Bringing sustainability-minded ideas to market requires us to think outside the box and address familiar challenges from a different angle.
Packaging design influencer Lisa Cain offers her perspective on the key talking points to be addressed at the Sustainable Packaging Summit 2026, from legal compliance to collaborative problem-solving.
What do you think will be the key talking points at the 2026 Sustainable Packaging Summit?
I think one of the biggest talking points at this year's Sustainable Packaging Summit will be a familiar one: how we move promising innovations into everyday commercial reality. The industry has made significant progress developing new materials, improving recycling technologies and simplifying packaging structures. The next challenge is understanding where these solutions create the most value. Not every material is right for every product.
What makes the conversation different in 2026 is that we're no longer short of ideas. In many areas, the technology already exists. The focus is shifting towards adoption, scale and implementation. The question is becoming less about what's possible and more about what works, where, and why.
That's one of the reasons I enjoy the Sustainable Packaging Summit. It brings together designers, brand owners, recyclers, material suppliers and legislators, all looking at the same challenge from different directions. Nobody has the complete answer on their own, but each group brings a piece of the puzzle. Those conversations often challenge long-held assumptions and spark ideas that simply wouldn't emerge within one part of the industry.
I'd also like to see design become a bigger part of the conversation in 2026. New materials don't sell themselves. Good graphical design can help consumers understand a new packaging format and communicate why it matters. Structural design then has to deliver on that promise in use. As packaging continues to evolve, I think both disciplines have an increasingly important role to play in turning innovation into adoption.
We’re big fans of your LinkedIn content, which spotlights innovative design in the packaging space. What is your favourite example of innovative packaging design from 2026 so far?
One of the things I enjoy most about writing on LinkedIn is exploring every aspect of packaging, from sustainability and innovation to design, engineering and consumer behaviour. There are so many factors to consider, yet it's easy for all of us to look at things from only one or two perspectives. Good sustainable packaging also needs to build brands, solve technical challenges, work commercially and create an experience consumers value.
That's why I tend to explore the reasoning behind a project or format rather than just the end result. Understanding why a decision was made is often just as interesting as the decision itself, particularly when you see how design, engineering and sustainability have influenced one another along the way. I also enjoy challenging accepted thinking. Many of my best-performing posts have been conversation starters where people have looked at exactly the same packaging and come away with completely different opinions.
If I had to choose one example from 2026, it would be the continued development of mono-material flexible packaging. I've written about it more than once because every time I look a little deeper, there's another layer to the story.
Replacing complex laminate structures with a recyclable mono-material alternative while maintaining barrier performance, machinability, shelf life and print quality has taken years of material development, engineering and design.
What makes it particularly interesting is that it opens up wider discussions around carbon footprint, circularity, commercial adoption and the realities of collection and recycling infrastructure. Every post I've written on the subject has generated a different discussion, which probably tells you everything you need to know about the complexity of the challenge.
We see a lot of concerning/negative packaging stories every day, so much so that it can be hard to remember positive stories about innovation and sustainability successes. What has been your favourite packaging-related good news story from the past year?
One of the best stories from the past year has been finally getting greater clarity around PPWR. The last few years have involved a lot of planning for different scenarios as the legislation developed. With a much clearer framework now in place, businesses can start making longer-term decisions. That's often what unlocks investment and innovation.
Companies can now make much bigger decisions around manufacturing, machinery and material development. Those investments often take years to deliver, so having a clearer regulatory framework removes a lot of uncertainty and allows businesses to accelerate the development and adoption of more sustainable packaging solutions.
When you think about the 2026 Sustainable Packaging Summit, what are you most excited about?
Packaging is one of those industries where it’s easy to become comfortable with established ways of thinking. Every year, I leave the Summit with at least one idea that challenges an assumption I’ve held for years and encourages me to look at familiar problems from a new perspective.
Working across a wide range of customers and categories, it’s all too easy to carry the same thinking from one project to the next. Taking a couple of days away from that routine creates the space to step back, question those assumptions, and see familiar challenges through a different lens. That opportunity to rethink and learn is what excites me most.
