One Shelf, Three Playbooks: Why Private Label’s Future is Regional��

Private label grocery is enjoying a global renaissance, but it isn’t heading toward one shared model. Mintel’s Private label 2027: global trends through a local lens argues that regional archetypes are emerging. North America is the brand builder, Europe the innovation leader, and Latin America (LATAM) the growth engine.¹ Each region is learning from the others, but each has a different job to do.��

North America: Retailers become brand owners��

Private label already accounts for 26% of North American food and drink launches.¹ Beneath that average the picture is split. US launch activity keeps expanding, led by retailers such as ALDI, Target, Kroger, and Walmart. Canada’s has declined.��

The wider market backs this up. Circana data cited by PLMA shows US store-brand sales hit a record $282.8 billion in 2025, growing 3.3% against 1.2% for national brands. Dollar share rose from 19.1% to 21.3% between 2021 and 2025.²��

The competitive edge is moving “from product development to brand management.” Portfolios such as Good & Gather, Simple Truth, President’s Choice, and Kirkland Signature now behave like national brands. Limited editions, flavor drops, and viral trends, such as Walmart’s Bettergoods Dubai-style chocolates, are becoming growth tools. The gap Mintel identifies is that innovation still clusters in mature, value-led categories. Trust- and expertise-led segments remain open. 

Europe: From winning share to staying indispensable

Europe has the highest private label penetration in the world. Mintel puts value share at 38.8% across 17 markets, and above 40% in eight of them. PLMA’s 2026 report, drawing on NielsenIQ data, confirms record sales of €387 billion. Private label grew 4.1% in 2025, against 2.7% for manufacturer brands.³

Growth here is “less about converting shoppers” than about deepening private label’s role. The most mature markets also generate the most new launches, which suggests scale fuels innovation.

Three shifts stand out:

• Tiers with a mission. Entry level lines now signal well-being and ethics, not just low prices. Standard lines are being differentiated, and premium lines are moving toward restaurant-quality meals and collaborations such as Waitrose’s work with Ottolenghi.
• Value as protection. Economy-claim launches have peaked and declined. Shoppers want savings without “trade-down guilt,” and Mintel expects the next battleground to be “value with safeguards” on health, waste, and sustainability.
• Sustainability as infrastructure. Retailers can change packaging or sourcing across a whole category, which a single manufacturer brand cannot.

The warning is that scale alone doesn’t guarantee leadership. Europe risks becoming a follower if other regions out-innovate it.

LATAM: From “cheapest” to “smartest”

Private label’s share of LATAM launches has risen from 12% in 2017 to 16% in 2026. Economic volatility, including the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and instability in Argentina and Brazil, pushed shoppers toward store brands. Price opened the door, but quality will decide who stays. Most consumers in the region say they are willing to pay more for better quality. Convenience is the next platform, with ready-to-cook formats and practical sustainability such as recyclable packaging helping retailers “save time, not just money.”¹

A global pattern too

The regional framing sits alongside a global shift. NIQ’s 2025 global outlook found private label sales growth of 4.3% year over year, and 53% of respondents buying more private label. The same report found the top ten global brands growing 4.8%.⁴ That suggests the winners will be those who compete on relevance rather than price alone.

What to take away��

The conclusion is that “the future is global; success is regional.” Strategy should be matched to market maturity, with retailer brands built on trust, experiences, and ecosystems rather than price. The leaders will be those who reinterpret the best ideas from elsewhere for their own shoppers rather than importing them wholesale. Each region has something to borrow:

• North America’s brand-building
• Europe’s tiering discipline
• LATAM’s accessible quality

Ready to explore your options? 

1. Mintel, Private label 2027: global trends through a local lens, October 2026. Mintel GNPD and Global Consumer data.

EPR Fees in Canada: What Paperboard Versus Plastic Could Mean For Food and Foodservice Packaging

As Canada’s extended producer responsibility programmes continue to evolve, packaging choices are coming under closer scrutiny. For food and foodservice brands, the decision between paperboard and plastic is no longer just about presentation, performance, or cost at the point of purchase. It can also influence reporting requirements, recyclability considerations, and the fees producers may pay when packaging enters provincial recycling systems. 

Why this matters now 

Canada’s EPR landscape is moving from policy discussion to active commercial reality. Programmes are expanding, reporting expectations are becoming more detailed, and producers are being asked to understand exactly what they place on the market. That makes packaging design a business issue as much as a sustainability one: the earlier brands understand material choices, weights, formats, and end-of-life pathways, the better positioned they are to manage obligations and avoid costly surprises. 

