Averro Group has been established to address the rapidly growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions across global markets. Terra Firma, which has a long-standing track record in building and scaling businesses across complex industrial sectors, is positioning Averro Group as a vehicle to consolidate fragmented parts of the packaging industry into a cohesive and scalable enterprise. The company’s focus will be on acquiring and integrating businesses that are aligned with the broader global packaging transition shifting away from conventional materials toward more environmentally responsible alternatives.

The platform is designed to operate across multiple segments of the packaging value chain. By bringing together complementary businesses under the Averro Group umbrella, Terra Firma aims to create synergies in operations, innovation, and customer delivery that individual businesses would struggle to achieve independently. This integrated approach is expected to enhance both the competitiveness and the sustainability credentials of the overall group.

Averro Group has been set up with a dedicated leadership team tasked with executing the acquisition-led growth strategy. The management structure reflects Terra Firma’s intent to build a professionally run, independently operating business that can respond efficiently to market opportunities as the global packaging transition continues to accelerate across industries and geographies.

Terra Firma’s decision to launch Averro Group underscores its commitment to investing in sectors undergoing structural change. Sustainable packaging has emerged as one of the most active areas of investment and innovation globally, driven by regulatory pressures, evolving consumer expectations, and corporate sustainability commitments. Averro Group is positioned to be an active participant in consolidating this space, with a pipeline of potential acquisitions being evaluated across relevant markets.

The creation of Averro Group represents a deliberate and structured effort by Terra Firma to build scale in sustainable packaging a sector where demand for credible, integrated solutions continues to grow. As the Averro Group launch gains momentum, the platform is expected to move quickly to identify and execute transactions that strengthen its market presence and broaden its capabilities across the packaging transition landscape.

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Mixed plastic packaging made up of multiple plastic types bonded tightly together has historically been difficult to process through conventional recycling methods. The DIPS approach is engineered to selectively break down one specific plastic in the mix while leaving the remaining materials structurally intact, making individual material recovery and reuse possible. When applied to common mixed plastic packaging, PET reacts with glycerol, a widely available reagent, and breaks down into smaller molecules. The resulting PET-derived material differs physically and chemically from the original plastic, causing it to naturally separate from polypropylene (PP). The entire process runs at room pressure and requires no solvents, which the researchers say makes it both safer and more cost-effective compared to conventional chemical recycling methods.

Hu Xiao, professor and program director for Sustainable Chemistry and Materials at NEWRI, said: “We’re seeing more mixed plastic packaging used in everyday food products, but recycling it safely and efficiently is still a major challenge. Our team set out to tackle this by developing a practical, scalable way to separate these materials without using harmful solvents.” In laboratory tests, the recovered PP retained mechanical properties close to those of virgin plastic, achieving up to 90% of its original tensile strength under optimal conditions. Dr. Liang Yen Nan, co-author of the study and senior research fellow at NEWRI, said: “One of the biggest hurdles in plastic recycling today is the lack of a viable way to deal with mixed plastics. This project was driven by that challenge, and our goal is to help move the industry closer to a solution that works in the real world.”

While the recovered PET cannot be directly reused in packaging applications, the researchers note that it contains chemical groups suitable for specialty material applications including as a potential replacement for epoxy used in wind turbine blades, or for conversion into a monomer. The team also indicates that the DIPS method can be extended to other mixed plastic combinations and scaled up using industrial extrusion equipment. Kathirvel Periasamy, first author of the study, said: “Our process attempts to bridge the gap between laboratory research and industrial application. By simplifying separation and eliminating solvents, we aim to make plastic recycling more economically viable and environmentally sustainable.” As a next step, the research team is set to collaborate with industry partners to validate the approach under scaled-up conditions. The work represents a meaningful development in the field of mixed plastic recycling, offering a pathway that sidesteps the chemical hazards and high costs typically associated with existing separation technologies.

