Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) charges for packaging converters, producers and suppliers have been delayed a year, from October 2024 to 2025. The government blamed economic pressures for the delay, but said it would use the time to finalise plans for the scheme’s implementation with local government, businesses, and waste management companies. Companies involved in packaging will still have to collect and process data on the amount and nature of packaging they use or produce during the delay.

The biggest gains in sustainable packaging often come from what can be reduced – without losing performance. Traditionally, cartonboard strength has been judged by thickness and stiffness. But as packaging is optimized to use less material, these measures alone are no longer enough. Today, the focus is shifting toward performance by design. A key tool in this shift is the Box Compression Test (BCT). The Box Compression Test measures how much vertical load a box can withstand before it collapses. It simulates real-life conditions during stacking, storage, and transport. This makes BCT a practical and reliable way to evaluate packaging performance under load—something that board properties alone cannot fully predict. Even when the product inside can carry some weight, BCT remains an important indicator of packaging strength. When products are sensitive or require headspace, it becomes critical, as the packaging must provide protection.

Trioworld Group has signed an agreement to acquire the Canadian based Malpack Ltd. and US based Malpack Corp. (collectively, Malpack), a leading player in solutions for high-performance stretch film in the transit packaging segment. Malpack supports customers in the areas of distribution, beverage, food, consumer goods, e-commerce, and other industrial packaging. Trioworld is very pleased to welcome Malpack to the Trioworld group. As a North American leader in high-performance stretch film, Malpack has grown impressively over the past years. Based on a superior product portfolio consisting of innovative stretch films and a superior service level, Malpack now serves customer from coast to coast in US and Canada. The company is well-invested, and management is focused on strengthening their offering with circular solutions which is in line with Trioworld’s ambition to be the circular leader in the load security and transit packaging market.