Packaging Trends From Europe

France, Luxe Pack Paris and the Materials Shaping the Future

June 2026 edition

There is something special about visiting France as a packaging professional. It is not only home to some of the world's most recognised luxury brands, but also to many of the companies, designers and material innovators quietly shaping the future of packaging. Walking through Paris, visiting suppliers and then spending two days at Édition Spéciale by Luxe Pack felt like seeing that innovation ecosystem come together in one place.

Unlike traditional packaging exhibitions, Édition Spéciale by Luxe Pack focuses exclusively on sustainable innovation for premium packaging. The exhibition brings together paper mills, converters, glass manufacturers, closure specialists, material scientists, luxury brands, packaging designers and sustainability experts to explore how packaging can meet increasingly demanding environmental expectations without sacrificing aesthetics or functionality. Rather than simply showcasing products, exhibitors demonstrate how materials are evolving to address challenges such as circularity, recyclability, renewable resources, consumer experience and compliance with emerging regulations such as the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

Walking through the exhibition halls, one thing became immediately apparent. Sustainability is no longer an "add-on" to packaging development. It has become the starting point for innovation.

Paper is becoming one of the most exciting materials in luxury packaging

If someone had told me ten years ago that paper would become one of the most technically advanced materials in luxury packaging, I would probably have been sceptical.

Traditionally, paper has been valued because it is renewable, recyclable and familiar to consumers. Today, however, it is evolving into something far more sophisticated. Advances in fibre engineering, surface treatments, coatings, and converting technologies are allowing paper to deliver functions that were previously associated with plastics, textiles, or composite materials.

Throughout the exhibition, paper was no longer presented as simply a sustainable alternative. It was showcased as a premium material capable of creating entirely new consumer experiences.

One of my favourite discoveries was the collection of ultra-thin wrapping papers made with flaxseed fibre blends from PRISMASILK. These papers demonstrated how luxury brands can significantly reduce material consumption while maintaining the elegance expected in premium packaging. Holding the material in your hands, it becomes difficult to appreciate just how little fibre has been used. The engineering behind these products is remarkable, delivering strength, flexibility and visual quality despite their extremely low weight.

When paper begins to smell

One of the busiest stands throughout the exhibition belonged to Fedrigoni Group, whose specialty paper innovations continue to push the boundaries of what paper can achieve.

Among the highlights was a paper incorporating milk fibres, demonstrating how alternative biological resources can be integrated into premium packaging substrates. While the use of milk-derived fibres may initially sound unusual, it reflects a broader movement towards diversifying renewable raw materials and exploring agricultural by-products that would otherwise have limited value. The result is a paper with distinctive tactile qualities that immediately invites consumers to touch the packaging.

Perhaps even more fascinating was Fedrigoni Special Papers' fragrance paper, capable of retaining and gradually releasing fragrance for up to eight hours.

For luxury fragrance brands, packaging has always played an important role in storytelling. Traditionally, that story has relied on visual design, colour and finishing techniques. Fragrance paper adds an entirely new sensory dimension. Rather than simply protecting a perfume bottle, the packaging itself becomes part of the fragrance experience, allowing consumers to interact with the scent before even opening the product. It is a simple idea with significant potential for luxury cosmetics, beauty and fragrance brands seeking to create memorable consumer experiences.

Rethinking decorative packaging

Another innovation that particularly caught my attention was the paper-based ribbon developed by IDP Direct.

Decorative ribbons are widely used across premium retail, cosmetics, wine, gifting and luxury goods. However, many of these ribbons are manufactured from synthetic fibres that create recycling challenges once attached to paper packaging.

Paper-based ribbon from IDP Direct.

IDP's fibre-based ribbon demonstrates that even small packaging components deserve attention when designing for circularity. Although ribbons represent only a small proportion of total packaging weight, replacing synthetic materials with recyclable fibre alternatives simplifies recycling while maintaining the premium appearance expected by luxury brands.

It serves as an important reminder that sustainability is often achieved through many small improvements rather than a single revolutionary material.

Companies such as James Cropper showcased premium coloured papers, moulded fibre solutions and luxury packaging materials that combine high-end aesthetics with improved environmental performance. Their work demonstrated how fibre-based materials continue to replace more resource-intensive packaging formats while maintaining the visual identity expected by premium brands.