What are EPR fees for food packaging in Canada?

Extended producer responsibility, or EPR, shifts responsibility for packaging waste from municipalities and taxpayers to the businesses that place packaging on the market. In Ontario’s Blue Box framework, for example, producers of packaging, paper products, and packaging-like products are accountable for collection and recycling once consumers discard those materials; most work with producer responsibility organisations to meet these obligations. () 

For packaging producers, this means the material mix matters. Fees typically depend on the province, the material category, the weight supplied, and the relevant programme’s fee schedule. A restaurant chain, grocery brand, importer, or foodservice supplier may need to report paperboard cartons, plastic cups, lids, trays, film, or multi-material formats separately.

Why paperboard and plastic are not treated the same 

Paperboard and plastic can both be designated materials, but they are often assigned to different reporting categories and fee rates. Recycle BC’s 2026 schedule, for example, lists separate rates for paper packaging categories such as corrugated cardboard, boxboard, gable top cartons, paper laminates, and aseptic containers, alongside plastic categories including film and other plastics. () 

That distinction is important because “paper” is not always simply paper. A paperboard bowl with a plastic lining may be assessed differently from a paperboard carton. Likewise, a clear rigid PET salad container may be assessed differently to a flexible plastic sauce pouch. The details of each component can change how packaging is classified and how producers model their obligations.��

How should producers compare paperboard versus plastic? 

The most useful comparison looks beyond the visible pack. Producers should assess the full packaging system, including the container, lid, lining, label, wrap, insert, and any other component that may need to be reported. The ideal choice may be the format that protects food, meets safety and customer expectations, optimises cost/weight and performs well in real collection and recycling systems.

A practical assessment should include the following steps: 

• Identify the province of supply. Obligations differ across Canada. 
• Confirm the producer. Brand holder, importer, retailer, or supplier roles can affect responsibility. 
• Classify every component. Separate base, lid, label, liner, sleeve, wrap, and insert. 
• Track weight accurately. Fees are commonly tied to material weight. 
• Check recyclability claims. Avoid claims that do not match local collection realities. 
• Model operational impacts. Consider leakage, shelf life, stacking, storage, and customer use. 

Lightweighting: Reducing impact without compromising performance 

Because many EPR fees are linked to material weight, lightweighting can play an important role in packaging strategy. With paperboard, this can mean optimising the board grade, structure, and geometry so the pack uses only the material required to protect the product, support stacking and handling, and deliver the right customer experience. 

Lightweighting is not simply about making packaging thinner. It is about designing smarter: removing unnecessary material, improving structural efficiency, reducing over-packaging, and selecting formats that perform well through filling, distribution, retail, and use. Done well, paperboard can help brands balance material reduction with pack integrity, shelf appeal, and recyclability considerations. 

Recyclability versus “recyclable” claims

What this means for food and foodservice brands 

EPR fees are not the only factor in packaging decisions, but they are becoming an increasingly important part of the commercial and sustainability conversation. For brands exploring alternatives to plastic, paperboard may offer an opportunity to rethink packaging design, simplify material choices, and support recyclability goals where the format is appropriate. 

The key is to assess each pack on its own merits. Material type, coating, lining, weight, food protection, customer experience, and local recycling infrastructure all shape the final picture. By reviewing these factors early, producers can make packaging choices that work harder across compliance, operations, and brand impact. 

Cost versus total value 

A direct comparison of material cost can be useful, but it rarely tells the full story. Packaging value should also account for EPR exposure, material efficiency, logistics, storage, damage reduction, brand perception, consumer convenience, and the ability to support credible sustainability claims. A format with a slightly higher unit cost may deliver stronger total value if it reduces waste, improves operational performance, or helps simplify compliance. 

For food and foodservice brands, the opportunity is to move the conversation from “Which material is cheapest?” to “Which packaging system creates the best outcome across performance, compliance, sustainability, and consumer experience?”��

Ready to explore your options? 

As EPR requirements evolve, now is the time to review your packaging portfolio and identify where paperboard could help reduce complexity, support recyclability goals, and strengthen total value. Speak to our team to explore packaging solutions designed for today’s market and tightening recycling requirements.��

From Protection to Performance: The New Role of Beverage Secondary Packaging

1. Flexibility is becoming a competitive advantage

As beverage portfolios expand and SKU variety grows, flexibility is becoming a more important packaging requirement. Brands need secondary beverage packaging that can accommodate different product counts,��formats��and pack configurations, while still supporting efficient production and strong shelf impact.��

This is why��renovation is often replacing��reinvention. Instead of inventing completely new systems, numerous drink brands are updating tried-and-true packaging styles by enhancing their structure, using better materials, and boosting their visual appeal. Rounded corners, cleaner��silhouettes��and simplified structures can make a pack feel more premium, while still working within current equipment and production footprints.��

Paperboard solutions offer clear advantages in this context, combining structural versatility with high-quality print to support personalization, promotional messaging, shorter runs,��variety��packs��and customer-specific activity.
By providing brands with more flexibility within a known material framework, they can better balance efficient operations with the need to keep their portfolios current, relevant, and aligned with shifting consumer expectations.

