Push Continues for Sustainable Packaging in Food and Beverage

Food and beverage processors understand that, no matter what regulations change or how the overall appetite for sustainability initiatives stands in the legislative world, consumers themselves still want to see food and beverage packaging that minimizes their impact on the environment around them. They want packaging that is easy to use, but also can be reused, recycled or repurposed into some other material, keeping it out of the waste stream and the landfill.

As such, while mainstream headlines have followed a rolling back of some of the environmental policies and protections in other industries, consumer packaged goods companies are still working to upgrade their packaging. Some companies continue to perform the basic blocking and tackling of offering recycled or recyclable content in the materials they use, while others are branching off into unique areas to make their carbon footprints a bit lower.

Waiākea Hawaiian Volcanic Beverages, a beverages company out of Hilo, Hawaii, for example, recently announced it has begun to use an ink made using carbon-negative, algae-derived pigment on its labels, replacing the petroleum-based inks it had been using. The company had worked on the project with its supplier partners for five years in R&D to reach this point, and it said in the release that it would not maintain exclusivity or IP rights.

The company stated this was the latest sustainability move, following an early adoption of 100% recycled materials to advancing circular design through its OceanPlast bottle and its regenerative sourcing practices.

Kellanova, prior to its acquisition by Mars Inc. in December 2025, distributed an article written by Deepali Palta, vice president of Global R&D Innovation and Sustainability, that talked about a few of the moves it had made on the sustainability front, saying sustainability was now the “starting point of innovation.”

Palta harkened back to the launch of the Pringles recyclable paper can across Europe in 2023 as a successful combination of sustainability goals with the need for product quality and manufacturing efficiency.

Right now, companies continue to be willing to meet consumers where they are on product choice and packaging choice, which is creating opportunities for circularity and source reduction, says John Hewitt, senior vice president of Consumer Brands Assn.

“[Also,] you're starting to see many of these state regulatory programs come into effect in terms of their deliverables,” he explains. “So what you're seeing … is some material choice as well as some packaging type changes based on the requirements of those regulatory programs.”

Hewitt is also spokesperson for the Recycling Leadership Council (RLC), which is a cross-industry coalition committed to reducing plastic waste and advancing practical, bipartisan solutions to increase U.S. recycling capabilities. It was formed in January 2026, is led by Consumer Brands, and includes such organizations as the Meat Institute and various other industry associations.

“One of the biggest needs is a common set of definitions at the federal and state level that will allow recycling efforts to proceed forward with a little bit of order,” Hewitt says. “I think that that's been one of the bigger challenges in the past to increasing recycling rates is a lack of uniformity on definitions.”

RLC has hit the ground running, with Hewitt saying there’s “strong energy” behind a handful of legislative bills currently in Congress looking to regulate recycled content claims and other definitions around recycling for consumers. The Recycled Materials Attribution Act (RMAA), for one, looks to clear up confusion for consumers.

“Trust and transparency are two core hallmarks for our companies and for consumer-packaged goods in general, and the RMAA will provide both of those,” Hewitt says. “It'll establish a uniform set of definitions, and that will allow recycled content claims to be made again with a transparent and verifiable process.”

Just as with any food or beverage product, variety or flavor, food and beverage companies aren’t going to ignore consumer demands when it comes to wanting more sustainable packaging attributes and features. Furthermore, consumers at the highest level of intent to impact the environment as little as possible are looking for assistance from the processors and brands, and as companies provide that to the masses, it’s bound to reduce our impact on the world around us.