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The acquisition brings Manor Packaging into VPK’s portfolio while maintaining the company’s existing operating structure. Based in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, Manor Packaging runs a manufacturing facility for cardboard boxes and corrugated packaging, supported by dedicated storage and warehousing operations. The site enables the company to serve customers throughout the UK with operational flexibility and efficient delivery capabilities. According to VPK, the business will continue to function as a stand-alone operation within the Group. Manor Packaging also maintains a strong commercial relationship with Corrboard UK, a business in which VPK holds a majority ownership position.

Commenting on the transaction, Martin Taylor, Managing Director VPK UK & Ireland, said: “Manor Packaging is a well invested and agile organization, known for its high service levels and close relationships with customers. We look forward to supporting the business in its next phase of growth.” The company indicated that the Fencor Acquisition aligns with its strategy of strengthening packaging operations and supporting future expansion opportunities within the UK market.

VPK also confirmed a leadership transition as part of the ownership change. David Orr, Group Managing Director of Fencor, will retire after 26 years overseeing and developing the business. Meanwhile, Tony Clifton, currently Sales Director, will continue to lead Manor Packaging in the role of Managing Director. Headquartered in Europe, VPK Group operates 70 plants across 21 countries and specializes in recycled paper, corrugated packaging, solid board, and related products including tubes, cores and edge protectors. The Fencor Acquisition further extends the Group’s packaging manufacturing and service capabilities in the UK.

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Commenting on the development, Bob Flaherty, vice president of product development at ProAmpac, said: “Moisture Protect MP-1000 demonstrates how active packaging can move beyond protection to actively enable product performance.” He added: “Our collaboration with Ozzi shows what’s possible when material science is aligned with real-world product challenges delivering better outcomes for brands and consumers alike.” The companies indicated that the technology was created to address issues commonly associated with moisture accumulation inside stick packs, where insufficient moisture control can negatively affect product quality and reduce usable shelf life.

Ozzi contributed to overcoming taste and odor concerns linked to excess moisture retention in stick-pack applications. ProAmpac stated that traditional packaging systems may not always maintain a sufficiently dry internal environment, creating conditions that can impact flavor and overall product performance. By adopting the MP-1000 film, Ozzi reported improvements in package performance through moisture removal inside the package, helping preserve flavor characteristics, minimize unwanted odors, and support product quality throughout the product lifecycle.

Brandon Kuipers, founder at Ozzi, said: “MP-1000 allowed us to solve a critical product performance issue while simplifying our packaging system.” He further noted: “By removing residual moisture at the source, we were able to protect flavor without compromising efficiency or adding complexity to our operation.” Designed for integration into existing packaging lines, the technology offers customizable moisture protection while eliminating loose desiccants. ProAmpac said the solution can help improve product quality, reduce waste, and extend shelf life across moisture-sensitive food, health, and wellness applications. The introduction of Moisture-Control Packaging comes as packaging manufacturers continue to develop new approaches for product protection and material performance.

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The PR3 Global Standards Panel initiated the search for a universal reuse symbol in 2025. The call drew 236 submissions from 29 countries, reflecting broad international interest in addressing the challenge of plastic waste through standardized reusable packaging identification.

The winning design was created by Nicole Ascanio Rodriguez and Juan Navarrete, designers and co-founders of Epigrama Studios, based in Bogotá, Colombia. The selection process involved multiple rounds of jury review, global market testing, and evaluation against criteria including distinctiveness, memorability, actionability, cultural adaptability, and recognizability. The design was also specifically assessed to ensure it could be clearly distinguished from the existing recycling symbol.

The global reuse symbol is now being introduced across a diverse range of reusables and reuse infrastructure including cups, wine and beverage bottles, and collection bins. It is also intended to appear at collection points, wash facilities, digital interfaces, return systems, and reuse infrastructure built to support end-to-end circular systems.