The QuikFlex 2100G4 delivers greater carton design freedom for fully enclosed cartons, enabling faster, simpler changeovers, and removing the need to plan pack styles too far ahead. Supports 4- to 30-pack configurations.

• Growing SKU variety is increasing the need for adaptable secondary packaging. 
• Small structural changes can refresh proven formats without major operational change. 
• Paperboard can support personalization, seasonal activity and multiple pack configurations. 

2. Convenience remains a powerful consumer cue

While sustainability may dominate the industry agenda, convenience continues to shape consumer preference. Shoppers want packs that are easy to identify, pick up, carry, open, store and use. Integrated handles, intuitive openings, fridge-ready formats and at-home dispensing features are becoming valuable ways to improve the everyday experience. 

Changing consumption habits are also influencing pack design. Smaller can sizes, mini formats and compact multipacks reflect growing demand for moderation, portion control and lifestyle flexibility. At the same time, economic pressure is encouraging interest in bulk packs and variety formats, giving consumers value and choice without locking them into a single flavor or product. 

Protection and hygiene remain part of the equation too. Partial or full enclosure can help shield can tops and bottle caps, while also giving brands a larger canvas for communication, graphics and promotional storytelling.

• Convenience influences everything from handling to storage and at-home use. 
• Smaller formats and bulk packs are both gaining relevance for different need states. 
• Enclosed formats can support hygiene, protection and brand storytelling. 

3. Material cost is only part of the story

• Material cost is only one part of the total cost equation. 
• Line efficiency, logistics, machinery flexibility and supply resilience can all influence overall cost. 
• Early collaboration can help reduce waste, improve efficiency and identify better-value formats. 

• Click and collect still requires strong brand impact beyond the shelf. 
• Packaging can reassure consumers at collection, handover and at home. 
• Strong graphics and print quality help packs remain distinctive after online purchase. 

5. Packaging is a consumer engagement platform 

Secondary packaging is often one of the first branded touchpoints a consumer sees. Increasingly, brands are using it not only to protect and promote the product, but to create richer interaction. Accessible features such as braille can broaden usability, while augmented reality, QR codes and NFC technologies can connect the physical pack to digital content, loyalty programs, traceability information or brand experiences. 

• Secondary packaging can connect physical packs to digital brand experiences. 
• Accessible features and smart technologies can broaden usability and engagement. 
• Our work with BERO shows how packaging can support traceability, loyalty and brand connection. 

6. Circularity is reshaping the brief

For beverage producers, the circularity conversation is becoming more sophisticated. The shift away from plastic shrink film and rings towards paperboard alternatives remains important, but it is not happening at one pace everywhere. Regulation, infrastructure and category economics all influence how quickly brands can transition. 

As a result, many companies are taking a more strategic route: reducing material use, lightweighting packs and improving designs to lower overall carbon footprint. This broader view recognizes that sustainable packaging is not defined by a single claim. Recyclability, renewable inputs, material efficiency, carbon impact and circularity all need to be considered together. 

That approach is expanding the range of beverage multipack formats available, from wrap and clip-style solutions to basket carriers and fully enclosed cartons. The benefit is flexibility: brands can choose structures that align sustainability ambitions with cost, performance, retail requirements and production realities. 

• Sustainability is now broader than material substitution alone. 
• Brands must balance recyclability, carbon impact, circularity and cost. 
• Format choice is expanding as brands look for practical, scalable alternatives. 

A more demanding role for secondary packaging 

The future of beverage secondary packaging will be defined by balance across the full packaging journey. Brands require solutions that enhance production efficiency, maintain performance during distribution, make a strong impact and are easy to use in retail settings, increase convenience in the home, and support circularity at the end of a product’s life. Successful companies will be the ones that see secondary packaging as a strategic tool right from the beginning. This approach can cut down unnecessary costs and complexity, while also boosting brand value, enhancing the consumer experience, and promoting a more circular economy.

Want to learn more? Contact us today and connect with a member of our expert team.

