2023 Packaging Compass, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines U.S. packaging design trends and implications for a circular packaging system using multi-source 2023 data, including public and private forecasts, CPG surveys and industry interviews across 3-, 5- and 10-year horizons. The analysis indicates three focus areas: material trends (growth in flexible films and shifts toward mono-materials and compostables), infrastructure needs (collection, sortation, chemical recycling and AI-enabled sorting), and policy implications (recycled-content supply, EPR and universal access). Charts highlight comparative growth patterns and gaps between design and recovery, emerging patterns show where investment and policy alignment tend to matter most. The report reveals where packaging stakeholders are prioritizing investments to strengthen recovery and circularity.
Published by PMMI Media Group Custom Research (in collaboration with AMERIPEN) in March 2023. Based on surveys of 645 industry respondents (including 394 CPG brands and retailers), in-depth interviews, and secondary analysis of public and private market data, collected prior to publication through March 2023.