Beyond the symbol itself, PR3 has developed global standards for reuse systems covering collection systems, container design, digital systems, labeling, operations, incentives, and washing infrastructure. These standards were developed through a consensus body representing more than 80 organizations and are already guiding the development of reuse systems including municipal and commercial reuse infrastructure across North America, Europe, and Asia. PR3 is additionally working on a certification system for reuse operations and wash infrastructure.

PR3 co-founder and director Amy Larkin stated that reuse is the most effective strategy for long-term plastic use reduction. Larkin noted that reusable packaging systems can cut the manufacturing of single-use plastic by 90% when compared to equivalent single-use products. She also pointed to the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis as a factor that has pushed the price of plastic packaging up by 40% in many areas in just three months, given that the Middle East is a major exporter of petrochemicals used in plastics production.

“There’s a pure financial incentive to reuse, which is not going away anytime soon,” Larkin said. “And the more people reuse, the more it will get picked up, with reuse entrepreneurs leading the way.”

Larkin cited PepsiCo Inc. expanding its reusable cup program inside Levi’s Stadium for February’s Super Bowl as an example of how reuse is gaining greater prominence. She also noted that in Indonesia, the government has identified reuse as an integral part of its strategy against plastic waste.

“We anticipate reuse is going to be very desirable, and this new symbol is going to be seen around the world. Culture changes everything and I hope it comes to be a beacon for thinking ‘there are solutions out there’ and ‘we can fix stuff’,” Larkin added.

Juan Navarrete, co-founder and designer at Epigrama Studios, explained the thinking behind the winning design. “We wanted to create a symbol that communicates return, continuity and circulation,” Navarrete said in a statement, adding that it had to be simple enough to travel globally, yet meaningful enough to represent a new relationship with materials and waste.

“The symbol understands time not as a straight line, but as a spiral: returning, restoring and beginning again,” he said.

Professor Cressida Bowyer, deputy director of the Revolution Plastics Institute at Portsmouth University and a member of the judging panel, described reuse as a critical part of tackling plastic pollution. She noted that reuse systems are capable of delivering environmental, economic, and social benefits.

“As well as consumers, our research shows that business, NGOs, academia and governments have a vital role to play in creating the conditions for reuse systems to succeed,” Professor Bowyer said. “The development of a new universal logo for reuse shows there is clear momentum, to scale up reuse. Continued research and international collaboration will be essential to accelerate this progress.”

The launch of this global reuse symbol represents a coordinated international effort to bring greater visibility and standardization to reusable packaging systems at a time when both environmental pressures and economic factors are driving demand for viable alternatives to single-use plastics.

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According to Sidel Greater China, its dedicated aseptic project and service team remains a key factor in supporting customers across the country. Xie Hua, vice president for Equipment Sales and Services at Sidel, Greater China, says: “Sidel’s low- and medium-speed aseptic equipment is dedicated to empowering more beverage companies to achieve growth through enhancing competitiveness and providing reliable food safety assurance.” He adds: “As consumers continue to seek fresher, healthier, and more diverse product experiences, the equipment will become a practical driving force behind the upgrading and high-quality development of China’s beverage industry.”

China continues to hold strategic significance for Sidel’s global business. Earlier this year, president and CEO Pietro Cassani highlighted the country’s importance, noting that the pace of the market encourages faster decision-making, service responsiveness, and technology development. He also stated that Sidel’s operations in China are designed to support local customers while positioning the country as a manufacturing and supply base for other markets across Asia and Africa.

The company has continued to expand its regional capabilities in recent years. In 2025, Sidel installed three complete high-speed aseptic lines at facilities operated by CR Beverage, supporting packaging applications for tea, juice, and carbonated beverage products. The Beijing Plant remains central to the company’s localization strategy, with its rooftop solar photovoltaic system achieving full grid connection last year as part of Sidel’s decarbonization initiatives. Sidel has also confirmed that its Aseptic Predis X4 platform will be introduced at the Beijing facility, enabling regional customers to access aseptic production technology with greater speed, consistency, and flexibility. The latest Aseptic Line Delivery further reflects the company’s commitment to strengthening manufacturing and customer support capabilities within China.

