The role of packaging in 2026: 4 expert views

What do fine food retailers need to know about packaging in 2026? Four experts share their take on the sector’s priorities and why sustainability, innovation and strong design are at the heart.

Brands are focusing on how packaging performs in the real world

Adam Platts, sales and marketing director at VPK Packaging UK & Ireland

Packaging is being asked to do more than ever before. It still needs to protect products and perform reliably through increasingly demanding supply chains, but it is also expected to communicate quality, reinforce brand identity and support sustainability goals at the same time.

What’s changing is that sustainability is becoming more practical and commercially driven. Brands are looking beyond headline claims and focusing on how packaging performs in the real world. How efficiently it uses material, how easily it can move through existing recycling infrastructure and how effectively it works across retail and ecommerce environments.

At the same time, speciality food brands cannot afford to lose sight of presentation. Packaging remains one of the most powerful tools for influencing perception at shelf. In premium and artisan categories particularly, shoppers expect packaging that feels considered, authentic and aligned to the quality of the product inside. That creates an interesting challenge for the sector.

Packaging must now balance sustainability, operational efficiency and shelf impact simultaneously. Innovation is therefore becoming more focused on smarter structural design and packaging optimisation rather than purely new materials. We are seeing increased interest in right-sized formats, shelf-ready packaging and fibre-based solutions that reduce unnecessary complexity while still delivering strong presentation and reliable performance.

Innovation is vital, but it has to be purposeful

Gavin Ashe, managing director at Kite Packaging

The packaging sector is being shaped by regulation, sustainability, cost pressure, and changing customer expectations. Packaging now must do more than just project a product. It must support compliance, reduce waste, improve efficiency, and represent the brand. With EPR and Plastic Packaging Tax, businesses are looking beyond the unit price and considering the true cost of packaging - from damage and transport to labour, waste, and environmental impact.

At Kite our focus is simple: help customers choose the right packaging to protect their product and brand whilst minimising cost and environmental impact. Nowadays, consumers want packaging that is practical, protective, efficient, and responsible. They expect products to arrive safely, but they also want packs that are easy to open, easy to recycle, and not excessive.

Over-packaging is noticed, particularly in e-commerce, and it can damage how a brand is perceived. Good packaging should feel appropriate; it should protect the product whilst using materials intelligently. Innovation is vital, but it has to be purposeful. It should solve customer problems, whether that means reducing material use, improving protection, speeding up packing, or making compliance easier; we are seeing demand for right-sized packaging, recycled-content materials, paper-based alternatives, and automation. Sustainability is central to every packaging conversation.

But it must be honest – a sustainable pack is not one that just looks environmentally friendly, it has to protect the product, use resources efficiently, and can be handled responsibly after use. Poor protection causes damage and returns, which creates more waste.

Branding is still king of the pack

Lawrence Barnett, MD of Wonderland Design

One of the defining factors in food and drink branding today is the rise of functional messaging versus emotional brand storytelling. It’s my belief that your pack IS the embodiment of your brand. Confident, distinctive branding on pack is critical to winning consumer appeal.

Food and drink brands, particularly at the premium end, must rely on cues of pleasure, provenance and craft. Consumers buy into a sense of goodness or taste expectation just as much (if not more) as they do nutritional or environmental benefit. Therefore, packaging remains sacrosanct: the primary vehicle for communicating individuality and emotional appeal.

Brands that reduce packs to functional billboards risk diluting the sensory anticipation that makes food and drink brands desirable in the first place. Consumers are becoming more attuned to brands that balance honesty with enjoyment. The strongest contemporary packaging systems integrate key functional claims without allowing them to overpower the brand’s appeal. Simplicity remains a very good guiding principle! Less is often more.

Successful pack branding appears to be shifting towards understated confidence*. The most enduring food and drink brands use design to build recognisable worlds through colour, typography, language and personality and consider sides, backs and even shelf ready packaging to incorporate supporting messaging that does not make it to the front of the pack. The challenge for packaging designers now is not whether to include functional or environmental messaging, but how to prevent it from eclipsing the emotional power of the brand itself.

Sustainability must be considered

Simon Morris, sustainability and innovation manager at Icertech

Global issues are putting pressure on buyers, consumers and cost of living. Petrochemical materials have been particularly impacted, and supply chain vulnerabilities exposed. In the UK the introduction of modulated fees for EPR, DRS and Simpler Recycling mean that packaging material selection is more important than ever.

Consumers expect their packaging to reliably deliver their parcel without damage, whether there is a heatwave or the box has been dropped. They also expect all packaging to be easy to dispose at home, such as through recycling. Consumers frequently remark about how useful product information is on their outer packaging, even if it is just a simple message like “pop me in the fridge”, this shows how powerful custom printed boxes can be.

Innovation is crucial to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to changing trends and legislation. It allows you to introduce new and novel materials that are more sustainable and use more natural materials. Innovation facilitation customisability for your application, and testing and development is recommended to improve your packaging offering.

Sustainability is vital – packaging is a good way to communicate your brand values regarding sustainability to your customers. Reducing environmental impact of your overall delivery reduces your scope 3 emissions. Consumers respond positively to being able to reduce their environmental impact through their purchasing decisions.