By 2026, packaging will evolve toward a model based on verifiable data, regulatory compliance (EPR and SB 343), and radical transparency, leaving greenwashing behind. The industry will transition to recyclable mono-materials and packaging connected via QR codes that educate consumers and validate sustainability, transforming packaging into a strategic asset of trust and corporate responsibility.

Packaging 2026 integrates data, regulation and sustainability as new market rules.

2026 has barely begun, but it’s already being identified as the moment when the rules of the game will definitively change for those working in the development and marketing of food and beverage products. For years, brands have designed packaging based on aesthetic trends, intuition, or trial and error; now, the reality is different: data, transparency, and regulatory compliance have become the pillars that will differentiate the companies that thrive from those that fall behind.

The pressure doesn’t just come from consumers, who are increasingly informed and demanding; nor is it solely about the environmental urgency that demands circular solutions. In reality, the transformation we are experiencing is much deeper and operates on several fronts:

• It is regulatory

• technological

• and cultural

The era in which it was possible to operate in a gray area of ​​vague claims about recyclability and sustainability is over. The present has a new landscape where we face unforgiving legal frameworks and consumers who don’t forget.

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When data ceases to be optional and becomes mandatory

The implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in states like Oregon, Colorado, Minnesota, and California in 2025 marked a historic turning point. For the first time, brands must not only declare the contents of their products but also precisely detail the type of material used in each packaging component, its exact weight, and its actual, not theoretical, recyclability.

This represents a huge shift for the industry, because beyond the potential repercussions for non-compliance, it means we are moving away from ambiguity. This time, the very credibility of brands is at stake, as they must demonstrate with data how well they are meeting market and environmental demands. Furthermore, the law reinforces the ability of different companies to make informed strategic decisions, as it limits actions based on assumptions.

It is worth emphasizing that in a market where operational efficiency and sustainability are key factors in maintaining long-term business relationships, having accurate data translates into a competitive advantage.

Materials innovation finds its moment of truth

Regulatory pressure is putting recyclable packaging solutions in the spotlight. Mono-materials (composed of a single polymer) have been gaining ground over laminates or blended plastics, which are almost impossible to recycle in current systems because the appropriate conditions for this process have not been established. Far from being a marketing-driven trend, collection and recycling are operational and legal necessities.

Barrier coatings represent one of the most promising advances in this context, as they allow single-component materials to maintain the same performance as multi-material options, but with the crucial advantage of being recyclable.

However, it is well known that any change in materials can affect production lines and the overall cost of goods. Therefore, brands must carefully evaluate how to balance sustainability benefits with commercial viability.

Especially in Latin America, where operating costs and supply chain efficiency are critical factors, these decisions take on even greater importance. Companies must consider not only the adoption of new materials but also their compatibility with the existing recycling infrastructure in each regional market.

Beyond EPR: the regulatory landscape becomes complex

While Extended Producer Responsibility is the most visible change, it is not the only regulatory challenge on the horizon. The wave of regulations that began between 2024 and 2025 brought with it a complexity that is forcing companies to rethink their packaging strategies holistically.

California’s SB 343 law, known as the “Truth in Labelling for Recyclable Materials” law, is particularly strict. This legislation prohibits the use of false recyclability claims and eliminates the use of certain recycling symbols unless the material is actually recyclable in at least 60% of the state’s recycling programs.

This serves several purposes: one is to eradicate greenwashing, and another is to provide greater clarity for consumers, who, amidst so many options, claims, and symbols, often found themselves caught in comparisons or faced with ambiguous or exaggerated statements about sustainability. This clarity presents both a challenge and an opportunity to differentiate brands with genuine and lasting commitments.

Connected packaging: when information becomes interactive

Technology is transforming how brands communicate with end consumers and their business partners. QR codes are no longer just marketing tools; they are becoming the bridge between physical packaging and verifiable digital information.

In the United States, for example, they began using them to indicate whether packaging is locally recyclable, taking into account the specific capabilities of each region. Meanwhile, in Europe, products have digital passports accessible via QR codes, which transparently communicate the product’s origin, recyclability, and sustainability information.

