Packaging industry news moved fast this week, with a wave of U.S. facility expansions, breakthrough post-consumer recycled film content, landmark federal legislation, and a pair of imminent regulatory deadlines forcing brands to act before summer ends. Here is your complete packaging industry news roundup for the week ending June 28, 2026.
Materials & Sustainability
Alliance to End Plastic Waste: Flexible Films Can Exceed 30% Recycled Content
A June 26 report from the Alliance to End Plastic Waste confirmed that household flexible plastic waste can be mechanically recycled to achieve above 30% inclusion in shrink films, labels, and pouches. The enabling technologies — advanced sensor-based sorting combined with double-melt filtration — address the contamination barriers that have historically limited flexible film recyclability. For brands still evaluating alternatives, our guide on hemp packaging as an eco-friendly material offers a useful comparison point.
PureCycle & Innovia Films Hit 40%+ PCR in BOPP Film
PureCycle Technologies and Innovia Films announced a major milestone this week: a white, cavitated biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film produced with more than 40% post-consumer recycled content, approved for food-contact applications including snack wrappers, confectionery, ice cream packaging, and roll-fed labels. The BOPP breakthrough is the first of its kind at food-contact grade, and signals that high-performance recycled flexible film is no longer a future-state aspiration.
CTK Bio Canada Launches Home Compostable Pallet and Food Wraps
CTK Bio Canada introduced its Earth Edition line in June 2026, offering home compostable pallet wrap and food wrap solutions certified to perform comparably to conventional polyethylene stretch films. Products come in both food-grade and non-food-grade formats, making them practical across logistics, e-commerce fulfillment, and direct-to-consumer shipments. If you run a subscription box operation, our complete guide to switching to plastic-free packaging walks through how to evaluate drop-in alternatives like these.
Eco-Products Debuts Compostable, Recyclable, and Reusable Beverage Cup Line
Eco-Products launched a redesigned portfolio of foodservice cups in June 2026: FSC-certified paperboard hot cups, aluminum cold cups made with 90% recycled content, and the new reusable Veda™ line. The move directly addresses mounting foodservice sustainability procurement requirements and positions the brand well ahead of California’s October 4, 2026 SB 343 recycling labeling compliance deadline.
Dow Thailand Deploys Recyclable Mono-Material PE Refill Pouch
Dow’s Thailand team partnered with local brands to release a 700-mL mono-material polyethylene refill pouch for Magiclean floor cleaners, replacing an unrecyclable multilayer laminate. The new format is approved for Thailand’s mechanical PE recycling stream and demonstrates how design-for-recyclability decisions at the substrate level can eliminate end-of-life recycling barriers without compromising shelf life or fill performance.
Industry & Supply Chain
Pratt Industries Commits $90M to Nearly Double Texas Corrugated Capacity
Pratt Industries announced a $90 million capital investment to expand its Rockwall, Texas corrugated box plant from 400,000 to 736,000 square feet, adding 100 jobs and nearly doubling output. Per Packaging Dive, the announcement was one of six major U.S. facility expansions in June, reflecting sustained e-commerce-driven demand for corrugated formats heading into the second half of 2026.
Five More Packaging Companies Expand U.S. Footprint in June
Alongside Pratt, five other packaging companies made domestic infrastructure commitments this week: Pregis opened Customer Experience Centers in Atlanta and Los Angeles; Packsize inaugurated a 33,000 sq ft Atlanta hub; Sonoco doubled paper can production capacity in West Chicago; Alpla opened a learning and development center in Iowa City; and ACR launched a Stockton, California distribution facility. The cluster of announcements underscores ongoing capital confidence in the U.S. packaging manufacturing base.
Containerboard Prices Rise Across the Industry
International Paper, Georgia-Pacific, Packaging Corporation of America, Pratt Industries, and Cascades all implemented containerboard price increases in June 2026, ranging from $50 to $70 per ton depending on grade. The increases reflect tightening supply and recovering demand — but they put additional pressure on brands already absorbing sustainability compliance costs. When evaluating new supplier agreements in this environment, the checklist in our packaging supplier audit guide remains highly relevant.
Amcor Names Ryan Yost to Lead $10B+ Global Flexible Packaging Division
Amcor appointed Ryan Yost — previously of Avery Dennison — as Division President of its Global Flexible Packaging Solutions business, one of the world’s largest flexible packaging operations at over $10 billion in annual revenue. The appointment coincides with Amcor’s planned relocation of its U.S. headquarters to Miami in 2027 and positions the division for continued investment in packaging industry sustainability and material innovation priorities.