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The fiber-based tray is positioned as a direct alternative to plastic packaging for the transportation of fresh fruit. It is constructed from high-quality virgin paper, with a specific weight chosen to ensure durability throughout the journey. The Closed-Type Tray weighs 10 kg in total encompassing a body, base, and top lid and DS Smith confirms it can be adapted to accommodate a range of different requirements.

Ventilation is handled through a die-cut technique that creates holes along the sides of the packaging, while the lid functions as an integrated element of the overall design. Internally, reinforced corners enhance structural durability without requiring any additional material reinforcement.

Giorgos Filippoglou, Managing Director of the Greek Cluster Packaging Division at DS Smith Hellas, stated: “Sustainability and innovation are at the core of every packaging solution we design and especially for critical sectors such as agri-food, where product safety, freshness, and quality are paramount.”

Before export, fresh fruit producers have the option to place intelligent atmosphere and temperature-controlled bags inside the sealed trays. This allows growers to actively manage and optimize travel conditions for their products during transit.

Filippoglou further noted: “We used our Circular Design Metrics (CDM) tools to ensure that this packaging solution is fully recyclable and created for easy collection, processing, and reintegration into the supply chain as raw material. Its focus is on performance optimization, durability, and functionality, and it is lightweight to meet the demands of these international supply chains.”

DS Smith states that the fiber-based tray was developed using the minimal amount of material necessary, in keeping with its Circular Design Principles analysis. The company’s CDM tools were used to rate and compare the circularity of the packaging design across eight distinct indicators including supply chain optimization, recyclability, materials utilization, carbon footprint, and renewable source.

The tray’s straightforward construction is designed to simplify the packing process. DS Smith describes it as easy to assemble on automatic forming machines, with a reduced packing time compared to more complex packaging formats. The exterior of the packaging supports a range of printing techniques and branding options, offering flexibility for producers across different markets.

This development follows DS Smith’s recent launch of a fiber-based box for Absolut Vodka. The company has also previously designed cardboard packaging for home fragrance products and chassis packaging for the automotive sector, underscoring its ongoing work across diverse industries.

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The release of this platform coincides with mounting pressures on producers to manufacture sustainable components and comply with evolving mandates, such as the European Union regulations regarding tethered caps. The HyCAP 4.0 tooling reflects these shifting market trends, explicitly accommodating the global transition toward lightweight manufacturing. While these specialized configurations significantly reduce material consumption and support essential environmental objectives, they simultaneously elevate the requirements for accurate detail replication and stringent process control. Husky indicates that the optimized tooling geometry allows operators to work within exact tolerances to achieve these strict production standards.

By maintaining such rigorous parameters, it becomes possible to create extremely lightweight components with high precision. The machinery is engineered to maintain consistent part quality at exceptionally fast cycle times, enabling manufacturers to repeatedly mold complex product features. For makers of plastics packaging, the company emphasizes that this framework represents a substantial advancement in precision equipment tailored specifically for demanding, high-volume production environments.

Beyond raw operational efficiency, Husky stated that the new setup directly assists in reducing the total cost of ownership. The system achieves this financial benefit by preventing unwanted production disruptions during continuous operation and targeting key operational overheads:

• Lowering routine maintenance expenses
• Minimizing ongoing spare parts consumption
• Delivering consistent part quality across fast cycles

As the necessity for tethered caps continues to shape the international regulatory landscape, advancing the underlying packaging technology allows facilities to adapt effectively. Ultimately, the upgraded system ensures that companies can secure regulatory compliance while directly streamlining the creation of modern beverage closures.

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The cardboard tube packaging industry has undergone quiet but significant evolution over the past five years. Not through revolutionary material science breakthroughs, but through manufacturers willing to invest in customer-specific solutions that later become industry standard offerings. This is how innovation actually works in B2B packaging.

