From Seattle to Montreal, sustainable packaging has become a strategic and highly competitive innovation arena. Between climate pressures, supply chain disruptions, and rising expectations from brands and retailers, North America is accelerating its shift toward solutions that are leaner, more circular, and more traceable. Here is an overview of the trends reshaping materials, business models, and the rules of the game across the continent.

Sustainable materials in North America: momentum is growing

Paper and paperboard, often with a high share of recycled fiber, are gaining ground in segments once dominated by plastics. Molded fiber trays without PFAS and paper padded mailers for ecommerce show this targeted move toward paper, supported by water based barrier coatings and bio based coatings. Limits remain for moisture, grease, and long shelf life, but the gap is shrinking thanks to simplified multilayer barriers and additives that avoid substances of concern.

On the plastics side, the trend is mono material structures and postconsumer recycled content (PCR). All PE or all PP formats make sorting easier and improve material value, while internal targets of 25 to 50 percent PCR are becoming common in food, personal care, and beauty. Bioplastics such as PLA and PHA are growing in niches like cutlery, organics collection bags, and short life applications, but progress is slowed by limited municipal composting coverage and the need for clear labeling to prevent sorting confusion. Advanced recycling technologies are being tested cautiously, with strong scrutiny on recycled content traceability and carbon footprint.

Metals and glass, long time leaders in circularity, are seeing renewed momentum. Aluminum is expanding into more categories such as water, wine, and personal care, supported by strong recycling rates and rising recycled content. Glass remains popular for premium spirits and cosmetics, with local reuse pilots where logistics make sense. At the same time, refill models are multiplying, including concentrates to dilute at home, flexible refill packs, and deposit return or in store take back programs. In ecommerce, source reduction is accelerating through right sized parcels, paper cushioning, removal of unnecessary packaging, and reusable solutions in closed loop B2B systems.

Regulatory pressure and customer expectations

Regulation is becoming more structured and is shaping design choices. In the United States, extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws adopted in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Maine will price packaging based on recyclability and impact, which favors mono material designs and recycled content. California, through multiple measures, also addresses environmental marketing and labeling, while several states restrict PFAS in food packaging. In Canada, the phased ban on certain single use plastics and the modernization of deposit return and EPR systems at the provincial level reinforce a clear hierarchy of solutions: reduce, reuse, then recycle effectively.

Retailers are increasingly prescriptive through their packaging requirements. Walmart, Target, and others push for packaging that is widely recyclable in curbside systems, restrict certain resins and additives, and reward reduced volume and weight. Amazon is driving compactness, removal of excess packaging, and a shift toward paper mailers through its Frustration Free Packaging approach. Brands are balancing cold chain constraints, oxygen barrier needs, customer experience, and EPR costs, while responding to a demand for simplicity: fewer layers, clear sorting instructions such as How2Recycle, and greater transparency through QR codes or product passports.

Consumer tolerance for greenwashing is at a low point, and buyers expect proof: PCR percentages, certifications such as FSC, SFI, or BPI, and clear explanations of trade offs. Convenience remains non negotiable: easy resealing, clean dispensing, perceived durability, and premium design despite material reduction. Companies are relying more on life cycle assessment to avoid shifting impacts, for example accepting a slightly higher packaging footprint if it significantly reduces food waste. As climate reporting and upstream traceability expectations rise, packaging suppliers with strong data, digital tools, and modular solutions are pulling ahead.

Sustainable packaging in North America is entering a more mature phase, with fewer announcements and more proof through materials, infrastructure, and data. Alignment between simpler recyclable materials, realistic reuse models, EPR pricing, and customer expectations is creating a clear direction, even if execution remains complex by sector. The winners will be those who design for circularity by default, measure impacts rigorously, and collaborate across the ecosystem to turn promises into measurable performance.