Packaging regulations change quickly. In France, the Agec law aims to increase recyclability in the short term and to phase out the use of single-use plastics by 2040. At European level, the PPWR (packaging and packaging waste) regulation proposes a roadmap that is not always aligned with national targets, requiring adaptations to harmonise the two frameworks. But in substance, these public policies are based on the same issues around innovation:
- Simplifying the composition of plastic packaging to facilitate recycling.
- Inciting a closed-loop circular system (incorporation of recycled material in packaging).
- Reducing plastic use and proposing substitutes, in particular by expanding the use of paper and cardboard.
- Developing reusable packaging use.

In this context, RMT Actia Propack aims to support food companies’ transition towards the use of packaging that reduces the impact of products and their packaging on the environment and consumer health.

This RMT began its work in 2026 and is set to run for five years.

Workstream 1: Health and safety, chemical risk: Reducing risk through a better understanding of the hazards and of consumer exposure, and by suggesting ways for operationalising its control.

Workstream 2: Functionality and food preservation: Designing packaging with optimised properties that are suited to the products they preserve. This work implies revising specifications and developing design tools that allow the anticipation of changes to products throughout their shelf-life.

Workstream 3: New technological pathways: Integrating packaging innovation as part of a holistic approach, taking all constraints into account to select well-balanced technological solutions: the selection of packaging in the context of new pathways for reuse, recycling and end-of-life; the relationships between shelf-life, consumer behaviour, waste, and environmental impact; multi-criteria optimisation including the reduction of chemical risk.

Workstream 4: Dissemination: Sharing progress and best practices with stakeholders in academia, industry, and initial training to promote the adoption of the innovations on a wider scale.