Favini presented specialty papers incorporating alternative raw materials and agricultural residues, continuing its long-standing work in transforming by-products into premium paper products. This approach illustrates how circular economy thinking can begin at the raw material stage, creating value from resources that might otherwise become waste.

Elegant paper-based package with a velvet texture by Gainerie, showcasing sustainable design and sophistication.

The exhibition also featured innovations from companies including Gmund Paper, Winter & Company, Papeteries du Léman, Papeteries de Vizille, MM Group, Kurz, Aptar Beauty, Albéa Cosmetics & Fragrance, Quadpack and many others. Together, they demonstrated that sustainable innovation is occurring across every packaging component, from substrates and decorative finishes to dispensing systems, secondary packaging and luxury presentation materials.

What impressed me most was not any individual product, but the industry's collective direction of the industry. Material suppliers are no longer working in isolation. Fibre producers, converters, packaging manufacturers and brands appear increasingly aligned around the common objective of creating premium packaging that performs within a circular economy.

Beyond paper: innovation across the exhibition

While paper dominated many conversations, it certainly wasn't the only area of innovation. One of the most thought-provoking areas at Édition Spéciale by Luxe Pack wasn't occupied by the established packaging suppliers, but by a collective of emerging material innovators exhibiting in the "Espace Matières à Sens et Sensations". Rather than presenting incremental improvements to existing packaging, these companies challenged a much bigger question:

What if the materials of the future don't come from fossil resources at all, but from waste streams, fungi, marine organisms and agricultural by-products?

Walking through the space, it became clear that the next generation of sustainable packaging is no longer centred on simply replacing plastic with paper or increasing recycled content. Instead, innovation is shifting towards designing entirely new materials that are regenerative by design—materials that begin with renewable or discarded biological resources and are engineered to deliver the performance expected by premium brands.

One company that particularly caught my attention was Krillmat, whose material REKRILL® transforms agro-industrial by-products into a high-performance biopolymer. Rather than treating agricultural residues as waste, the company sees them as valuable feedstocks capable of replacing virgin fossil-based materials. What impressed me most was not only the sustainability story, but the quality of the finished material. Too often, bio-based materials are expected to compromise on aesthetics. REKRILL® demonstrates that renewable materials can also deliver the visual and tactile qualities demanded by luxury packaging.

A similarly circular approach is being taken by Planet of the Grapes, which has developed Savigne®, a biomaterial manufactured from grape pomace—the skins, seeds and stems left behind after wine production. Every year, vineyards generate thousands of tonnes of this by-product, most of which has historically had limited value. By converting it into a premium material suitable for luxury applications, the company is demonstrating how regional agricultural waste streams can become the foundation for entirely new material industries. It is a compelling example of industrial symbiosis, where one industry's waste becomes another's raw material.

Leather made with grapes waste from the french wineries.

Nature itself also provided inspiration through PermaFungi, whose packaging solutions are grown from mycelium, the root-like structure of fungi. Unlike conventional protective packaging manufactured through energy-intensive moulding processes, mycelium materials literally grow into shape around agricultural substrates. Once their purpose has been served, they biodegrade naturally in around thirty days under suitable composting conditions. While mycelium has attracted considerable attention over the past decade, seeing commercially developed applications at Luxe Pack reinforced that this technology is steadily moving from research laboratories into mainstream packaging.

Marine-based innovation was equally well represented by Shellworks, whose material Vivomer® has become one of the most recognised alternatives to conventional plastics. Produced from naturally occurring polymers, Vivomer offers durability and stability while remaining free from microplastics and persistent fossil-derived polymers. Several premium brands have already adopted the material, demonstrating that bio-based alternatives are beginning to achieve commercial scale rather than remaining niche concepts. For an industry increasingly concerned about plastic pollution and end-of-life impacts, materials like Vivomer represent an important step towards designing products that work with natural biological cycles rather than against them.

Not every innovation focused on replacing the main packaging material itself. Blue Ocean Closures highlighted how even relatively small components such as caps and closures present significant opportunities for innovation. Their cellulose fibre closure replaces conventional plastic caps with a fibre-based alternative designed for industrial production and compatibility with existing paper recycling systems. Considering the billions of closures produced every year, innovations at this scale have the potential to deliver substantial reductions in plastic consumption without requiring fundamental changes to consumer behaviour.

