Indian Packaging Summit 2026: Husky positions PET, lightweighting and tethered closures at centre of circular packaging

At the first Indian Packaging Summit, Venkatesh Srinivasan, business manager - developing markets, Husky Technologies outlined how material selection, lightweighting and system-level innovation are shaping circular packaging, with PET and rPET positioned as core materials.

Srinivasan said lifecycle analysis continues to favour PET. “PET is 100% recyclable, monomaterial and supports circularity,” he said, contrasting it with alternatives. “Glass has significantly higher carbon emissions due to weight, and cartons are multi-layer structures which are harder to recycle.” He added that material choice directly impacts emissions and resource use. “Carbon footprint and water consumption are lower for PET compared to other formats,” he said, citing global studies.

A key focus was designing for circularity. “We need to increase recycling value, reduce virgin material and eliminate waste,” he said, pointing to lightweighting as an immediate lever. “Every gram of resin removed reduces raw material use and lowers carbon footprint.” He highlighted ongoing shifts in beverage packaging. “Many markets are moving to lighter neck finishes such as 26/22 and 25/22 for water,” he said, noting that performance has improved despite reduced material usage.

On recycled content, Srinivasan said, “rPET supports circular economy goals and can be used up to 100%,” adding that adoption is expanding beyond water into carbonated drinks and even food-grade applications.

He also pointed to regulatory momentum. “In India, there is a push towards 40% recycled content in rigid packaging,” he said, noting that processing rPET remains more complex than virgin material.

Husky’s system-level interventions were positioned as enablers. “Around 60% of global rPET bottle production runs on Husky systems,” he said, highlighting developments such as closed-loop monitoring, vacuum drying and process control to manage variability in recycled materials.

He outlined energy efficiencies as well. “Eliminating drying processes can deliver up to 30% energy savings,” he said, referring to melt-to-preform systems that integrate recycling directly into production.

On closures, Srinivasan highlighted a shift towards tethered designs. “In Europe, tethered closures are now mandated for bottles up to three litres,” he said. “We are seeing adoption in Asia and Africa as well.” He added that Husky’s design allows “a screw cap to function like a flip-top without affecting consumer experience.”

He also pointed to label-free packaging as an emerging trend. “Markets like Korea are mandating label-less bottles,” he said, with alternatives such as “laser printing on the middle layer of the bottle” being explored to retain information while improving recyclability.

Looking ahead, Srinivasan introduced developments in PET closures. “Using the same material for bottle and closure enables true circularity,” he said, noting that work is ongoing to address performance and tamper-evidence challenges.

Summing up, he said, “Circularity will depend on a combination of material choice, design innovation and system capability,” with PET and rPET expected to remain central to packaging transitions.