Future Trailblazer Awards 2026 Report spotlights packaging's future leaders

New publication from Packaging Innovations & Empack highlights the emerging professionals driving innovation as regulation, sustainability and technology redefine the industry.

Packaging Innovations & Empack organiser Easyfairs UK has launched the Future Trailblazer Awards 2026 Report, a new publication recognising the emerging professionals helping shape the future of packaging at a time of unprecedented industry transformation.

The report celebrates this year's Future Trailblazer Awards winners and finalists through exclusive interviews with emerging professionals, while also exploring the forces reshaping the sector, from Circular Economy legislation and material innovation to artificial intelligence, operational excellence, and the growing demand for specialist skills.

The Future Trailblazer Awards recognise professionals within the first 10 years of their packaging careers whose work is already making a measurable impact across design, manufacturing, sustainability, branding, operations and circularity. Rather than celebrating lifetime achievement, the awards spotlight the people helping shape the future of packaging today.

The packaging industry is evolving faster than ever before. New regulations, changing consumer expectations and advances in technology are creating both challenges and opportunities, but the success of this transition will depend on the people driving it forward.

The Future Trailblazer Awards shine a light on the individuals already making a difference across the sector. This year's winners and finalists represent the creativity, expertise and ambition that will shape the next generation of packaging, and we are proud to recognise their achievements.

By celebrating emerging talent, we hope to inspire more people to build careers in packaging and highlight the incredible opportunities available within an industry that is constantly innovating and reinventing itself.

Josh Brooks, Divisional Director – Packaging Portfolio at Easyfairs UK.

The Class of 2026 brings together professionals from organisations including Nestlé, James Cropper, McCain Foods GB, Greyparrot, Carlton Packaging and Sleeve Office. Together, their work demonstrates how innovation is being driven by smarter materials, more efficient production, stronger branding, AI-powered decision-making, and increasingly circular packaging systems.

The publication arrives at a pivotal moment for the sector. The global packaging market is now valued at more than $1.2 trillion, while the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is accelerating the transition towards a circular economy by requiring all packaging placed on the EU market to be recyclable by 2030. At the same time, the World Economic Forum identifies skills shortages as one of the greatest barriers to business transformation, placing renewed emphasis on attracting, developing and recognising the talent that will lead the industry's future.

The Future Trailblazer Awards recognise something our industry sometimes overlooks. Innovation doesn't begin with major breakthroughs or finished products. It begins with individuals asking better questions, thinking differently and finding smarter ways to solve everyday challenges.

Jude Allan, Managing Director of OPRL and Chair of the Future Trailblazer Awards judging panel.

The Future Trailblazer Awards form part of Packaging Innovations & Empack, the UK's leading event for packaging innovation and process improvement, which brings together more than 8,000 supply chain professionals and over 500 suppliers to discover the latest technologies, materials and ideas shaping the future of packaging.

Entries for the Future Trailblazer Awards 2027 open on 3 August 2026, inviting professionals within the first 10 years of their packaging careers to enter, or colleagues to nominate individuals making an outstanding contribution to the industry.

The Future Trailblazer Awards 2026 Report is available to download now.