Berlin Packaging Acquires O.Berk Co. as PE Consolidation Continues
Berlin Packaging added New Jersey-based O.Berk Co. to its portfolio in June 2026, part of a broader 2026 M&A trend favoring strategic bolt-on deals over the megamergers that defined 2023–2024. Private equity-backed roll-ups now account for roughly 79% of supply-chain M&A activity in the packaging sector, as acquirers target specialty, sustainable, and regional packaging capabilities.
Regulations & Design
“No Toxics in Food Packaging Act” Introduced in Congress
Congressional Democrats introduced the No Toxics in Food Packaging Act in June 2026, targeting four chemical classes in food contact materials: ortho-phthalates, PFAS, BPA, and styrene polymers. The legislation arrives alongside EPA’s finalized PFAS reporting rule covering 2011–2022 manufacturing and import data under TSCA. If enacted, it would replace the current patchwork of state restrictions with a single federal prohibition — a significant shift for the packaging materials supply chain.
California SB 343: 100 Days Until Recycling Label Deadline
California’s SB 343 compliance date of October 4, 2026 is now fewer than 100 days away. The law restricts “recyclable” claims to packaging where at least 60% of California consumers have access to recycling programs that routinely process the material — effectively eliminating unqualified chasing-arrows symbols from most flexible and multimaterial formats. Brands still displaying generic recycling labels should treat this as an immediate action item, not a future one.
EU PPWR Takes Effect August 12, 2026
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) becomes enforceable on August 12, 2026 — less than seven weeks away. Requirements include recyclability documentation, minimum reuse targets, a PFAS ban in food-contact materials, deposit-return scheme obligations, and strengthened extended producer responsibility fees across member states. Exporters shipping to EU markets should confirm compliance status before the summer break.
Maine and Maryland EPR Programs Now Active
Maine opened producer registration for its packaging EPR program in May 2026; Maryland’s producer registration deadline fell on July 1, 2026. Both programs assess fees based on material type and recyclability scores, meaning brands using formats with low recyclability grades face the highest per-unit charges. The two programs are the most operationally advanced U.S. packaging EPR implementations to date and are already shaping materials decisions for brands with significant market exposure in both states.
Sources
- Packaging Dive — Six Packaging Companies Announce U.S. Facility Expansions in June 2026
- Packaging Dive — No Toxics in Food Packaging Act Introduced in Congress
- Indian Chemical News — PureCycle & Innovia Films Achieve 40%+ PCR BOPP Film Breakthrough
- Packaging Strategies — CTK Bio Canada Launches Home Compostable Pallet and Food Wrap Solutions
- Interplastics Insights — Alliance to End Plastic Waste: Flexible Films Can Exceed 30% Recycled Content
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the EU PPWR take effect, and what does it require?
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) becomes enforceable on August 12, 2026. It requires recyclability documentation, minimum reuse quotas, a PFAS ban in food-contact materials, deposit-return scheme participation, and strengthened extended producer responsibility fees across EU member states. Companies exporting to Europe should confirm compliance before the August deadline.
What is California SB 343 and what does it mean for packaging labels?
California SB 343 is a truth-in-labeling law that restricts “recyclable” claims to packaging where at least 60% of California residents have access to recycling infrastructure that actually processes the material. The compliance deadline is October 4, 2026. Products still displaying unqualified chasing-arrows symbols must remove or update those claims before that date.
What makes the PureCycle and Innovia BOPP film significant?
Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) is one of the most widely used flexible packaging substrates — snack wrappers, confectionery, labels. Producing it with more than 40% post-consumer recycled content at food-contact grade is a first for the material, proving that high-performance recycled flexible packaging can meet demanding regulatory and performance requirements simultaneously.
Which U.S. states have active packaging EPR programs in 2026?
Maine and Maryland are the most operationally advanced, with Maine opening producer registration in May 2026 and Maryland’s deadline falling on July 1, 2026. Both charge fees based on material type and recyclability scores. Eight additional states have EPR packaging legislation in active development, with several expected to pass before year-end.
What does the No Toxics in Food Packaging Act ban, and when might it take effect?
The bill introduced in June 2026 would prohibit ortho-phthalates, PFAS, BPA, and styrene polymers in food-contact packaging at the federal level. It has not yet passed, but it aligns with parallel EPA rulemaking and state restrictions already in effect — making transition planning prudent regardless of the bill’s final legislative outcome.