One week to go: the packaging world set to converge at Packaging Innovations & Empack 2026

Packaging Solutions

Packaging Innovations & Empack 2026 returns to Birmingham’s NEC with exclusive UK debuts, ground breaking materials, and first to market technologies, including Material ConneXion and the Museum of Failure, cementing its position as the UK’s definitive showcase for packaging innovation.

All eyes across the global packaging industry are on Packaging Innovations & Empack 2026, where leading brands, designers, manufacturers, and suppliers will gather at Birmingham’s NEC on 11 and 12 February to experience the showcase of products, materials, and innovation. With just one week to go, there is so much to see across two action packed days, from materials and live production technologies to interactive demonstrations and the UK debuts of Material ConneXion and the Museum of Failure. The event has become an unmissable destination for anyone seeking the ideas, solutions, and technologies shaping the future of packaging.

A major draw for attendees is the UK debut of two globally recognised institutions, Material ConneXion and the Museum of Failure, both appearing exclusively at the event. Material ConneXion showcases a curated collection of 45 breakthrough materials, giving designers, engineers, and brand owners hands on access to solutions that can transform packaging design, performance, and sustainability. The Museum of Failure brings corporate missteps to life, offering unique insights and lessons for packaging designers, materials specialists, and automation engineers. Never before available to UK audiences, these features offer rare, hands-on insight into both breakthrough success and real world failure – essential intelligence for anyone shaping the future of packaging.

Across the wider exhibition, more than 450 exhibitors, including global leaders such as Amcor, Coveris, Huhtamaki, Innovia Films, Mondi Group, Scodix, Sealed Air, and Sun Chemical will showcase commercially deployable solutions across sustainable materials, smart packaging, automation, robotics, and premium finishing. Senior representatives from brands including Diageo, Nestlé, Unilever, Amazon, and leading FMCG, foodservice, and retail businesses are expected to be in attendance, intensifying demand for last minute registrations and on-site meetings.

Josh Brooks, divisional director – Packaging Portfolio at Easyfairs, said: ‘Innovation waits for no one. Packaging Innovations & Empack 2026 is the place to see it first, from breakthrough materials and cutting edge automation to sustainable solutions and AI driven production. Every demonstration, every session, every exhibitor is an opportunity to stay ahead of the competition, but only for those who act now and secure their place.’

Sustainability moves from concept to execution at Packaging Innovations & Empack 2026, with innovations including eGreen and Polymateria’s VeriGreen Plus, the world’s first self-destructing bio based cup, eGreen’s Atera tableware produced from rice husk by-products, Futamura, Repaq, and GK Sondermaschinenbau’s compostable liquid sachets, and Prevented Ocean Plastic’s food safe recycled polypropylene. Other solutions include recyclable shrink sleeve films, compostable fruit and vegetable labels, lightweight cardboard pallets, and premium digital embellishment on luxury substrates from Scodix Luxe.

Operational efficiency and automation are also on display. RarUK Automation demonstrates robotic palletising solutions for cobots, while Nulogy presents its manufacturing operating systems. Visitors can experience machinery and live automation demonstrations in the Automation & Robotics Zone, or join Empack Machinery & Processing Tours for guided sessions across production innovations. Challenger brands can take part in the ‘Pitch the Co-Packers Competition’ in partnership with BCMPA, a Dragon’s Den style event offering exposure, networking, and potential funding.

Education remains a major draw, with an unrivalled conference programme featuring over 100 speakers from more than 70 global brands and organisations. Across the Design & Innovation, Supply Chain, Circular Economy, and Discovery Theatre Stages, attendees will hear from industry leaders including Diageo, Nestlé, Unilever, Amazon, BCMPA, Material ConneXion, Sheffield Hallam University, PackUK, WRAP, RECOUP, and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. The programme brings an unparalleled mix of expertise spanning packaging design, sustainability, co-packing, automation, AI, and talent development across the full value chain.

Start ups and innovators also take centre stage. Companies including Acentrixia Ltd, GreyParrot AI, Trakya Pack, Kurz Scribos, and PackPeer showcase commercially ready solutions in AI, smart packaging, and sustainable materials, giving visitors an up close look at innovation shaping the future of packaging. The Future Trailblazers Awards, in partnership with IOM3, celebrate emerging talent from organisations such as Alexir, Elddir, GreyParrot AI, James Cropper, and Nestlé, highlighting the next generation of packaging leaders.

With demand accelerating and complimentary passes being claimed at pace, professionals are urged to register now