Compostable packaging goes mainstream: How technology, regulation & market demand drive innovation
Compostable packaging goes mainstream: How technology, regulation & market demand drive innovation
Publish Date: 2026-06-12 05:01:00
Source Domain: www.packaginginsights.com
The compostable packaging category recently received a regulatory boost from the EU’s mandate requiring home compostable adhesive labels on fruit and vegetables by February 2028. At the same time, compostable packaging technology is reshaping conversations about regional end-of-life strategy.
Packaging Insights speaks to experts from Tipa, TotalEnergies Corbion, Brückner Maschinenbau, and Taghleef Industries, to discuss the latest compostable innovations.
Compostable and child-resistant
According to Gary Tee, Tipa’s VP of global converting, the company recently created a home compostable child-resistant zipper for packaging, developed with its US partner, Presto. Tee says the company delivered its first commercial order earlier this year.
The zipper is paired with a compostable child-resistant base material, with both components engineered to meet child-resistant performance requirements together. The development opens compostable packaging to nutraceutical, cannabis-adjacent, and pharmaceutical-style packaging categories where child-resistant performance is a regulatory requirement.
“The material and the zipper have to work together to ensure we meet that child-resistant requirement,” Tee explains.
He also notes that adhesive development has been a parallel workstream for the company.
“Often it’s the adhesive that dictates whether it’s home or industrial compostable,” Tee adds. “We’ve been doing a lot of work looking at different adhesives in the market and optimizing those with our materials to allow us to develop more home compostable structures.”
He also frames home compostability not as a universal solution but as a meaningful option for specific consumer and market conditions.
“It also ultimately means if these materials go into an industrial facility, they’ll break down even quicker, which is a bonus,” Tee says.
At the same time, Tee highlights that Tipa also recently invested in SealPap, a paper-recyclable technology platform he…