When Standard Tubes Stop Working

Cardboard tubes have remained functionally unchanged for decades: cylindrical shapes, push-fit caps, standard diameters, basic printing. For commodity products, this works fine. But brands competing on differentiation, premium positioning, or specialized applications repeatedly hit the same wall: the tube they need doesn’t exist yet.

A supplement brand positioning as premium finds that standard round buttons on push-lock mechanisms don’t match their minimalist geometric aesthetic. A cosmetics company targeting arthritis-prone consumers needs better ergonomics than a standard push-to-open design provides. A luxury brand wants their tube to transform under LED backlighting. None of these are unreasonable requests. They just weren’t standard offerings.

Until someone decided to make them standard.

The Innovation Projects Reshaping the Industry

Several manufacturers have begun systematically documenting customer requests that require tooling redesigns or material innovations. What emerges is a clearer picture of where the market is actually moving:

What’s notable about this table is that none of these innovations came from packaging theorists. They came from brands saying, “Here’s what we need to succeed,” and manufacturers investing the capital to deliver it.

The Economics of Custom Innovation

There’s a misconception that custom tube solutions require massive order volumes to justify the tooling investment. Manufacturers operating at traditional scales (50,000+ unit minimums) have built their business model around spreading setup costs across huge production runs. This made custom solutions economically inaccessible for emerging brands.

But the economics change when minimum order quantities drop. A manufacturer setting a 1,000-unit MOQ can invest in custom tooling because even smaller orders justify the upfront engineering cost when the client is committed to reorders. This structural change has opened the innovation pipeline.

Brands that previously had to compromise on packaging design accepting standard tubes that didn’t quite fit their brand vision can now design tubes specifically for their market position. A small supplement brand can test premium custom tubes at 1,000 units, prove the market, and scale to 10,000 units knowing the packaging works.

Real-World Examples From Recent Projects

One contemporary example: a cosmetics brand targeting older consumers and arthritis-affected users needed better grip on their push-lock mechanism. Standard round buttons provided minimal tactile feedback. The solution was a square lock button with textured surface simple conceptually, but required complete tooling redesign.

Another: a luxury supplement brand wanted their tube to visually represent their brand story. The tube needed to look like an urban skyscraper when backlit. This required experimentation with translucent paper composites, internal light-diffusion structure, and custom printing placement. The resulting tube became a premium unboxing moment the packaging itself was part of the product experience.

A third involved a food brand needing oil-resistant barrier properties but insisting on 100% mono-material construction for recyclability. The challenge: traditional barrier coatings require multiple material layers. The solution involved developing water-based barrier treatments that maintained food-safety certification while using only paper and plant-based compounds.

None of these were innovations in the abstract. They were direct responses to market problems that brands brought to their manufacturing partners.

How Brands Are Now Approaching Packaging Design

The shift in how premium brands approach paper tube packaging has changed expectations across the industry. Instead of asking “What tubes do you have available?” brands now ask “What tube do we need, and can you build it?”

This inversion of the question changes everything. Manufacturers responding to this demand are forced to develop faster prototyping, maintain flexible tooling, and invest in materials research beyond what traditional commodity manufacturing required.

Earthycores, operating across multiple markets from coffee to supplements to cosmetics, has systematized this approach. Their development model treats customer-specific requests as the primary innovation pipeline. When a customer brings a problem, it goes through lab evaluation, prototype testing, and commercial production. Problems solved for one brand often become offered services for others.

What This Means for Industry Standards

As individual innovations move from custom solutions to standard offerings, the baseline for “acceptable tube packaging” has shifted. Five years ago, a premium brand accepted standard round tubes because alternatives didn’t exist. Today, they expect design options that reflect their brand positioning.

This compression of innovation cycles from custom problem to standard offering in 12-24 months—is reshaping how manufacturers think about product development. The question isn’t “What should we build?” but “What problems are brands actually trying to solve, and can we build solutions faster than our competitors?”

