Packaging 2030 – A Look Into the Future

Looking ahead! We asked several representatives of the packaging industry which trends they believe will shape the coming years, which technologies will take off by 2030 – and which skills will determine future competitiveness.

“By 2030, we will see the market readiness of technologies that successfully combine sustainability, flexibility and cost‑efficiency. This includes systems capable of reliably processing high rPET content, as well as concepts that intelligently manage energy and material consumption. At the same time, digital services at line level will gain importance: they make it possible to monitor production transparently, adjust processes at an early stage and control the entire line efficiently. With this integrated perspective, production systems can be designed to enable fast and well‑informed responses to market changes, conserve resources and operate in a future‑proof manner over the long term.

Despite technological progress, the tension between sustainability goals, economic efficiency and regulatory requirements remains a major challenge. At the same time, the complexity of modern production systems is increasing, meaning that isolated solutions quickly reach their limits. This calls for a holistic view of the line as a complete system and close collaboration with customers. Only in this way can strategies be developed that offer long‑term planning security while leaving room for innovation.

By ensuring that all components – from blow moulding and filling to packaging and palletizing technology, along with our comprehensive service solutions – are perfectly coordinated, potential savings in material, energy and media can be realized where they have the greatest impact, while maintaining stable production processes.”

“The packaging world will undergo profound change over the next five to ten years. Sustainability is no longer just a trend but a key driver of innovation. Fiber‑based solutions – already possible today with technologies such as Dry Molded Fiber – will continue to gain importance, as they combine ecological benefits with industrial scalability.

Regulatory requirements, such as the EU Packaging Regulation, are also accelerating the shift toward circular material systems and fostering innovation in design, recyclability and resource efficiency.

By 2030, we expect to see market‑ready technologies that make the entire packaging process more sustainable – from new material combinations and data‑driven production processes to digital technologies that enhance transparency and efficiency. At the same time, challenges remain, including infrastructure, cost stability and globally consistent standards.

The industry will increasingly require interdisciplinary skills: expertise in material sciences, circular economy, automation and data analytics will become just as essential as a deep understanding of regulatory frameworks. Our task is to consistently bring together sustainability, technological excellence and economic efficiency—because only then can packaging solutions be created that truly have a future.”

“In a more and more volatile world, it is nearly impossible to look ten or even five years ahead. And this – the volatility and unpredictability – already is a steady trend we see, resulting in future packaging machines that are more flexible than today´s machines. Here we talk, for instance, about the adaptability to process different and new packaging materials, to manage more SKUs, pack formats, and rapid product launches. So, scalability, modularity and short changeovers will be in demand, and these qualities will be addressed by the machine manufacturers. The tools to achieve this are at hand: Connectivity, IoT, AI and self-optimisation are key- or buzzwords here. They will lead to solutions that make substantial differences to today´s machines.

And consumer´s safety will play an even bigger role, increasing the demand for in-line inspection systems. We are already working on these topics – with, for instance, our AI-supported Sentinel 5.0 production monitoring system.

A challenge that is likely to persist – or even intensify – is the shortage of skilled and general labor. This is true for machine operation but even more so for maintenance, meaning that operational risk and unplanned downtime are rising. Here, new means of MMI/ UX (User Experience) are helpful, ensuring a very easy operation even of complex and high-end machines, and also an ‘insight into the machine’ in case of any irregularity.“