Respack opens with call for circularity, innovation and responsible packaging

The fifth edition of Respack 2026, the International Conference on Responsible Packaging, opened in Mumbai with a strong call for industry-wide collaboration to advance circularity, sustainability and innovation across the packaging value chain.

Held at The Lalit, Mumbai, the two-day conference organised by the Foundation for Innovative Packaging and Sustainability (FIPS) brought together policymakers, researchers, packaging professionals, material suppliers, brand owners and technology providers to discuss the future of responsible packaging under the theme of optimal design, innovative materials and sustainable technologies.

Welcoming delegates, Prof NC Saha, founder and chairman of FIPS and former director of the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), highlighted the rapid growth of the conference and the increasing importance of responsible packaging in India's economic and sustainability journey.

With more than 450 registrations, 34 speakers, 17 session leaders and participation from 30 major brand owners, Saha said the event had surpassed all previous editions. He noted that the global packaging industry is valued at over USD1-trillion and that the Indian packaging sector is expected to reach approximately USD150-billion by 2030.

"Responsible packaging is the design and use of materials that minimise environmental impact throughout their lifecycle," Saha said.

A recurring theme throughout the inaugural session was the need to move beyond traditional waste management approaches towards a circular economy model.

Arvind Mehta, chairman of the governing council of the All India Plastics Manufacturers Association (AIPMA), stressed that packaging has become increasingly important in global trade, particularly as exporters navigate complex regulations around recyclability, traceability and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). "Responsible packaging is now a business imperative," Mehta said, highlighting the growing role of digital traceability systems, smart packaging and recycling infrastructure in future packaging systems.

The importance of sustainability-led design was reinforced by Dr Vidya Rajesh, director of the National Institute of Design (NID), Madhya Pradesh, who argued that sustainability must become central to innovation and design education. She emphasised that future packaging solutions must balance functionality with ethics, innovation with responsibility and business growth with ecological sensitivity.

The conference's keynote address by Prof S Sivaram, Padma Shri awardee, honorary professor emeritus at IISER Pune and advisor to FIPS, delivered one of the strongest challenges to the packaging industry. Focusing on polyolefin packaging, Sivaram argued that current recycling practices are failing to achieve true circularity. "The goal of circularity is not simply to recycle plastics but to restore material quality," he said.

According to Sivaram, India's recycling ecosystem remains largely value-destructive because recycled polyolefins often fail to achieve the quality required for demanding second-life applications. He called for investment in advanced mechanical recycling, product-to-product recycling systems, transparent labelling and traceable reverse supply chains.

He also warned that India could require up to two million tonnes of virgin-like recycled polyolefins within the next few years if it hopes to meet emerging recycled-content and circularity requirements.

Export competitiveness emerged as another major topic during the inaugural session.

Dr Sudhanshu, secretary of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), highlighted the critical role packaging plays in enabling agricultural exports. India produces a wide variety of fruits and agricultural commodities, he said, but many products struggle to access distant markets due to inadequate packaging standards, limited shelf life and logistics challenges. He called for greater collaboration between packaging experts and exporters to develop solutions for highly perishable products such as lychee, custard apple and passion fruit.

The broader sustainability agenda was addressed by Rajani Ranjan Rashmi, distinguished independent fellow at TERI and former chief secretary of Manipur. Rashmi outlined how environmental regulations, ESG disclosures and carbon management frameworks are increasingly becoming business realities. "Sustainability is no longer optional if businesses want to remain competitive," he said.

He pointed to India's carbon reduction commitments, SEBI's Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) framework and the upcoming Carbon Credit Trading System (CCTS) as key developments that will influence industrial decision-making in the coming years.

The inaugural session concluded with an address by Prof MM Sharma, Padma Vibhushan awardee and former director of ICT, who delivered a pragmatic perspective on packaging materials and recycling. While acknowledging environmental concerns, Sharma defended the role of polymers in modern society. "Packaging without plastics is simply not possible," he said. Pointing to applications such as milk packaging, bottled water and food preservation, Sharma argued that polymers remain indispensable for modern packaging systems.

At the same time, he encouraged the industry to accelerate innovation in recycling technologies, including pyrolysis, while also exploring renewable alternatives such as cellulose-based materials derived from agricultural waste streams like bagasse.

Sharma also called for greater investment in barrier films and packaging technologies that can reduce food wastage and improve product shelf life.

Across the opening session, speakers repeatedly emphasised that the future of packaging will be shaped by circularity, traceability, regulatory compliance, material innovation and cross-sector collaboration.

The message from the inaugural session was clear: packaging is no longer just about protecting products—it is increasingly central to sustainability, resource efficiency and the future of India's manufacturing and consumption economy.