Table showing innovation timeline compression:

The compression matters because it fundamentally changes who can access premium packaging solutions. Startups and emerging brands no longer have to compromise on packaging to manage capital constraints. They can design packaging appropriate to their brand positioning and validate it at reasonable volumes.

The Certification Challenge in Custom Innovation

One often-overlooked aspect of packaging innovation is certification complexity. A brand creating a new tube design needs to ensure it meets:

– Food-grade safety standards (BRCGS if food contact required)- Compostability certifications (BPI for North America, EN 13432 for EU)- Responsible sourcing (FSC for forest products)- Manufacturing standards (ISO 14001 for environmental practice)- Regional import requirements (different for US, EU, Australia, etc.)

Custom innovation without certification infrastructure becomes a liability. Manufacturers managing multiple markets must maintain certifications across all these categories to support customer innovation. This creates a barrier to entry for smaller manufacturers trying to move into custom solutions.

The brands able to innovate successfully are those whose manufacturing partners have already solved the certification puzzle across multiple geographies.

Where Packaging Innovation is Actually Heading

Based on current development projects and market feedback, several innovation directions are clear:

Interactive packaging: Tubes that function as part of the user experience, not just containment. Light-reactive finishes, temperature-sensitive color changes, scannable sustainability verification.

Material alternatives: Less reliance on traditional petroleum-derived barriers. Algae-based coatings, mycelium composites, enzymatic decomposition systems materials that maintain barrier performance while improving end-of-life sustainability.

Modularity: Tubes designed for disassembly and component reuse. Lids that become storage solutions, tubes that nest for space efficiency, components that separate for targeted recycling.

Customized formulation: Barrier properties, stiffness, and finish tailored to specific product requirements rather than generic specifications.

None of these are theoretical. All are in active development at manufacturers willing to invest in customer-specific solutions. The constraint isn’t technology it’s manufacturer willingness to operate differently than traditional commodity models allow.

The Economics Will Eventually Follow

Currently, custom solutions require higher price premiums and minimum order volumes that limit market penetration. As innovation becomes systematic rather than exceptional, and as custom paper tube packaging solutions for every brand become more competitive offerings, price compression will follow.

The brands leading their categories won’t be the ones accepting standard packaging. They’ll be the ones solving actual market problems through packaging innovation and choosing manufacturing partners willing to invest in making those solutions possible.

The innovation cycle in tube packaging has fundamentally shifted. It’s no longer about what manufacturers want to build. It’s about what brands need to succeed.

The post The Innovation Cycle Nobody Talks About: How Cardboard Tube Packaging Evolved Beyond Standard Specifications first appeared on Packaging World Insights.

The introduction of Holmen Elevate Flute creates a consistent lightweighting approach across full packaging structures. Starting from basis weights of 72 grams per square metre (gsm), this fresh fibre fluting is designed to cut material consumption and related emissions while maintaining strict performance standards. For industry executives managing complex logistics, utilizing optimized corrugated packaging materials translates to enhanced cost efficiency.

The expanded containerboard line serves multiple demanding applications, including e-commerce packs, shelf-ready retail packaging, and fruit and vegetable punnets. Additionally, the range is approved for direct contact with dry, moist, and fatty foods, securing its place in diverse supply networks.

Key features of the broader Elevate portfolio include:

• Water resistance and complete recyclability.
• Integration with the lightweight kraftliner launched last September in 72gsm, 82gsm, and 92gsm grades.

Manufacturing of the Holmen Elevate Flute takes place at the Braviken Paper Mill in Sweden. The production process is tied to an integrated supply chain where pulpwood and wood chips are sourced from a nearby sawmill. By-products from this operation are subsequently reused for bioenergy or soil improvement, reflecting a strong operational lightweighting approach aligned with environmental targets.

Mathias Dufeld, Holmen board and paper containerboard segment owner, emphasized that fresh fibre is central to merging performance with sustainability. He stated that enabling lightweight corrugated solutions helps reduce material usage and improve cost efficiency while actively supporting circularity and the efficient deployment of resources.

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