Smurfit Westrock has once again demonstrated its prowess in designing innovative and sustainable packaging by picking up 10 awards in WorldStar 2025. The latest accolade is testament to the packaging leader’s ability to create products that outperform on every level. Solutions that stood out for the judges in this year’s awards include: an eCommerce pack for South America’s biggest egg provider, a paper-based tray for plant-based meals and a bag-in-box solution for cleaning products. Sustainability was front and centre in each submission and illustrated how the company goes the extra mile in every project.

U.S.-made masks and gloves became a national priority during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the manufacturers need a lifeline of their own. Domestic production of protective medical equipment that was in short supply during the pandemic is now collapsing as hospitals and other healthcare buyers return to foreign-based suppliers. About 70% of the 100 or so U.S. mask companies launched during the pandemic have closed, according to industry estimates. U.S. production of N95 and surgical masks fell by more than 90% in 2023 from 2021 levels after elimination of masking requirements knocked out consumer demand.

Amcor announced the opening of its latest Innovation Center in Jiangyin, China. The new center brings advanced packaging technologies and more sustainable material science to Asia Pacific, helping to drive growth and innovation across the region. At the core of all Amcor innovation centers are three key programs designed to encourage collaboration on how to develop, in real-time, the best solution that meets customer requirements that will help facilitate growth. • The Catalyst™ program - a flexible, collaborative, and creative approach of co-innovation that allows customers to customize solutions for their markets and customers, leveraging advanced analytical and material science labs. • The Ideation and Prototyping Innovation Lab – taking consumer insights and ideas to conduct rapid prototyping, helping significantly shorten product development and evaluation cycles. • The Applications Lab – offering a range of production machinery testing capabilities to identify potential issues quickly and early, helping to make the product development process more efficient, cost-effective and seamless.