Packaging has always been more than just a container. It tells us about the culture, the technology, and even the eccentricities of the time. While today’s designs lean toward sleek minimalism or eco-friendly innovation, history is littered with some truly oddball packaging choices. Things that make you wonder: What were they thinking?
The city of Lisbon, Portugal, is giving single-use plastics the night off with a new city-wide reusable cup program.
The program aims to cut plastic waste and emissions for the city’s nightlife and hospitality sectors. Its launch starting in late June marked the first European capital with a city-wide reusable cup program, made possible with recycler Tomra and hospitality association Associação da Hotelaria, Restauração e Similares de Portugal (AHRESP), according to Tomra.
“This is not just financial backing — it’s a bold vote of confidence in a plastic-free future,” says Anna Altner, Founder of Yangi. “Closing an oversubscribed round with such strong industrial and financial partners provides us with the foundation to scale. Together, we’re pioneering the next generation of packaging.”
Industrifonden Leads the Investment Round
Anchor Packaging touts itself as being the eighth largest plastic packaging thermoformer in North America, while Georgia-Pacific is one of the leading fiber and tissue product manufacturers. The companies indicate their combination will create synergies to drive growth and innovation, especially to serve the food and beverage sectors.
“This partnership allows us to expand our product portfolio, strengthen our supply chain and accelerate our commitment to innovation,” said Anchor Packaging President and CEO Jeff Wolff in the news release.
The government on Tuesday allowed manufacturers, packers, and importers of pre-packaged goods to revise maximum retail prices (MRP) on unsold stock following changes in Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates, a move aimed at easing the transition for businesses and avoiding packaging waste.
At the heart of the order, issued by the Department of Consumer Affairs under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, companies can revise the MRP on goods manufactured, packed, or imported before the GST revision—either upward or downward depending on the tax change.
A B Graphic International (ABG) has unveiled ABG Flex Pack, a new division that consolidates the company’s expertise in lamination and finishing into the fast-growing flexible packaging sector.
With decades of experience in thermal lamination, pouch finishing systems such as the Digicon 3000, and shrink sleeve technologies installed worldwide, ABG Flex Pack now offers converters a complete, end-to-end packaging solution.
The division is built on three pillars of innovation:
In response to the growing demand for recyclable and sustainable packaging, Royal Vaassen, in collaboration with UPM Specialty Papers, has introduced a new line of fibre-based, food-safe barrier paper solutions designed to replace traditional plastic and aluminum laminates.
In a delectable blend of tradition and innovation, Polish confectionery brand Brześć has taken a bold step toward sustainability by giving its popular puffs a packaging makeover. Now wrapped in a fully recyclable monomaterial film developed by Coveris Rypin, the brand’s flagship products are not just sweet on the inside they’re smart and sustainable on the outside.
DS Smith, an International Paper company, and leading provider of fibre-based corrugated packaging solutions, announces its collaboration with TPV Automotive, a global supplier of manufactured components to the automotive industry, with a focus on enhancing the dynamics, safety, ecology, and driving comfort of vehicle ergonomics during manufacture.
The project resulted from close cooperation with a tortilla wrap manufacturer, seeking a more sustainable alternative to the previously used PA/PE structure. The primary challenge was identifying a recyclable material while ensuring a minimum six-month shelf life for a tortilla with low quantity of preservatives. Following extensive performance testing at Coveris’ Food Science Lab in Gainsborough, UK, the team opted for a monomaterial based top and base thermoforming film.
