Packaging has become one of the most scrutinized elements of modern business. Once judged primarily on design flair and functional performance, today it sits at the heart of boardroom strategy, consumer expectation, and political debate. It is no longer an afterthought but a litmus test for how seriously a brand takes its environmental and social responsibilities.

As Martin Settle observes, packaging now stands “at the center of a global reckoning involving regulation, public pressure, and systemic change.”

Every pack that reaches a shelf, warehouse, or doorstep is a statement, not only about a brand’s creativity, but also about its compliance, its ethics, and its role in the circular economy. Increasingly, the design of a carton, bottle, or wrap is as much about meeting regulatory thresholds and demonstrating corporate governance as it is about delivering shelf impact.

Ahead of the upcoming London Packaging Week, the urgency of these debates feels sharper than ever.

To explore the heart of this transformation, London Packaging Week turned to three influential voices from the Easyfairs Packaging Council: Martin Settle, global packaging sustainability manager at Reckitt, Claire Shrewsbury, director of insights and innovation at WRAP, and Tom Stone, senior packaging development controller at Bakkavor. As members of this advisory group, which helps shape the vision behind the UK’s two most successful packaging exhibitions, they are not only commentators but active shapers of industry direction. Their perspectives reveal both the pressures brands face today and the opportunities awaiting those bold enough to lead.

What is emerging is a new paradigm: packaging professionals must navigate a transformed landscape shaped as much by compliance, risk management, and social licence as by innovation and aesthetics. The stakes are high, the pace is accelerating, and the rules are no longer optional.

Regulation as a catalyst

Across the globe, regulatory pressures are accelerating. From the EU Green Deal and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes to anti-greenwashing legislation and state-level plastic bans, packaging is at the sharp end of sustainability reform.

“They are setting the agenda for the retailers, which is cascaded back to manufacturers and material selection and pack design,” Settle notes. “It is all about forcing industry to drive sustainability to reduce the impact on the environment, applying a cross-business financial penalty for non-compliance.”

Shrewsbury underscores this point with practical examples from the UK: “WRAP has been working with brands and retailers under the UK Plastics Pact to eliminate and redesign plastics packaging, to make all plastics packaging recyclable and to even know where to remove it completely. We see that companies will need to continue to reshape their packaging strategies, which will include transitioning to more reuse packaging models, incorporating recycled content, and ensuring packaging is both collected and recycled. This will, in turn, help to reduce EPR fees.”

Regulations now have a global reach, meaning even non-EU manufacturers must comply if their products enter EU waste streams, adding a layer of international complexity to packaging strategy.

Who’s really driving packaging innovation?

With regulatory mandates tightening, the question arises: Should packaging innovation be driven by policy, consumer demands, or internal ESG commitments?

“Packaging design has no option – it has to be compliant with policy mandates,” says Settle. “Many companies will not entertain the concept [of innovation] regardless of consumer-driven expectations or ESG goals if it costs the supply chain, it may not even make the shelf.”

Stone echoes the strategic impact of material choice: “We are seeing brand owners stay or move into more recyclable materials and, in some cases, reducing the amount of paper being bought in as alternative materials. Legislation is designed to support recyclability but also provides a commercial benefit to brand owners in making the right choices.”

Shrewsbury agrees that legislation must provide the baseline, but argues that voluntary collaboration often drives companies further, faster: “Policy and regulatory mandates should be a minimum. The UK Plastics Pact concludes this year, and WRAP is developing its successor, which will be broader, incorporating all plastics. We know that companies being part of our voluntary agreements go further faster and often regulations follow.”

This tension between perception and performance is stark. Take pulp paper bottles, once hailed as a sustainable breakthrough. Still, in reality, many were conventional plastic bottles wrapped in paper. This is a classic case of greenwashing that failed both regulatory scrutiny and retailer trust.

How packaging is shaping policy

The packaging sector does not need to be purely reactive. Trade bodies like EUROPEN, BPR, RecyClass, and OPRL are actively engaged in shaping more realistic and scalable sustainability frameworks. “They are lobbying the EU and UK governments to enhance the regulations and make them more practical for material selection, design and pack manufacture,” Settle explains.

However, competing interests, from NGOs to national governments, mean the final frameworks are far from neutral. Shrewsbury highlights the importance of active engagement across multiple arenas: “There are several forums that help to influence policy development, including UK Plastics Pact and INCPEN. PackUK and the forthcoming Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) for EPR will also be key for the packaging sector to engage with.”

Stone reinforces the proactive role of the industry, saying, “The packaging industry plays a pivotal role in shaping policy and should continue to do so. Technology is driven by the industry, and policymakers need to understand the challenges that the industry faces.”

Compliance, therefore, should be seen not merely as a constraint but as a creative prompt. “Treat compliance needs as another creative need,” notes Settle. “The only products that are exempt are pharma and medical. All other products are captured, so it is not a choice, it is a reality.”

And, as Shrewsbury points out, compliance also ties directly to commercial performance: “If EPR works as intended, then packaging that is not recyclable and not efficient will be penalized by modulated fees, making its use expensive for the producer. Therefore, one way to control these costs is to look for packaging that is reusable and as efficient as possible.”

Turning compliance into a competitive edge

Embedding governance shifts into the heart of innovation can unlock new forms of value. Brands that embrace this approach are better positioned to future-proof their portfolios, engage meaningfully with consumers, and differentiate on purpose as much as product.

Stone highlights the dual opportunity of design and communication, saying, “Understanding material choices and the impact it has on the brand. With the right compliance thinking and the right consumer messaging, consumers will be able to understand the reasoning behind packaging choices.”

This aligns with evolving consumer norms. Over the next 5-10 years, movements like anti-consumption and demands for ethical transparency will further influence packaging expectations. According to Settle, “The big talk is about pre-filled refills that are washable, refillable, and returned to the retailer to resell to consumers, so consumers have no part in the refill process.”

Stone emphasizes the ethical dimension of these choices: “It should be a key focus as we all have a responsibility to do what is right for the future of our planet. However, brands have expectations, and these can still be met with the right design choices for the brand and for recyclability.”

The packaging industry stands at an inflection point. No longer a background actor, packaging is now a frontline expression of sustainability strategy. For brands and suppliers alike, the challenge and opportunity lie in viewing regulation not as a ceiling but as a springboard.

As Settle reminds us, “It is not a choice, it is a reality.” And, as Stone adds, the industry holds the tools, the responsibility, and the creativity to ensure that reality is one where packaging contributes meaningfully to brand trust, circular systems, and a more responsible economy.