What the world of sustainable packaging might look like in 2050

Attendees at London Packaging Week, taking place at Excel London on 15 and 16 October 2025, will be thinking about what the next few decades hold for the packaging industry. They will also be keenly focused on sustainability at a time when regulations like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) are at the top of every business agenda.

One of the expert voices analysing both at the event will be Gillian Garside-Wight, director of consulting at packaging sustainability consultancy Aura. She will be presenting Insights to Illuminate the Future of Packaging to 2050 on 15 October.

‘What will packaging look like in the year 2050, and how should brands prepare today? Those are the big questions,’ she noted. ‘Will it be all about technology, or the scarcity of resources in a world beset by climate change? There are so many different ways the future might go, and so much that we can do now to be ready.’

Aura was launched in 2022, uniting a team of experienced retail, technology and packaging consultants. It was created to build technology first solutions to the key sustainability challenges faced by retailers, brand owners and manufacturers in packaging: from managing the complex value chain to dealing with conflicting stakeholder goals, and from lack of accurate data to keeping up with ever evolving regulatory obligations.

As head of the consulting team, Gillian Garside-Wight develops packaging strategies, roadmaps, and sustainable packaging solutions to meet the needs of clients, consumers, and the planet. At London Packaging Week, she will unite that experience with in-depth research Aura has developed into what 2050 will look like for the industry.

‘We carried out a deep dive into the macro forces reshaping packaging, from shifting consumer values and sustainability targets to global disruption and emerging technologies,’ she explained. ‘We are drawing on our proprietary foresight models to reveal how packaging can evolve into a driver of innovation, resilience, and brand value.’

Gillian will be presenting and discussing four future scenarios that demonstrate four versions of the world in 2050, and how this will affect the world of retail and packaging. These are:

• Accelerated evolution, an evolutionary scenario where we extend today’s trends into the future.

• The high tech future, which assumes the world fully embraces technological change, and leans into how tech and AI could transform consumer behaviour.

• Recovering the past, an analysis that explores consumers pushing back against the amount of tech they are exposed to, and against the influence it has on their lives.

• The tough alternative scenario, which looks at the harsh reality of what happens if we fail to address climate, geopolitical, and technological challenges, to show why we are all targeting change.

‘By 2050, the world will be unrecognisable,’ she highlighted. ‘Just think. Almost ten billion people. Two-thirds of them crammed into cities. An ageing population. Asia steering the global economy. AI not just assisting us, but making decisions for us.

‘In this future, climate change won’t be a warning – it will be an urgent reality. And packaging as we know it simply won’t survive.’

Over the coming decades, Gillian noted, resource scarcity could be a defining challenge for the packaging sector.

‘Are we going to see constraints on access to critical materials for manufacturing and packaging, such as fibre and polymers?’ she asked. ‘We may see a shift towards brands and retailers using the materials that are the most readily available, rather than those that are the most suitable for a particular product.

‘Not to mention, access to daily essentials and critical materials like water, food, and packaging materials will be severely constrained. In flood prone regions of the globe, humidity resistant solutions will have to protect essential goods, while insulated packaging ensures medicines remain viable in extreme weather conditions.’

In addition, Gillian explained, in the high tech future world dominated by technology, packaging is set to become interactive, offering tutorials, product data and personalised overlays.

‘AI driven factories could autonomously customise packaging in real time, tailored to consumer preferences,’ she said. ‘Meanwhile, digital overlays may replace traditional labels, displaying information in the consumer’s native language and highlighting relevant details like allergens, usage instructions and sustainability credentials.’

If physical retail spaces are reimagined as experiential hubs rather than traditional shopping destinations, will we need today’s in-store packaging formats? Gillian believes packaging will have to stand out on shelves in the future – through bold aesthetics, innovative formats, interactive experiences and tactile elements that enhance the in-store experience.

‘Our analysis revealed that the world is already seeing more consumers keen to purchase from localised and circular supply chains,’ Gillian revealed. ‘Looking forward to 2050, that could lead to more packaging materials sourced from natural, locally available resources such as seaweed, mushroom and wood fibres.

‘It would be no surprise to see manufacturers turning to locally sourced, low cost materials and even mining landfills for waste to repurpose.’

‘In fact,’ she added. ‘We could look forward to a future of reusable, refillable containers for groceries, frozen food and dairy that are seamlessly integrated with retailers. A world where ecommerce and takeaway logistics operate backhaul returnable systems at scale.’

As circular systems start to dominate the packaging industry, Gillian argues that reusable and refillable solutions will have to become standard practice.

‘Circular solutions using existing materials will dominate to reduce resource use and minimise waste where infrastructure is lacking,’ she said. ‘Our research has already found that 88% of UK consumers think businesses should be doing more to instruct people on how to properly recycle their packaging.’

And what more does the future hold? New technologies such as smart labels and digital tracking will build supply chain transparency and accountability, while localised materials and solutions will reflect regional regulations and consumer preferences.

‘It is not a question of planning for the next three years, but the next three decades,’ Gillian said. ‘Global retailers and brands need to assess their packaging requirements on a macro and micro level to survive and thrive through seismic shifts in global supply chains, increasing sustainability demands and ever changing consumer expectations. And no matter what the future holds, they will need guidance, support and comprehensive data on their packaging.’

Brands and retailers are already planning today for the demands and vicissitudes of tomorrow, and London Packaging Week 2025 will be a key forum for them to analyse and prepare for what lies ahead. To hear directly from Gillian Garside-Wight and other industry leaders, and to explore the future of packaging to 2050 and even beyond, register now to attend London Packaging Week on 15 and 16 October at Excel London.