2025 no solo ha sido un año de adaptación normativa: sino que marca el inicio de una etapa en la que el packaging sostenible e innovador será clave para la competitividad de la industria alimentaria y de bebidas en Europa. The packaging sector faces a turning point. Sustainability and innovation are no longer a future aspiration, but a requirement driven by regulations and the demands of consumers and industry. Following the progress made in recent years in Spain, with the Waste and Contaminated Soils Act and the Royal Decree on Packaging and Packaging Waste, this year is conditioned by the application of Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 on Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPWR), published in February 2024 and mandatory from August 2026. Unlike directives, this regulation applies immediately and uniformly in all Member States of the European Union, establishing a common framework that is mandatory. The implementation schedule began in 2025: companies have several months to adapt to the initial requirements, while other specific objectives will be rolled out over a longer timeframe. This regulatory harmonization not only avoids discrepancies between national legislation but also guarantees the free movement of compliant packaging within the European single market. The challenge is significant, but it also presents an opportunity to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and transparent model. Six Key Packaging Trends In this context, the sector has identified a series of priority development areas that will shape the evolution of packaging. These trends combine responding to new regulatory requirements with the need to maintain the functionality, competitiveness, and social acceptance of packaging. 1. Ecodesign as a Strategic Pillar Ecodesign has ceased to be an option and has become a crosscutting requirement throughout the entire value chain. This involves rethinking issues from the design phase, such as reducing over-packaging, simplifying structures, and selecting materials with a smaller environmental footprint. Added to this is the use of life cycle assessment (LCA) tools, which allow for measuring and comparing the impact of different design alternatives. The challenge is no longer just manufacturing packaging that protects the product, but doing so with minimal waste generation and maximum recycling efficiency. 2. Single-Material Packaging The trend toward single-material packaging responds to the need to facilitate recycling without sacrificing technical performance. While multi-layer structures offer an excellent barrier but are more complex to recycle, single-material packaging is designed to preserve food and beverages while easily integrating into existing sorting systems. Its success will depend on achieving a balance between functionality (product protection, machine processability, consumer presentation) and circularity. 3. Recycled Material in Food Contact The incorporation of recycled material into food packaging is one of the EU’s priority objectives for 2030. The challenge lies in ensuring the safety and quality of the recycled material, especially in widely used plastics such as polyolefins (PE and PP). These materials present greater decontamination difficulties when faced with food residues, inks, or adhesives. Advances in technologies that allow for their purification and guarantee their suitability for food contact will be essential for this type of packaging to become widespread in the market. 4. Paper and Cardboard with New Functionalities Paper and cardboard are materials with high social acceptance, are easily recyclable, and have an already established management chain. However, for food applications, they require additional properties, such as resistance to moisture, grease, or aroma migration. Current developments focus on barrier coatings and removable inks that provide these functionalities without hindering recycling. This line of innovation opens new opportunities to offer 40TEMA CENTRAL I MAIN TOPIC Tendencias en packaging: un futuro sostenible e innovador Carlos Monerris , director de transferencia tecnológica y mercado en ITENE Bandeja sostenible para alimentos desarrollada a partir de paja de trigo, limón, brócoli y cascarilla de arroz. Sustainable food tray developed from wheat straw, lemon, broccoli, and rice hulls.
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