Through the years, the move from rigid to flexible packaging across product categories led to a growth for the sector that is expected to increase at compound annual growth rate of 2.12% through 2029 (Research and Markets, 2024). While flexibles and films stand out for their performance, convenience and cost-effectiveness, concerns have emerged around end-of-life scenarios.
New technologies and material advancements have proven technically viable in industrial trials, but technical proof isn’t enough. Scaling innovation requires moving from cross-industry pilots to intentional, coordinated implementation. This session examines how brands, retailers, and system innovators are navigating the journey from promising technology to operational reality in flexible packaging recycling.
- From proof-of-concept to market readiness – Understanding what trials revealed about solutions’ technical viability, and the critical gap between “it works in trials” and “it works at commercial scale”
- Collaboration to de-risk emerging technologies – How clear problem definition, aligned incentives, and collective action can navigate bottlenecks (infrastructure gaps, cost allocation, standardization needs) and anticipate unintended consequences
- Advancing flexibles recycling – Concrete next steps for different value chain actors: what brands need to commit to, what infrastructure investments sorting facilities require, what policy support enables scale
What to expect from this type of session...
Main stage sessions, but not as you know them. Because we’re off-the-record, leading experts can speak candidly about their experience with what works, and what doesn’t. At least half the session is dedicated to audience insights and questions to ensure we tackle the big issues head on.