Another excellent example of resource recovery came from CIRCUL'EGG, which has developed CARBIO, a bio-based calcium carbonate manufactured from discarded eggshells. Eggshells are naturally rich in calcium carbonate, a mineral widely used as a filler and functional additive in plastics, papers and coatings. Recovering this valuable resource from food waste not only reduces reliance on virgin mineral extraction but also demonstrates how overlooked waste streams can become important industrial resources within a circular economy.

Among these innovators, ATIL represented a slightly different perspective. Rather than introducing a single breakthrough material, the company demonstrated how advanced manufacturing expertise and sustainable production can evolve together. Their presence served as an important reminder that material innovation alone is not enough. To achieve meaningful environmental benefits, new materials must also be supported by scalable manufacturing, industrial capability and supply chains capable of bringing innovation to market.

Taken together, these companies reveal a much broader shift occurring within the packaging industry. The future is unlikely to be defined by one "miracle material" replacing plastic. Instead, it will consist of a diverse portfolio of bio-based materials, each derived from locally available resources, whether agricultural residues, fungal networks, marine biomass, food waste or cellulose fibres, and selected according to the functional requirements of each application.

The "Espace Matières à Sens et Sensations" captured exactly that transition. It was less about showcasing products and more about presenting a new philosophy of material innovation—one where waste becomes feedstock, biology becomes manufacturing, and nature itself becomes the inspiration for the next generation of packaging.

Sustainability has become a material science

One of the biggest changes I have observed over the past decade is how sustainability conversations have evolved.

A few years ago, discussions at packaging events often centred around replacing plastic with paper or introducing recycled content. Those conversations still exist, but they are now only part of a much broader picture.

Today's discussions revolve around material engineering.

How can fibres become stronger?

Can alternative biomass replace virgin raw materials?

Can papers deliver barrier properties traditionally achieved using plastics?

Can decorative elements remain recyclable?

Can packaging provide sensory experiences while remaining compatible with recycling systems?

These are fundamentally material science questions, and the pace of innovation is accelerating rapidly.

Regulations are encouraging better design

As someone who works extensively with packaging regulations, I found it encouraging to see how many innovations were aligned with upcoming legislative changes.

The European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is encouraging companies to think beyond compliance. It challenges businesses to reduce unnecessary packaging, improve recyclability, increase recycled content where appropriate and design packaging that fits within circular systems.

Rather than viewing regulation as a constraint, many exhibitors appeared to see it as an opportunity for innovation.

Several suppliers explained how customer enquiries have shifted over the past two years. Brands are no longer asking only about appearance and cost. Increasingly, they want to understand recyclability, fibre sourcing, end-of-life options, carbon footprint, mono-material construction and future regulatory compatibility.

This shift is creating stronger collaboration between packaging engineers, designers, sustainability teams and procurement professionals.

Luxury and sustainability are no longer competing priorities

Perhaps my biggest takeaway from France is that luxury packaging no longer needs to choose between premium design and environmental performance.

For many years, these objectives were often presented as competing priorities.

Today, they are becoming complementary.

Consumers still expect beautiful packaging. Brands still want memorable experiences. Designers still push creative boundaries.

The difference is that innovation is increasingly being directed towards achieving these goals using smarter materials, better engineering, and more circular design principles.

Whether it is a fragrance-releasing paper, a ribbon made entirely from fibre, ultra-light wrapping papers, or agricultural residues transformed into premium substrates, the common thread is clear: materials are becoming more intelligent.

Final reflections

Every international packaging exhibition reveals where the industry is heading.

Paris confirmed something I have been observing across Europe and Asia over the past year: the future of packaging will not be defined by one breakthrough material replacing another. Instead, it will be shaped by continuous improvements across hundreds of materials, components and manufacturing processes.

Innovation is becoming quieter, more sophisticated and more integrated into every layer of packaging design.

As I left Paris, I wasn't thinking about a single product or technology. I was thinking about the incredible creativity happening within material science and the opportunities it creates for brands willing to rethink what packaging can be.

The future of packaging is not simply about eliminating plastic. It is about designing materials that perform better, tell richer stories, reduce environmental impacts and fit naturally within a circular economy.

If Luxe Pack Paris was any indication, that future is already well underway.