Last week I went to the 2025 Australasian Packaging Conference, hosted by the Australian Packaging Institute in Sydney.
Not my usual scene – I tend to go to cosmetic industry events – but with the upcoming sustainable packaging regulations, I wanted to get a clearer picture of what’s actually happening in the packaging industry (and what it means for beauty brands).
The theme this year was ‘Reimagine Packaging Design’, and there were some pretty interesting conversations about sustainability, compliance, accessibility and the role packaging plays in building a circular economy.
Most of the sessions I saw focussed on food and beverage packaging – which makes sense, considering cosmetics packaging only accounts for around 3% of the global market, compared to nearly 45% combined for food and drinks. But a lot of what was shared was still super relevant (and transferable) to beauty too.
Here are 5 big things that stuck with me:
1. Sustainable packaging isn’t just a trend anymore – it’s becoming regulation
We’ve moved past the era where ‘eco-friendly’ packaging was a nice-to-have or something brands did to tick a box. It’s now becoming mandatory, and quickly.
The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is setting global expectations around reuse targets, recyclability and eco-modulated fees, and Australia is inching closer to its own wave of reforms.
Sustainability is now a compliance issue – not just a marketing one. Brands that start planning for it now will be in a much stronger position as the rules tighten.
2. Recycling is just one of the Rs – don’t make it your whole strategy
This came up a lot – we lean heavily on “recyclable” as the hero of sustainable packaging. Recycling is important, sure – but it’s just one piece of the puzzle.
What about reduce, reuse, redesign and rethink? These get far less attention but often make a much bigger impact.
You can have technically recyclable packaging, but if it’s oversized, over-engineered or wrapped in three layers – it’s still wasteful.
It’s time to rethink what sustainable really means and design packaging that’s smart, simple and genuinely low-impact.
3. Accessible packaging is still a massive gap – and a huge opportunity
There was one session dedicated to accessible packaging, and it really stuck with me. If you’re not familiar with the term in this context, accessibility is about how easily someone can open, use and interact with packaging – especially people with arthritis, limited dexterity or vision impairment.
We watched videos of people with arthritis trying to open everyday food packaging, and honestly, it was heartbreaking. Not just the physical struggle – but the mental load that came with it. Frustration. Embarrassment. A loss of independence. It really hit home how much packaging can affect someone’s quality of life.
Shockingly, less than 4% of personal care packaging is considered accessible. In beauty, where packaging is so central to the product experience, there’s a huge opportunity to do better. If someone can’t open your product or read the label, they’re unlikely to trust your brand enough to buy again (and chances are, they’ll tell others too).
If this is new to you, Arthritis Australia has fantastic resources and guidelines to help brands assess and improve usability. It’s a great place to start.
Storm Menzies from BYSTORM Beauty is also doing great things in this space, with her adaptive makeup tools for accessible beauty launching in mid 2025.
4. Innovation is picking up – especially around traceability and transparency
There’s some cool stuff happening with tech and packaging. More brands are using barcodes and QR codes to connect customers with extra info – like what the packaging is made from, how to dispose of it properly or even where it came from.
One tool I loved hearing about was Recycle Mate. It tells you exactly how to recycle an item in your local council. Super handy – especially when kerbside systems are all over the place and where you need to “Check locally” for some materials like soft plastics.
One of the innovations from Israel shared by Shira Rosen was really clever – packaging that changes colour based on bacteria levels – so you can tell if the meat is still good. Way more accurate than a use-by date, and a great way to reduce food waste.
5. Education matters – but trust (and the system) needs rebuilding
Most people want to do the right thing, but the reality is, our recycling system is confusing, and wishcycling (putting things in the recycling bin and hoping for the best) is all too common.
What your council accepts might be completely different to the one next door. And soft plastics are still a major headache since the collapse of RedCycle – though hopefully that changes soon with the rollout of the new Soft Plastics Stewardship Australia scheme.
At the same time, there’s a common belief (thanks to some negative media) that “it all ends up in landfill anyway,” which leads some people to not even try.
We need to rebuild trust and educate consumers – which, let’s be honest, won’t happen overnight. And unless the system becomes easier to navigate, all the education in the world won’t restore confidence.
Final thoughts
There’s already a lot of great work happening in the packaging space – but there’s still a long road ahead. And to their credit, the industry fully acknowledges that.
This isn’t something that can be tackled alone. We need government, industry, brands and consumers (i.e. us!) all working together. If we’re serious about moving towards a circular economy (and let’s be honest – we have to be), it’s going to take collaboration, education and consistent action from all sides. Of course, that all needs to be balanced with the commercial realities we’re working within, too.
One thing I was left wondering: what’s happening in China? There were 85 speakers from 20 countries across the globe, but no representation from China in the presentations I saw. With so much packaging (especially in beauty) being sourced from there, I would’ve loved to hear their perspective on sustainability and how it might impact Australian brands in the future.
Huge thanks to Nerida and the AIP for such an insightful event. Loved finally meeting packaging consultant Renata Daudt from AWEN Consulting in person and connecting with other people doing amazing work behind the scenes to make packaging better.
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It’s clear sustainable packaging is no longer a trend. It’s where the entire industry is heading – driven by regulation, expectation and a sense of responsibility we can’t ignore.
If you want to in the loop (without drowning in government PDFs), I’m keeping this Sustainable packaging regulations update post regularly updated.
And if you’d like to join my (free) VIP list to get updates straight to your inbox, just reach out and I’ll pop you on.
Jen has worked with Australian and international skincare and beauty brands on regulatory compliance since 2018, drawing on a background in corporate risk and compliance and degrees in Business and Psychology. Jen speaks regularly on cosmetic regulation, including at the Australian Society of Cosmetic Chemists (ASCC), the New Zealand Society of Cosmetic Chemists (NZSCC), in-cosmetics Korea, and Monash University.
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