of conventional blister packs whilst retaining the benefits of folding carton packaging. One early adopter has used the solution to increase their market share by nearly 40%.

Flowers Hydration Pot has been developed by The Sherwood Group (K78) at the request of flower delivery service Bunches, to replace plastic pots used for flower hydration during delivery with a sustainable alternative. The result of this project has been the creation of a cardboard pot made using the packaging company’s Puracoat solution developed for direct food contact applications. With Kit Value 12 and being recyclable and biodegradable, Puracoat provided the perfect solution for Bunches’ needs by ensuring structural integrity and leak prevention while championing environmental responsibility. Integration of the Puracoat sustainable barrier coating directly allowed the elimination of plastic pots, allowing Bunches to save 5.4 tonnes of plastic annually and setting a new standard for sustainable practices in the floral industry.

With these solutions and more already developed and ready for you to use, it’s clear to see that the answer to tomorrow’s packaging challenges are available today. At Packaging Innovations & Empack 2025, you can experience them all.