New standards and new directions in cardboard packaging

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2025/11.

The tightening of EU and domestic regulations is fundamentally shaping the way the packaging industry operates. The introduction of the EPR system in 2024 doesn’t just entail significant additional costs for manufacturers, but also new administrative and data management obligations. The PPWR regulation specifies the mandatory recycled content, prohibits unnecessary packaging elements, limits the amount of empty space and requires packaging to be reusable and recyclable. With the EUDR, from 2026 the origin of wood-based materials must be fully traceable, making supply chain transparency a key issue.

The tightening of EU and domestic regulations is fundamentally shaping the way the packaging industry operates

Interactive solutions

According to Smurfit Westrock, the domestic market is influenced by sustainability goals, free movement on the internal market and the impact of national regulations, while reducing environmental and health impacts has become the number one consideration in design. In FMCG more interactive packaging – QR, NFC and RFID solutions – support product information access, shipment tracking and entering brand loyalty programmes, while digital printing and AI deepen the customer-brand relationship with personalised designs.

Gyula Mazan
innovation manager
Smurfit Westrock

“We develop our products to meet sustainability, functionality and personalisation requirements simultaneously”,

explains Gyula Mazan, innovation manager at Smurfit Westrock.

Off-the-shelf solutions, easily recyclable mono-materials and clear, credible labelling are now basic requirements for supplier compliance.

Innovation and recycling

Zoltán Szőnyi
sales director
Dunapack

As the leading player on the domestic corrugated board market, Dunapack is responding to sustainability expectations: 89% of its corrugated board packaging contains recycled raw materials and 90% of its products are recycled. The Innovation Room in Dunavarsány and the associated DIVE software is a digital packaging development service, which uses XR technology to enable customers to test their packaging concepts in real time, in a 3D environment without physical prototypes.

 “For our customers rapid development and measurable sustainability impact are just as important as product appearance”,

stresses Zoltán Szőnyi, sales director of Dunapack Kft.

Packaging trends in 2025 are defined by returnable, reusable systems and compostable, bio-based materials; companies are increasingly relying on mono-materials, lowering the proportion of composites that are difficult to separate.

The market operates on the principle: “Measure what you want to reduce.”

Smart systems

Zsolt Miklós
former managing
director
Rondo

Rondo’s operations are currently most affected by energy prices and labour market challenges. The company has installed a solar panel system that covers 10-15% of its electricity consumption and uses fully electric forklifts to move rolls. The market is characterised by the conquest of packaging that combines on-shelf, collection and delivery functions. Development trends are driven by automation and robotics.

“For Rondo automation is both a cost issue and a guarantee of quality. Circular operation isn’t just a project for us, but a fundamental principle”,

explains Zsolt Miklós, former managing director of Rondo Hullámkartongyártó Kft. 

In the FMCG segment packaging is now one of the most important points of contact for a brand: digital printing makes customised messages and designs possible, while AI facilitates the personalisation of campaigns.

High-speed technology

STI Petőfi Nyomda is reducing production costs through energy efficiency investments, solar park installation and robotics developments. Their most significant technological investment is the 7-color Heidelberg XL 106 printing press, which is capable of speeds of 21,000 sheets per hour and is equipped for the Multicolour process – it works with seven colours instead of the traditional four.

Zoltán Szentesi
head of product development
STI Petőfi Nyomda

“Our goal is to treat sustainability not as a constraint, but as an opportunity. New materials and processes serve machine processability, cost-effectiveness and recyclability at the same time”,

notes Zoltán Szentesi, head of product development at STI Petőfi Nyomda Kft.

Tamás Berta
sales manager
STI Petőfi Nyomda

“We offer packaging for the FMCG sector that delivers a competitive advantage in terms of appearance, logistics and sustainability”,

adds sales manager Tamás Berta.

Actual performance

VPK Packaging represents a balance between sustainability and technological innovation. Their CO2 calculator, which customers can use to measure and reduce the carbon footprint of their packaging, won the Trade magazin Sustainability Award. The 1 MW solar panel system on the roof of the Nagyszalonta factory, state-of-the-art internal logistics and energy-efficient processing capacity guarantee production flexibility and quality. Lightweight but strong corrugated board solutions and shelf-ready formats optimised for e-commerce serve both cost-effectiveness and sustainability.

Bart Dobbelaere
business unit manager
VPK Packaging

“For us sustainability isn’t a communication tool, but a measurable performance. Our CO2 calculator makes it possible for our customers to make decisions based on accurate data”,

says Bart Dobbelaere, business unit manager at VPK Packaging.