We’re privileged to work with some of the leading packaging companies in their respective fields, which gives us a front-row seat to the pressures they’re navigating and where they’re placing their strategic bets. After years of playing defence against regulation and sustainability demands, essentially playing catchup with a moving target, 2026 feels like the year packaging companies can finally go on the offensive. The priorities are clear, but they’re connected in ways that need careful navigation.

Regulatory readiness, as a priority, is a given at this point. PPWR is moving from policy to implementation, with real deadlines for recyclability and recycled content, while the UK’s new Packaging Pact launches in April with tougher expectations around reuse and refill. What we’re hearing from converters is that EPR cost modulation and the Plastic Packaging Tax are forcing much more detailed data tracking. You need to know exactly what’s in your packaging, where materials came from, and whether it’s genuinely recyclable, which is certainly going to stretch resources for smaller teams.

Material innovation is the second piece of the 2026 puzzle. Across the industry we’re seeing real progress in mono-material films, new renewable substrates, and natural barrier coatings, all designed with circularity in mind. But there’s still a gap between what’s technically recyclable and what genuinely gets recycled in the real world. Brands are getting smarter about this, and they’re asking packaging companies to prove their sustainable choices will actually work in existing recycling infrastructure. This is where there’s an opportunity to add serious value – by being the expert who helps brands navigate the trade-offs between performance, recyclability, cost, and what consumers will accept.

The third priority is digital tech integration, and this is where a lot of commercial opportunity sits. Particularly with Project Sunrise 2027 on the horizon, moving to QR codes and GS1 Digital Link formatting is about creating data value and direct consumer connections. Converters that already have digital print capabilities have a natural advantage here. When you can link packaging to supply chain visibility, anti-counterfeiting, and personalised brand experiences, you’re going beyond just supplying packaging, you’re enabling new marketing strategies.

The fourth priority is perhaps the most urgent, and it’s about AI adoption. Specifically, being strategic about where and where not to deploy it. Artificial Intelligence is proving a real force in areas like predictive maintenance, supply chain optimisation, and production planning, where it’s driving real efficiency gains and competitive advantage. Companies that aren’t investing in these operational applications risk falling behind, very quickly.

But there’s a flip side. The packaging industry has a well-documented workforce and succession issue, and stretched teams are understandably looking at AI tools as a quick fix. The problem is that AI works brilliantly for data-intensive, pattern-recognition tasks, but it can’t replicate the kind of problem-solving that comes from decades on a press floor or understanding how a substrate will behave under specific conditions. It can’t advise a brand on whether their design will work with their chosen material or navigate the trade-offs between barrier performance and recyclability based on real production experience.

When companies deploy AI beyond its capabilities, into areas that require technical judgment, client relationships, or deep sector knowledge, they risk commoditising what should be their differentiators. In 2026, the winners will be the ones who are intentional about AI deployment, using it where it genuinely adds value and resisting the temptation to use it as a blanket solution to capacity constraints.

What ties these priorities together thematically is the need to shift from reactive to strategic. The companies that’ll do well through the year aren’t just the ones with the best equipment or the most sustainable materials, they’re the ones who can explain how their capabilities solve actual client problems. Telling a real story of managing EPR costs, cutting carbon, and standing out on shelf. That needs a different marketing approach, a nuanced approach that leads with insight rather than just listing the spec sheet.

Think B2B Marketing works with print, packaging, and manufacturing companies to develop data-driven marketing strategies that translate technical capabilities into commercial value.