Packstyle and Eco-design: the future of circular packaging

The packaging sector is currently at the center of a profound transformation, driven by a dual force: on one side, the new European regulations, increasingly stringent in terms of circular economy, waste reduction, and extended producer responsibility; on the other, the growing awareness of consumers and companies towards sustainable and transparent practices.

This evolution no longer concerns only materials — increasingly recyclable, compostable, or derived from renewable sources — but also involves design, logistics, and the entire production process. Companies in the sector are now called to rethink the entire life cycle of packaging, from concept to end-of-life, adopting approaches based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and eco-design to reduce overall environmental impact.

In this context, innovation and digitalization play a decisive role: intelligent configurators, traceability platforms, and data analysis systems make it possible to design more efficient, customizable solutions that comply with new regulatory requirements. The ongoing transformation, therefore, does not merely represent a response to regulations but a real opportunity to rethink packaging as a strategic lever for sustainability, competitiveness, and brand value.

As of January 2025, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) has come into force, establishing that all packaging placed on the European market must be reusable or recyclable in an economically sustainable way.
The regulation introduces ambitious objectives and criteria:

• All packaging must be recyclable by 2030, according to technical standards shared at the European level.
• Introduction of Design for Recycling (DfR) criteria, to concretely assess the recyclability of packaging already at the design stage.
• Reduction in packaging production: -5% by 2030 compared to 2018, and -15% by 2040.
• Reuse obligations, with the introduction of reuse systems for specific product categories.
• Material requirements, such as minimum percentages of recycled content, harmonized labeling, and limits on hazardous substances.
  
  

Since up to 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined during the design phase, it becomes essential to adopt tools capable of integrating eco-design criteria from the earliest decision-making stages.

In this context, Packstyle stands out as one of the most attentive and proactive companies, focusing on scientific methodologies and advanced digital tools to measure, design, and improve its environmental impact.

Notably, Packstyle was presented as a case study at the 27th International Workshop on Configuration (ConfWS 2025), held in Bologna as part of the 28th European Conference on Artificial Intelligence (ECAI 2025).
This edition paid particular attention to the theme “Reconfiguring Systems and Practices for Sustainability,” highlighting the reconfiguration of systems and practices as a strategic lever for sustainability. The goal: to stimulate debate on how innovation in configuration can foster the transition towards a circular economy and more responsible development models.

Design today represents a strategic crossroads for sustainability: material selection, packaging structure, and end-of-life management determine the real possibilities for recycling and reuse.

Design for Recycling (DfR) — literally “designing for recycling” — is a set of technical and design criteria aimed at ensuring that a package, once its life cycle ends, can actually be recycled within existing industrial systems. It is not enough for a material to be theoretically recyclable: it must be able to enter real collection, sorting, and treatment flows to become a new raw material in an economically and technically sustainable way.

Building on these principles, the study “Designing for Circularity”, conducted in collaboration with researchers in the food packaging sector, explores how next-generation digital configurators, enhanced by artificial intelligence, can become decision-support tools for eco-design and the circular economy.

Using methodologies such as Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), the research identified key criteria for circular packaging:

• Modularity, to enable component reuse and recovery;
• Material knowledge, to ensure compatibility, recyclability, and contamination reduction;
• Traceability, to guarantee transparency and regulatory compliance across the supply chain.

The study highlights that there is no single optimal end-of-life strategy (EoL): mechanical, chemical, organic recycling, and reuse can all coexist depending on the context. True innovation lies in the ability to make informed choices, supported by digital tools that simulate scenarios, assess impacts, and guide decision-making.

The next-generation Circular Configurator represents the natural evolution of the web-to-print systems currently used by Packstyle. It is no longer just a platform for graphic customization but an intelligent decision-support system, capable of integrating:

• a digital passport for packaging, containing data on materials, additives, and recyclability;
• end-of-life simulations, to compare reuse or recycling scenarios;
• interactive dashboards, providing real-time sustainability indicators and environmental impact metrics.

A pioneer in customizable flexible packaging, Packstyle continues to stand out as a true innovation lab in applied eco-design.

After conducting comparative LCA studies on materials — including recyclable film, multimaterial, and aluminum — in collaboration with SCF International, the company is now expanding its sustainability commitment into the digital dimension.

The goal is to integrate tools based on artificial intelligence, data analysis, and digital configurators, making the design process not only more efficient but also more environmentally conscious. In this perspective, digitalization becomes a strategic ally, allowing real-time assessment of the environmental impact of design choices, optimization of material use, and informed decision-making throughout the entire packaging life cycle.

The Packstyle case demonstrates that circularity is not an abstract concept but a concrete strategy — one that begins with design and extends across the entire value chain, from material selection to end-of-life management.

Through next-generation digital tools and a data-driven approach, the company contributes to building an industrial model where customization, efficiency, and sustainability coexist.

Packstyle looks to the future with a clear and practical vision: packaging conceived not merely as a means of communication and brand identity, but as an active element of a circular system, capable of lasting over time, regenerating itself, and returning value within the production cycle.

The objective is to move beyond the use-and-dispose logic and embrace a model in which every choice — from materials to graphics, from format to production process — helps reduce environmental impact and maximize resource efficiency.

Within this vision, measurability and traceability become essential conditions for continuous improvement: only what is quantified, analyzed, and monitored can truly be optimized.

For this reason, Packstyle invests in digital and analytical tools that transform data into conscious decisions — guiding sustainable innovation through responsibility, transparency, and technology.
An approach that aims to redefine the role of packaging as a vehicle of value, innovation, and respect for the environment.