Whether consumer demands or legal regulations – the issue of sustainability plays a central role in the confectionery and snack industry. What is required is a combination of technical precision and ideal packaging materials. With regard to the requirements of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), companies have a strong interest in switching to paper or recyclable mono films. ProSweets Cologne is placing this topic at the center from February 1 to 4, 2026. At the Cologne exhibition grounds, not only innovative packaging materials will be presented, but also highly flexible machines capable of processing them.
In public discourse, there is a broad debate about which types of packaging are environmentally friendly. This question concerns many consumers and influences purchasing decisions at the point of sale. This is where companies in the packaging industry are called upon, as they will present solutions for the confectionery and snack industry at ProSweets Cologne from February 1 to 4, 2026. Wherever possible, they must respond to the demands of consumers, retailers, and not least the requirements set by legislators with resource-efficient materials and processes.
One option is the optimization of existing packaging with regard to size and material thickness, for example through more economical cutting patterns or thinner trays. Smaller package sizes can only be realized if they can be filled without compromising quality. Pick-and-place robots play a central role in this process. They grip cookies or chocolate bars and place them with millimeter precision into trays, cartons, or thermoformed packaging. Alongside cartoners and flow-wrapping machines, innovative pick-and-place systems as well as complete packaging lines will therefore be a focal point at the Cologne exhibition grounds.
Making packaging easier
However, technical solutions alone are not sufficient. Packaging materials or processes often first have to be comprehensively evaluated and tested to determine their suitability – not least against the background of EU Regulation 2025/40 (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, PPWR), which drives the use of sustainable solutions. It becomes binding from August 12, 2026, with individual provisions entering into force in stages. By 2030, only packaging that is demonstrably recyclable or reusable is to be placed on the market. At the same time, the use of recycled material is to increase and single-use packaging is to be gradually reduced. Key aspects also include reducing packaging weight.
Packaging specialists have had sustainability developments in view for some time and, in this context, have developed material-saving wrapping methods for small-piece confectionery or optimized their machines for processing particularly thin films. Now, the companies exhibiting at the Cologne exhibition grounds are technically upgrading to position themselves for the future: with modular high-performance packaging machines further developed to be able to process paper-based packaging materials. “Circular packaging is no longer an option for successful brands, but a necessity that is increasingly becoming a success factor. The new EU packaging regulation has accelerated this transformation once again,” says Guido Hentschke, Director of ProSweets Cologne and ISM Ingredients.
Shaping the transformation to a circular economy
The PPWR pursues a clear goal: packaging should become more environmentally compatible at every stage of its life cycle. Across the EU, confectionery and snack manufacturers, like the entire food industry, are facing requirements that will significantly change their packaging design, material selection, and logistics processes. It is therefore important to start implementation early. “Fully recyclable mono materials are more difficult to process. They require strict process control and the right packaging machine,” Hentschke cautions.
Machine manufacturers and packaging material producers support their customers in implementing PPWR requirements and developing future-proof packaging designs, including both material property analyses and practical machine tests. At the outset, experts analyze whether the existing packaging portfolio meets regulatory requirements or needs optimization. “The discussion about the CO₂ footprint of packaging and PPWR-compliant solutions needs less gut feeling and more facts. At ProSweets Cologne, we want to bring objectivity to the discussion in order to enable producers to make sound investment decisions,” says Hentschke. Insights into the PPWR are also provided at the Expert Stage in Hall 10.1, where on all four trade fair days a high-profile lineup of experts will offer fact-based knowledge on packaging, recycling, and the circular economy.
Making flow wraps future-proof
Composite materials, indispensable in many areas of the food industry, represent a major hurdle. They offer advantages such as long shelf life and good protection against moisture and oxygen but are difficult to recycle. Exhibitors at ProSweets Cologne have addressed this issue and are increasingly offering fully recyclable solutions. For products such as nut-free chocolates or muesli bars that do not require high barrier properties, paper-based materials can be a good solution. However, newly developed mono films or fiber-based alternatives are more demanding when it comes to sealing. Innovative technologies come into focus that can process both conventional hot-seal films and more sustainable variants.
The latest generation of flow-wrapping machines comprises highly flexible systems that can process both conventional and new films. In addition to ultrasonic technology, they also use ceramic heating elements for longitudinal sealing. Adjustable temperatures allow the process to be optimally adapted both to the requirements of the packaging material and the sensitivity of the product being packed – preventing damage to packaging and product while ensuring gentle processing. At the same time, the machines offer a high degree of flexibility: with minimal changeover times, different bag formats can be produced and filled sequentially. Only a few actions are required to convert the machine to the respective product. All format ranges and bag shapes are processed, and different dosing units as well as special applications can be easily integrated.
Paper is gaining importance
Single-material products made of polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) can be recycled without material separation – providing clarity in recycling streams and resulting in genuine circular products that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the PPWR also mandates minimum recycled content quotas for plastic packaging. How can these be implemented? While requirements for PET beverage bottles appear achievable due to established materials and processes, the situation is far more challenging for packaging for confectionery, cereals, and snacks. At present, there is hardly any material on the market suitable for sensitive food applications. Nevertheless, by 2030, the recycled content in this packaging must reach ten percent.
Against this background, many manufacturers are switching to paper-based packaging. Paper, however, is more sensitive than plastic, tears or creases more easily, and must therefore be handled carefully – especially in vertical packaging processes where individually wrapped confectionery drops into the package. Technologies presented at ProSweets Cologne offer numerous possibilities for innovative packaging based on fiber materials. Converting multipacks to paper also offers significant potential: the barrier function and thus product protection are already provided by the primary packaging – the multipack can dispense with additional coatings and be made of up to 95 percent paper. Through subsequent adjustment of sealing units and forming shoulders, vertical flow-wrapping machines can be converted to paper with no loss of performance. Manufacturers can thus produce all common bag types such as pillow bags, block-bottom bags, and doypacks from paper – without folds or tears.
Support for PPWR-compliant reporting
Another aspect being discussed at the exhibition stands in Cologne and as part of the Expert Stage is the integration of new requirements into existing quality management systems – as companies in the confectionery and snack industry will be required in the future to report in greater detail on their packaging. Implementing the PPWR will therefore be hardly manageable without digital tools. Visitors to ProSweets Cologne 2026 can engage with this topic at an early stage to minimize regulatory risks and benefit from sustainable innovations in the long term.
Koelnmesse – Trade fairs for the food technology industry: Koelnmesse is an international leader in organizing exhibitions in the field of food and beverage processing. Anuga FoodTec and ProSweets Cologne are established as the world’s leading trade fairs at the Cologne venue. In addition, Koelnmesse presents further FoodTec trade fairs with different focuses and content in important markets worldwide, such as India, Italy, and Colombia. Through these global activities, Koelnmesse offers its customers tailored events and regional leading trade fairs in various markets that ensure sustainable international business. In the food sector, Koelnmesse is also ideally positioned with its global leading trade fairs Anuga and ISM as well as its worldwide network of additional events.
Further information: https://www.prosweets.de/die-messe/branchen-messen
