Packaging is entering its most expensive era yet and the North is right at the centre of it

Right now, almost every major conversation in packaging is about pressure.

Pressure on materials. Pressure on supply chains. Pressure on compliance teams. Pressure on manufacturers trying to keep up with rapidly changing legislation.

In 2026, packaging is no longer just a procurement conversation. It has become a financial, operational and regulatory issue sitting directly at boardroom level.

And nowhere is that pressure being felt more clearly than across the North of England.

Because this is where many of the UK’s largest food manufacturers, ecommerce operators, beauty brands and distribution networks are based.

Businesses such as Unilever, Kellogg Company, Warburtons , Princes Group, PZ Cussons , THG , B&M Retail, JD Sports Fashion, Amazon, Home Bargains and Shop Direct all operate major manufacturing, warehousing or fulfilment operations across the North.

Every one of them is now navigating the same challenge.

How do you move products efficiently while legislation, sustainability targets and packaging costs continue to intensify?

The legislation changing the industry

The UK’s Extended Producer Responsibility legislation is now fundamentally changing how businesses think about packaging. From 2026, packaging fees are becoming modulated based on recyclability, meaning difficult to recycle formats will become significantly more expensive for producers.

For packaging teams, this changes everything.

Materials once viewed as commercially viable are now becoming financial liabilities. Businesses are reassessing entire packaging portfolios as recyclability directly impacts cost exposure under new EPR fee structures.

At the same time, the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation will apply from August 2026, bringing stricter recyclability requirements, recycled content obligations and new rules around excessive packaging.

The UK’s Deposit Return Scheme is also moving closer, forcing beverage producers and retailers to rethink labelling, barcode systems and material recovery strategies ahead of its 2027 launch.

Suddenly packaging is not just about branding or shelf appeal.

It is about compliance. Data. Reporting. Recyclability assessments. Supply chain redesign. Risk management.

Why this matters so much in the North

The North is uniquely exposed to these changes because of the scale of production and fulfilment already concentrated there.

Liverpool, Manchester, Yorkshire and the wider North West sit at the centre of major UK supply chain networks. The region’s warehousing footprint continues to expand as ecommerce and retail distribution accelerate.

At Trafford Park alone, businesses including Kellogg’s and major logistics operators move huge product volumes daily. Across Merseyside and Greater Manchester, ecommerce giants and retailers continue investing heavily into fulfilment infrastructure designed around speed and scale.

Packaging sits underneath all of it.

Every pallet. Every shipment. Every ecommerce return. Every food delivery. Every shelf ready display.

Which is why the industry conversation is beginning to shift from simply “sustainable packaging” towards something much bigger.

Operational packaging.

Packaging that works commercially, logistically and legislatively at the same time.

A changing industry needs different conversations

What is becoming increasingly clear is that packaging businesses are looking for more than product showcases.

They are looking for answers.

How do we redesign packaging without increasing costs? How do we prepare for EPR fees? How do we balance sustainability with fulfilment demands? How do we adapt packaging for automated warehousing environments? How do we reduce transport emissions without compromising protection?

Those conversations are becoming central to the industry.

And increasingly, they are happening in the North.

Why UKPackaging Expo matters now

Taking place on 10 and 11 November 2026 at Exhibition Centre Liverpool, UKPackaging Expo arrives at a time when the packaging sector is navigating one of its biggest transitions in decades.

Positioned in the middle of one of the UK’s largest manufacturing and logistics economies, the event reflects where many of these operational pressures are already being felt most strongly.

From FMCG and food production to ecommerce, beauty and pharmaceuticals, the businesses driving packaging demand are already operating across the region.

UKPackaging Expo will bring together packaging manufacturers, material suppliers, automation providers and brands navigating this new regulatory and operational landscape.

Not simply to talk about packaging trends.

But to address the realities reshaping the industry right now.

Visit https://ukpackagingexpo.co.uk to register your interest and for more info.