The packaging industry’s priorities are shifting rapidly. Sustainability has evolved from a long-term ambition to a commercial requirement, regulatory compliance is becoming increasingly stringent, and customers expect shorter development cycles without compromising performance. At the same time, supply chain uncertainties and raw material volatility are pushing converters and packaging manufacturers to rethink how they build resilience.
For Kunal Bajaj, promoter, Jupiter Group, these shifts explain why the company has focused on building an integrated manufacturing ecosystem rather than expanding individual business verticals in isolation. Speaking to The Packman, Bajaj said the group’s strategy combines backward integration across films, aluminum, inks, chemicals and gravure cylinders with investments in new packaging technologies and sustainability initiatives.
“We have built capabilities across chemicals and inks, rotogravure, films and aluminum rolling mills as an integrated ecosystem, not as isolated businesses,” Bajaj said. According to him, controlling key raw materials and processes allows the company to offer customers greater consistency while reducing dependence on multiple external suppliers, an increasingly important consideration as global markets remain volatile.
The integrated model, Bajaj argued, extends beyond manufacturing efficiency. With films, inks, cylinders and laminate structures developed within the same ecosystem, product development can move faster while reducing compatibility issues that often arise when several vendors are involved. He believes this approach also creates opportunities for developing specialized solutions such as anti-counterfeit packaging by combining expertise in substrate engineering, ink chemistry and aluminum processing.
The changing demands of brand owners are also influencing the direction of packaging innovation. Bajaj observed that sustainability has become a specification rather than a marketing claim, with customers increasingly seeking recyclable, EPR-compliant packaging structures alongside high-performance formats for food, healthcare and e-commerce applications.
“The customer brief has fundamentally changed,” he said, pointing to the growing demand for mono-material structures, retort and aseptic packaging, stand-up pouches, resealable formats and transit-resistant packaging. Pharmaceutical customers, meanwhile, are placing greater emphasis on cold-form foils, contamination-proof packaging and child-resistant solutions. In his view, converters capable of engineering these increasingly complex requirements will be better positioned as the market evolves.
To support this transition, Jupiter Group is investing in recyclable PP and PE structures, downgauging initiatives and post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials across PET, PP and PE. Bajaj also revealed plans for an innovation center where customers can collaborate with the company to develop and validate new packaging formats before commercial production. He described exports to markets such as Europe, the UAE and the US not only as a business opportunity but also as a benchmark for manufacturing quality and regulatory compliance.
On the aluminum side, Bajaj highlighted the role of LSKB Aluminium Foils and Jupalco in strengthening the group’s capabilities in pharmaceutical and food packaging. He said investments in automatic gauge and shape control systems have enabled the production of ultra-thin aluminum foils with tighter process control and reduced defects – an increasingly important requirement for high-barrier applications where consistency is critical.
Innovation, according to Bajaj, is equally important in printing and converting technologies. Through Inkofix, the company has introduced non-toluene and non-ketone ink systems aligned with evolving regulatory requirements, alongside water-based gravure inks aimed at reducing solvent use. Solvent-less lamination adhesives and functional coatings are also part of the company’s portfolio as customers seek improved barrier performance with lower environmental impact.
He also pointed to the growing importance of gravure cylinder engineering. Rather than treating cylinders as a standard production component, Bajaj said their design increasingly needs to be tailored to different substrates and modern ink systems, particularly as converters adopt water-based and low-VOC formulations. “What is approved at proof must be exactly what runs at production scale, every single time,” he said.
While sustainability remains central to Jupiter Group’s investment plans, Bajaj acknowledged that widespread adoption in India continues to face practical challenges. Recyclable packaging, he noted, delivers limited environmental benefit without efficient waste collection and segregation systems. Higher material costs, the need to match the performance of conventional multilayer structures and the lack of harmonized standards for recyclability and recycled content remain significant barriers for the industry.
Nevertheless, the company continues to invest in recyclable laminate structures, mono-material packaging, aluminum recycling, solvent recovery systems and an upcoming pyrolysis plant intended to convert plastic waste into usable fuel. Bajaj argued that manufacturers will need to absorb some of the early costs of sustainability while the broader ecosystem matures.
Looking ahead, Jupiter Group plans to expand manufacturing capacity while strengthening its portfolio in anti-counterfeit packaging, high-barrier mono-material structures and cold-chain compatible films. As India’s packaging industry continues to evolve, Bajaj believes future competitiveness will depend less on individual products and more on the ability to integrate materials, processes and innovation into a cohesive manufacturing ecosystem.