Editorial Contact
Trey Smith
Sr. Director, Events
312.205.7917
tsmith@pmmimediagroup.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Packaging Recycling Professionals Gathered in Person and Remotely for this Year's Packaging Recycling Summit
The 2025 educational program -- featuring comprehensive sessions on circularity and innovation -- is now available in the PRS Video Library for on-demand viewing.
Chicago, IL; July 2nd, 2025 - Driving Packaging Circularity: Innovating and Collaborating for Recyclability was the inspiration for the 2025 Packaging Recycling Summit (PRS), presented by Packaging World. Held June 25-27 at the beautifully reimagined Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas Resort & Spa, PRS featured three days of learning and attracted nearly 600 registrants both in-person and online, including CPG professionals, retailers, solution providers, reprocessors and professionals from materials recovery facilities (MRFs).
“The Packaging Recycling Summit isn’t just another broad-based, wide-ranging sustainability event — it’s a working session for brand owners and CPGs navigating real packaging design decisions through the narrow lens of circularity and recycling. Every session in the Video Library offers practical insights from across the value chain, with a sharp focus on what brands can do today to design packaging that works — for consumers, for recycling infrastructure, and for a more circular packaging economy. Whether you're starting a redesign or rethinking an entire portfolio, this content will guide better decisions that drive both compliance and impact.” — Matt Reynolds, chief editor, Packaging World and Packaging Recycling Summit Host
Leading industry organizations shared their experiences and future vision. Representatives from Consumer Brands Association, Center of Plastics, Paper and Hybrid Packaging End-of-Life Solutions (C3PS), Circular Action Alliance, and other organizations addressed the challenges and opportunities for today's packaging recycling professionals.
Educational sessions explored the critical role of design and material selection for recyclability, emphasizing the importance of collaborating early in the design process. Topics included Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy developments, AI-powered sorting technologies, cross-sector partnerships driving aluminum can recovery rates, and behavioral science insights that drive sustainable packaging choices and recycling habits.
“The Packaging Recycling Summit has been a really awesome opportunity to hear about how different people across industries, whether it be CPG manufacturers, suppliers, OEMs, are thinking about the recycling space, the materials they’re leveraging, and the technologies of the future.” — Brandon Barr, VP/GM of Front-End Innovation Duracell
Sessions highlighted cutting-edge innovations in materials recovery facilities, including how AI, robotics, and data-driven insights are reshaping recyclability and what it means for the future of CPG packaging design. Experts examined the evolution of recycling labels and how programs like How2Recycle are adapting to regulatory shifts, consumer expectations, and material changes to create clearer, more actionable disposal instructions.
The program focused on identifying opportunities in the circular packaging supply chain, bringing together CPG brands, recyclers, OEMs, materials providers, and government legislators under one roof. Stakeholders from all materials were represented, with discussions centered specifically on package design for recyclability rather than general sustainability.
“I lead our packaging technology and innovation capability. We decided to attend this year because we thought it was an opportunity to meet a different cross section of like the value chain. We've found a really interesting perspective in terms of end of life. We gained a better understanding of what people in the material recovery facility part of the supply chain are dealing with, and that certainly was a very interesting perspective to get, to really help inform how we might design and also ultimately impact what we're trying to all see, which is circularity.” — Graham Jones, Sr. Manager, Packaging Technology & Innovation, The Campbell’s Company
Additional post-event coverage of the 2025 Packaging Recycling Summit can be found on Packworld.com. For information on how to access PRS Video Library, visit here.
About Packaging Recycling Summit
The Packaging Recycling Summit is presented by Packaging World and backed by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, the largest association of packaging machinery manufacturers. The event brings together the most trusted voices in the industry to explore package design for recyclability, materials innovations, and collaborative strategies that transform waste into valuable resources across the circular supply chain.
About PMMI
PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, represents more than 1,000 manufacturers and suppliers of equipment, components, and materials as well as providers of related equipment and services to the packaging and processing industry. We work to advance a variety of industries by connecting consumer goods companies with manufacturing solutions through the world-class PACK EXPO portfolio of trade shows, leading trade media, and a wide range of resources to empower our members. The PACK EXPO trade shows unite the world of packaging and processing to advance the industries they serve: PACK EXPO International, PACK EXPO Las Vegas, PACK EXPO East, PACK EXPO Southeast, EXPO PACK México, and EXPO PACK Guadalajara. PMMI Media Group connects manufacturers to the latest solutions, trends and innovations in packaging and processing year-round through brands including Packaging World, ProFood World, Healthcare Packaging, OEM, Contract Manufacturing and Packaging, and Mundo EXPO PACK. PMMI Business Drivers assist members in pursuing operational excellence through workforce development initiatives, deliver actionable business intelligence on economic, market, and industry trends to support members’ growth strategies, and actively connect the supply chain throughout the year.
Learn more at pmmi.org and packexpo.com and pmmimediagroup.com.
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