Experts predict that the use of QR codes will continue to rise globally, transcending marketing boundaries to provide consumers with a complete view of the product and its packaging, using this medium as a channel for transparency and education. Familiarity with QR codes represents a powerful tool: it allows for tracking the supply chain, verifying certifications, and communicating added value in a measurable and auditable way.

The packaging industry continues to evolve in two key directions: efficiency and sustainability. On the one hand, there are disruptive innovations that can completely change the landscape; on the other hand, most progress is focused on improving existing materials and designs to make them more efficient and sustainable. This can mean packaging that uses less material and offers greater strength, solutions that improve logistical efficiency, or designs that enhance machinability and overall performance.

Artificial intelligence is also playing an increasingly important role, helping to optimize structures, predict performance, and make smarter use of available materials. This drives greater precision in packaging development, whether through more efficient designs or the use of single-component and combined materials.

Balance between sustainability, compliance and profitability

The brands that thrive in 2026 will be those that don’t treat these regulations as isolated compartments. To succeed in this mission, it will be necessary to calculate the total cost of goods (both the product itself and its packaging) and, in addition, consider their environmental impact. Specifically, EPR programs and California’s SB 54 require companies to generate, report, and manage detailed data on materials, volumes, and impacts, transforming information into a strategic asset and not just a compliance requirement.

The reality is that compliance and sustainability cannot be separated; profitability depends on making smart decisions from the outset, rather than reacting to sanctions or market changes when it’s already too late. This means integrating environmental and regulatory criteria into purchasing decisions, product development, and supplier selection from the design phase. In this process, food design is a highly helpful discipline for:

• Design packaging with EPR in mind from the initial brief

• Integrate legal, sustainability, purchasing, and marketing aspects from the outset

• Accept that not all categories will progress at the same pace, but all must be transparent.

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Trust: a brand’s most valuable asset

Increased regulatory compliance also means that consumers and institutional buyers will navigate a much clearer landscape in 2026. With these actions, brands are expected to communicate more openly and honestly, and even if they haven’t met certain goals, they should be clear about the areas where they are continuing to work to improve.

To convey messages that are perceived as a key differentiator, companies must be able to inspire trust and demonstrate that they deserve it—this can only be achieved through transparency and truthfulness.

Eventually, this transparency will not only be an ethical attribute but also a strategic one, fostering stronger business relationships that lead to long-term contracts and a solid corporate reputation.

Design as culture and a statement of purpose

We cannot forget that beyond complying with regulations and providing data, packaging also communicates values ​​and constitutes the product’s identity. In this way, it manages to convey emotions that resonate with consumers; it is practically a way of making the company’s promises tangible, placing them in plain sight of potential customers.

This tool and its reach should not be underestimated; even with limited budgets, the narrative on the packaging can help consumers understand the essence of the brand and identify with the values ​​it represents.

Adapting to market needs and understanding buyer concerns will allow brands to offer added value in advance and make their offerings appealing to different consumption levels.

It is essential to recognize that packaging design carries a strong cultural dimension. Designs subconsciously convey messages to consumers. What works in one region may not work in another, so brands need to deeply understand the culture of the society and the audience they wish to engage.

Each product category tends to have its own design language. It’s also possible to break away from the conventional to differentiate oneself or forge a new connection; however, every decision must be based on an understanding of the target market.

Key packaging trends in 2026

Recapping the trends identified by experts from BeverageDaily and Hospitality News Mag, packaging innovation in 2026 will be defined by:

1. Data-driven decisions anchored in the new EPR reporting requirements, enabling companies to base their strategies on verifiable information rather than assumptions.

2. Design changes influenced by SB 343, particularly regarding recyclability claims and the elimination of misleading markings that could confuse consumers or institutional buyers.

3. A focus on single materials, recyclable plastics, and barrier coatings to improve circularity without sacrificing the technical performance needed to protect and preserve food.

4. Increasing use of connected packaging and QR codes to communicate provenance, sustainability, and recyclability in a verifiable and transparent way.

5. Greater alignment between cost, compliance, and environmental impact, rather than treating these elements as separate, competing workflows.

6. More conservative and precise sustainability marketing, driven by the legal risk of making unverifiable or exaggerated claims.

7. Renewed emphasis on consumer trust, with brands communicating both their progress and limitations honestly and constructively.

