The packaging industry is adapting to prolonged disruption because short shocks are no longer the only risk. Packaging businesses now face a mix of energy volatility, higher freight costs, raw material swings and tighter customer...

The Plastics Industry Association's annual flagship publication, Size and Impact of the U.S. Plastics Industry, highlights an often underappreciated channel of plastics demand: services. In 2024, an estimated 74% of plastic products ultimately flowed into...

The Strait of Hormuz crisis is putting direct pressure on packaging supply because the packaging industry relies on the same energy and chemical flows that move through the Gulf. The strait is one of the...

Two printing giants, one shifting landscape. Sean Smyth, consultant and analyst at Smithers, breaks down the technology trends, growth markets, and competitive pressures reshaping the industry to 2030. Sean Smyth has spent more than 25...

Make or buy containers or packaging machines. This is a common decision for consumer goods packagers. Up to now, it usually didn’t include electrical power. Going forward, though, you might want to add this to...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the printing industry, offering a wide range of tools that boost productivity, unlock smarter customer insights, and enhance creativity across converter operations. For label and packaging converters, it’s no longer...

As costs decline and functionality expands, more consumer-packaged goods companies and OEMs are expanding usage of artificial intelligence (AI), according to a report released in February 2026 by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing...

In this Q&A, Sean Smyth, Smithers consultant and analyst with over 25 years of senior experience across the print and packaging supply chain, assesses the current state of play in flexo and gravure printing. Drawing...

In flexible packaging converting, scale used to be straightforward. Bigger presses. Longer runs. Higher utilization. Broader geographic reach. For decades, operational excellence meant driving down unit cost through repetition and volume. That definition of scale...

In honor of Women’s History Month, Parlor Talks host Kalie VanDewater sits down with Kasie Fairbarn, vice president of sales at Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corp. in Lincoln, Rhode Island; Adrianne Tipton, chief innovation and sustainability...

For print service providers (PSPs), shifting markets and changing expectations while still getting product out the back door on time is a huge focus, and can be a challenge. The reality is that print and...

As lawmakers around the world pursue ambitious sustainability goals for packaging, an essential sector of the healthcare supply chain has found itself at the center of an unexpected policy collision. For the Sterilization Packaging Manufacturers Council...

Over two days in November at the Flexible Packaging Association’s (FPA) Annapolis headquarters, an independent panel of industry experts assessed the best packaging offerings of the flexible packaging industry. A meeting room lined with samples...

Flexible packaging has become one of the most widely used forms of packaging in the United States, touching everything from grocery store shelves to hospital operating rooms. Yet as the industry grows, so do the...

The packaging industry has taken action on machine learning and gen AI. In commercial excellence, targeted use of gen AI could enhance pipeline confidence, improve conversion, and sustain growth. This is the first article in...

As consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands navigate 2026, success will be defined less by volume and more by clarity, speed, and adaptability. From curated brand portfolios and Artificial Intelligence (AI) enhancements to speed-to-market to visual...

For packaging and label printers, connected packaging represents a fundamental shift from commodity producer to strategic partner. The return on investment (ROI) brands can achieve creates sustained demand that transforms printer relationships from transactional to...

Growing consumer concerns about the environment are driving demand for environmentally responsible and sustainable packaging options for food products. Manufacturers are also focusing on improving their production processes, including packaging, to align with their sustainability...

About 95% of consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies say they are struggling to hire skilled operators and technicians. And nearly 60% expect hiring issues to become somewhat or more demanding in the future, according to...

The only constant in life is change, and in 2026 the packaging industry will once again need to flex its adaptation skills. For many companies, the year begins with reset portfolios, fresh leadership and eyes...

Imagine a customer orders two deliveries of the same product—one from you and one from your competitor. Your product shows up in a brown box with bubble wrap. Meanwhile, your competitor’s product arrives in a...

Markets are shifting, and diners want something new with every order. Innovative, sustainable food packaging is making it easier for foodservice operators to keep pace. These last few years, foodservice and packaging have been defined...

2025 was the year AI stopped being optional for print and packaging companies. Not because it was easy. Not because it was perfect. But because ignoring it stopped being a responsible choice. By the end...

Digital printing has made significant inroads among companies that print on labels and folding cartons. But the technology faces a more complicated path when it comes to pouches, wrappers, and other flexible packaging. Technological development...

Looking back on business and industrywide highs and lows, numbers help capture the year that was. Packaging Dive rounded up highlights from extended producer responsibility news, M&A announcements, manufacturing and workforce developments and sustainability updates...

The quest for accurate plastic sorting has reached a pivotal moment. After years of development and testing, digital watermark technology has finally proven it can deliver the precision needed to transform how Europe handles post-consumer...

As 2025 draws to a close, the plastic packaging industry is at the crossroads of innovation and transformation, with sustainability, technology, and market dynamics shaping its trajectory. From groundbreaking advancements in biodegradable materials to major...

We recently sat down with Ashley Burkle, Director of Business Development at Identiv. Burkle explains how connected packaging has evolved well beyond its early role as a gateway to basic information to become an interactive...