2025 The New Material World: Packaging’s Path Toward Sustainability

The New Material World: Packaging’s Path Toward Sustainability, a Compass Update, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines how shifting regulations, cost pressures, and material-performance considerations are shaping packaging decisions across 2024–2025 . Drawing on survey and interview data compared with the 2023 Compass baseline, the report highlights how retailers and state mandates increasingly guide strategy, while charts and dashboards show rising emphasis on recyclable materials alongside slower movement in reusable and compostable formats. Emerging patterns indicate that trade-offs around cost, equipment compatibility, and product protection tend to influence adoption decisions, with OEM–CPG collaboration becoming more critical. The report reveals where material transitions are heading—and how industry players are preparing for the next five years.