> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.packagingeurope.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Beyond the pandemic: the reshaping of the packaging industry - URL: https://www.packagingeurope.com/beyond-the-pandemic-the-reshaping-of-the-packaging-industry/ - Published: 2026-10-12T07:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-12T07:54:04.000Z - Author: Packaging Europe staff writers - Tags: Consumer Experience, Food, Business, Russian invasion of Ukraine, Personal Care, Retail performance, Design, Regulation & Compliance, Beverages **Post-COVID, and after the subsequent adjustment period, what new trends are affecting the packaging industry? Neil Osment, Managing Director of packaging market research company** [**NOA**](https://noa.uk.net/?ref=packagingeurope.com)**, takes a look.** Where has the time gone? In March 2027, it will be seven years since the COVID pandemic was fully impacting, with huge repercussions around the world, the packaging sector included. During the pandemic, we worked from home and had time to spend on internet shopping: we had far more of our food delivered, we ordered a lot more DIY products, we looked for treats and began buying meal-preparation boxes like [Gousto](https://www.gousto.co.uk/?ref=packagingeurope.com), we took up hobbies and bought the necessary paraphernalia… the list goes on. In short, with everything closed, and many more products delivered to our homes, packaging had a bumper time. Post-COVID – 2022/23 – we saw a rebalancing. Demand for products and their packaging had dropped, while we went through a period of destocking and spending our money on other items (e.g. going on holiday once again). By 2024/25, we’d have expected demand for packaging to have begun to rise, but other factors have come into play; notably the war in Ukraine and, more recently, turbulence in the Middle East, both triggering inflation. Bluntly, since COVID, consumers across Europe have less available income to spend. Now we’re in the last quarter of 2026, with 2027 just around the corner, it’s a good time to stand back for a review; to work out what trends have stuck, which ones have fallen by the wayside and – importantly – which new trends are emerging. Take food. Meal kits (like Gousto, or [Hello Fresh](https://www.hellofresh.com/?ref=packagingeurope.com)) and takeaway deliveries (via the likes of [Uber Eats](https://www.ubereats.com/?ref=packagingeurope.com) or [Just Eat](https://www.just-eat.com/?ref=packagingeurope.com)), remain popular and are growing. At the same time, many of us continue to have the weekly supermarket shop delivered to our door. Other trends rooted in the pandemic have fallen away, such as bulk buying detergents and cleaning product refill pouches – those of us who opt for refills now tend to get these at a local store. But what of the future? What trends will we see emerging? We believe the Iran war could be a gamechanger for packaging, by hurrying along the switch from fossil fuels to paper-based packaging (because we cannot rely on this supply chain to provide these products without fear of disruptions). This will mean an accelerated move towards alternative packaging formats, especially combination packs, such as fruit and veg cartons made of fibre but with a plastic lid, or the fibre trays for meat that include a plastic, removable liner. There has been a leap in sales for retailers such as [ALDI](https://www.aldi.com/?ref=packagingeurope.com) and [LIDL](https://www.lidl.com/?ref=packagingeurope.com) since the cost-of-living crisis, so we have seen a huge growth in private label (PL) sales throughout Europe. PL represents over 35% of all retail sales in Europe (a much higher figure than for other parts of the world – the USA coming second with a share closer to 15% of the total) and has traditionally been a ‘heartland’ for plastic packaging. This trend for use of plastic packaging formats is changing and changing fast as retailers realise that PL sub-brands can be differentiated and sold at a premium by using fibre-based packaging formats to encourage consumers to buy these products. With the growth of a new breed of consumers who favour natural, fibre-based products (aka ‘Papertarians’) instead of fossil-based packaging, we are seeing more paper pack formats on our supermarket shelves to attract and encourage today’s Gen Z purchaser. This change in packaging formats is being sped along in Europe too by the introduction of legislation (e.g. EPR and PPWR). These directives are encouraging retailers and brand owners to review how they package their products and, in many instances, seek to specify new materials that will appeal to today’s discerning consumers. Laws are stimulating change in how we receive our goods in Europe. With demand rising for healthier food (we’re eating less red meat) and also for cheaper food (also affecting red meat sales - the inflation factor again) we believe packaging will respond. Brand owners will want packaging to mirror demand by looking ‘healthier’, so containing less plastic and using more paper-based, natural materials. On the subject of health, we – younger people especially – are drinking less alcohol, which is having a major impact on demand for packaging in this sector. Companies like [Guinness](https://www.guinness.com/?ref=packagingeurope.com) have been very successful with their zero percent versions, but this doesn’t make up for the reduction in sales of the original and large multi-national drinks companies are having to make major changes in their businesses to regain lost sales. One way that brands are trying to tempt drinkers back is by using ‘paper’ bottles, essentially a bag in a box, but which uses less plastic and look ‘healthier’. Finally, there is another trend emerging, which is affecting food sales: weight-loss jabs. Statistics show UK households using the likes of Mounjaro, Ozempic and GLP-1 have cut their grocery shop by around 5% in six months and this is likely to spread to the rest of Europe. The types of food being bought is also changing, as dieters swap confectionery and snacks for fruit and veg. Similarly, spending on dining out has reduced. In conclusion, the packaging industry has seen the end of the pandemic-era boom traded for a world shaped by economic pressure and changing shopping habits. Clearly, both bricks and mortar retailing and online shopping are here to stay, but the perfect storm of geopolitics, inflation, new trends in packaging formats and new trends in health are all suppressing the rise in demand for FMCG that we had all hoped would return. The way forward now through all this turbulence suggests that we should embrace sustainable, lower-plastic packaging materials and actively appeal to today’s health-conscious and budget-conscious consumer. **If you liked this story, you might also enjoy:** [***The ultimate guide to packaging innovation in 2026***](https://packagingeurope.com/features/the-ultimate-guide-to-packaging-innovation-in-2026/13821.article?ref=packagingeurope.com) [***Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation: what to know in 2026***](https://packagingeurope.com/features/the-ultimate-guide-to-the-packaging-and-packaging-waste-regulation-in-2026/13960.article?ref=packagingeurope.com) [***Everything you need to know about global packaging sustainability regulation***](https://packagingeurope.com/features/report-the-ultimate-guide-to-global-packaging-sustainability-regulation-in-2025/12733.article?ref=packagingeurope.com) [***Strategic learnings from the Sustainable Packaging Summit***](https://packagingeurope.com/features/strategic-learnings-from-the-2025-sustainable-packaging-summit/13750.article?ref=packagingeurope.com)