Sectoral Impact: How 2026 Packaging Trends Translate to the Food and Beverage Industry

While data, transparency, and compliance are common across the entire industry, their practical implementation varies significantly depending on the product category. Barrier requirements, shelf life, logistics, perceived value, and regulations mean that each sector faces distinct challenges and specific opportunities in redesigning its packaging.

Beverages: the epicenter of regulatory change

This sector is especially critical, as beverages account for high volumes of single-use packaging, significant exposure to waste-to-energy packaging (WTP) due to weight and turnover, and face intense regulatory scrutiny regarding sugar content, claims, and recyclability. These aspects translate to packaging through:

• Accelerated migration to single-material PET with compatible caps and labels (HDPE or PET, sleeveless).

• Reduction of basis weight as a direct lever for lower EPR rates.

• Elimination of generic claims such as “100% recyclable” in favor of conditional and verifiable messages, aligned with SB 343.

• Intensive use of QR codes for local recycling instructions, environmental footprint reports, and transparency regarding materials and origin.

In this case, packaging ceases to be a “fixed cost” and becomes a financial and regulatory variable that directly impacts margins, especially in high-volume portfolios.

Dairy products: balance between barrier, recyclability and perception of freshness

Some of the main challenges facing the sector include the high sensitivity of its products to oxygen, light, and contamination, as well as the critical shelf life they have to maintain the viability of the compounds that provide them benefits. They also face a limited recycling infrastructure for multilayer packaging, which is why the trend points to the importance of:

• Re-engineering of packaging towards single-material HDPE and PP with barrier coatings, as well as the gradual replacement of complex laminated structures

• Graphic redesign to communicate sustainability without compromising the perception of safety

• Increased use of internal data to technically justify why certain packaging cannot yet be fully recyclable, avoiding greenwashing.

A key issue in Latin America, especially in markets like Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia, is not only regulatory but also infrastructural: packaging must align with what is actually recycled in each country. This requires genuine collaboration between government, society, and businesses, as well as significant efforts to cultivate habits that will enable a successful transition.

Baked goods and snacks: circularity vs. product protection

The defining characteristic of this category lies in its historical reliance on multilayer flexible films, the narrow profit margins of companies, and the market’s extreme sensitivity to packaging costs. Innovation can be achieved through:

• A gradual transition to mono-PE or mono-PP films with barrier coatings and a reduction in complex inks and finishes to facilitate recycling.

• Design optimization for improved machinability and reduced in-line waste.

• The strategic use of graphic design to compensate for the material’s simplification without sacrificing shelf appeal.

Particularly in snacks, sustainability cannot significantly increase the unit cost; therefore, innovation is more incremental than disruptive, but it must be highly optimized.

Meat products: sustainability under technical strain

This sector is even more complex due to its extreme barrier requirements, the microbiological risks to which food is exposed, and the strict health regulations governing this industry. Packaging trends are manifested in:

• Critical evaluation of high-performance mono-materials versus traditional structures.

• Increasing use of recyclable PP or PET trays, as well as films compatible with mechanical recycling.

• Greater emphasis on life cycle assessment (LCA) to demonstrate that certain “less recyclable” solutions can have a lower overall impact.

Here, transparency does not mean promising perfection, but explaining complex technical decisions with data.

Prepared and frozen foods: logistical efficiency and integrated data

Some of the main drivers for this section focus on the expansion of the retail and foodservice channels, the growth of frozen food, and the need for traceability, especially to guarantee the cold chain. Packaging translates into:

• Rigid, single-material PP containers suitable for microwave use

• Integrated QR codes with expanded nutritional information, instructions for use, and sustainability data

• Design focused on logistical efficiency: stackability, strength, and reduced volume

More than packaging: a paradigm shift

What we are witnessing in 2026 is not simply an evolution of packaging. It is a paradigm shift in how the food and beverage industry relates to its products, its consumers, and the planet. The era of ambiguous claims and decisions based on aesthetics is over. Welcome to the era of data, transparency, and compliance.

Companies that invest in robust data systems, build transparent relationships with suppliers and customers, and integrate regulatory compliance as a competitive advantage will be the market leaders in the coming years, because in 2026, packaging has become a statement of values, a compliance instrument, and a tool for commercial differentiation. Its future is transparent, verifiable, and, above all, responsible.

Source: thefoodtech.com

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