Industry leaders, technology experts, policymakers, and sustainability advocates recently came together at the 6th International Summit for the Packaging Industry, organized by the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), to deliberate on the future of packaging under the theme ‘Packaging 5S–AI’. The event brought together stakeholders from across the packaging value chain to discuss innovation, sustainability, and the role of emerging technologies in shaping the next generation of packaging solutions.

In a keynote address at the summit, Jeevaraj Pillai, whole-time director, president – flexible packaging and new product development, and director – sustainability, UFlex, spoke about the evolving role of packaging in advancing sustainability and supporting a circular economy.

Highlighting the importance of innovation aligned with responsibility, Pillai emphasized that the future of packaging lies in designing materials and solutions that support circularity while continuing to meet the functional requirements of product protection, safety, and shelf life. He noted that packaging innovation must move beyond incremental improvements and focus on developing structures that are compatible with existing recycling systems.

Reinforcing the industry’s progress in this direction, Pillai said, “Whatever is extrudable is recyclable,” underlining that materials capable of being reprocessed through extrusion can be recycled back into films and other products. He explained that this principle is central to advancing true circularity in flexible packaging, where materials are designed not only for performance but also for recyclability.

Pillai also highlighted the need for stronger collaboration across the packaging ecosystem – from material producers and converters to brand owners and policymakers – to accelerate the transition towards sustainable packaging solutions that reduce waste while supporting efficient resource use.

The summit, themed ‘Packaging 5S–AI’, focused on advancing packaging that is Safe, Secure, Standardized, Smart, and Sustainable, while exploring the role of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) in addressing evolving sustainability and regulatory expectations within the industry.