Respack 2026: FMCG Leaders Warn Flexible Packaging Must Confront the Circularity Challenge

The Value Paradox: Sustainability vs. Mass-Market Pricing

At Respack 2026, a high-profile panel of FMCG packaging leaders delivered a sobering assessment of the flexible packaging industry's sustainability trajectory. Dr Nandini Kumar, who leads the Indian Plastics Pact initiative at the Confederation of Indian Industry, opened with a stark reminder: "We cannot pretend that the supply of fossil fuels is unlimited."

Kumar revealed that corporate signatories to the Indian Plastics Pact now place roughly 25% of India's plastic packaging on market shelves, giving the group substantial leverage to shift the market. However, private discussions with brand owners exposed a deeper anxiety: volatile supply chains and commodity inflation have forced long-term sustainability commitments to the back seat in favor of short-term survival.

Agility Over Rigid Frameworks: Tata's New Playbook

Vindhya Ayyagari, VP of Global Packaging at Tata Consumer Products, argued that the era of rigid multi-year strategic frameworks is over. "We will have to be flexible. We cannot be working on a framework which was set two years or three years ago," she explained. "Any of these situations forces us to do a risk assessment again on how we can drive these things, because at the same time, you need to be cognizant of the costs that are coming, and the value that we are generating for the consumer."

This balancing act is particularly acute when sustainability meets consumer price sensitivity. Amit Kale of Reliance Retail pointed out that India remains fundamentally value-driven: "We always talk about discounts. We always try to buy something on sale. That is our nature. If we are targeting our products to be given to the masses in India, we have to price it at ten rupees. In that context, sustainability becomes difficult."

Monomaterials: A Half-Measure?

The session's most candid critique targeted the industry's heavy reliance on multi-layer flexible pouches and laminates. ITC's Biswarup Chakraborty acknowledged that from a material efficiency and economic perspective, flexible packaging is fundamentally unbeatable. However, he warned that the industry's push toward monomaterial structures may be masking deeper structural flaws.

"I think we are not doing enough. The biggest point is that we are making monomaterials, but they are still laminated, reverse printed, and have metallization," Chakraborty said. "When that gets recycled, what you get is a greyish-green material. There is not enough demand for that material and hence not enough value for recyclers to pick it up."

What This Means for Packaging Manufacturers

The Respack 2026 consensus is clear: flexible packaging remains indispensable for emerging markets, but incremental approaches to circularity will no longer satisfy regulators, retailers, or consumers. The path forward demands three simultaneous commitments:

1. Radical material innovation: Surface-printed, monomaterial structures that yield clear, high-value recyclate without sacrificing barrier performance.
2. Cost-neutral sustainability: Packaging solutions that meet circular economy requirements without imposing green premiums on price-sensitive markets.
3. Supply chain resilience: Agile sourcing strategies that can absorb commodity shocks while maintaining sustainability commitments.

As an ISO-certified aluminum foil packaging manufacturer serving 50+ countries, Gerun Pack is actively developing advanced monomaterial laminate structures and recyclable flexible packaging solutions that address the very challenges raised at Respack 2026.