Smarter Cartons, Safer Medicines: The Power of Secondary Packaging��

1. Counterfeit Protection: Layering Visible and Hidden Security

Counterfeit medicines pose a serious threat to patient safety and can put lives at risk. The simpler the packaging design, the easier it may be to copy, allowing fake medicines to be introduced into legitimate pharmacies. To help prevent this, secondary packaging can combine overt visible features with covert hidden protection.

2. Tamper Evidence: Making Interference Visible 

Tampering involves opening a package to alter, dilute or replace the product inside. Once a healthcare product leaves a controlled facility, secondary packaging must show if it has been compromised during transit. The Falsified Medicines Directive in Europe, alongside global regulations, heavily mandates these features. 

3. Theft and Diversion: Connecting Packaging to Digital Traceability 

Theft can lead to product diversion, where genuine, stolen medical products are illegally resold in different markets or stored in unverified environments that compromise their efficacy. Paperboard helps bridge physical security and digital intelligence.  

How Ģ��TV���� Partnered With Heineken To Turn a Complex Promotional Challenge Into a Successful Commercial Solution

Heineken South Africa had a bold ambition to create a premium UEFA Champions League fan pack that would bring more excitement, value and shelf impact to shoppers. The pack needed to combine eight 330 ml bottles of Heineken with the newly launched Heineken Star glass, giving consumers a collectible piece of the match-day experience to take home.

But the real challenge was not only designing a standout pack but also finding a way to achieve fulfilment without specific machinery. It could not be packed on Heineken’s machinery line because it required the commemorative glass to be inserted, secured and aligned by hand. Using manual packing to get more than half a million complex packs assembled, quality checked and ready for national distribution within a tight launch window at the required scale could have become a major barrier to launch.

That’s where Ģ��TV���� stepped in — not simply to supply a carton, but to create and manage a full turnkey solution that took the campaign from packaging concept to market-ready product.

Designing a Pack Around Performance and Impact 

More Than a Pack. Leveraging Our Trusted Partnership to Build a Turnkey Solution for Heineken

Ģ��TV���� South Africa’s engineering team, led by Jacques Buys, designed purpose-built jigs and a five-station manual packing process that turned a complex, hand-assembled promotional pack into a repeatable production operation. Each pack moved through forming, glass insertion and alignment, bottle loading, closing and palletization.

A simple but effective mirror-based check helped operators align the glass correctly from the rear of the pack, ensuring the Heineken Star glass faced forward and delivered the intended shelf impact. Quality checks, batch traceability and product handling controls were built into the process, helping reduce risk across an operation that involved beer stock, glassware, secondary packaging and final distribution.

With a tight launch window and no room to compromise on quality, the team moved quickly to scale the operation. Working five days a week on a 24-hour shift pattern, they packed over half a million units in just six weeks — the equivalent of one completed fan pack every 15 to 20 seconds. The packs arrived in store ready to create high-impact displays, helping Heineken connect consumers more closely with the brand and the UEFA Champions League experience.

Creating an Impact, Not Only at the Shelf

Around 150 unemployed people were recruited and trained to support the packing program at Ģ��TV����’s South African facility, with several later securing further employment.

The finished packs reached retailers across South Africa, helping Heineken turn its UEFA Champions League partnership into a more tangible and memorable shopper experience. The campaign created shelf theatre, consumer excitement and commercial momentum, while contributing to mid-single-digit growth for Heineken Original 330 ml bottles during the campaign period.

For Ģ��TV����, the project demonstrated the value of going beyond structural design. What began as a premium pack brief became an integrated response covering design, feasibility, engineering, risk management, packing, quality control and fulfilment — all focused on helping the customer deliver an ambitious campaign at scale.

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Advanced Print Enhancements Help Kellogg’s Cereal Packs Stand Out in the Supermarket Aisle����

Challenge

In a busy cereal aisle, shoppers make decisions quickly. For Mars Snacking, three Kellogg’s cereal innovations needed packaging that could win attention at shelf, communicate quality at a glance, and support the brand’s commitment to recyclable paperboard packaging.

Cereal is one of retail’s most visually competitive categories. With multiple brands, flavors, formats, and limited editions competing for attention, packaging has only moments to make shoppers stop, look, and engage.

The challenge was to create distinctive, premium-looking packs for three different Kellogg’s cereal products without compromising the practical and sustainability benefits of a familiar recyclable paperboard carton format. Each pack needed to stand out in its own way while remaining suitable for efficient production, distribution, and merchandising. 

Solution  

We used advanced print enhancements to help each design create stronger shelf presence, greater visual depth, and a more premium brand experience. By applying gloss, matte, metallic, and embossed effects strategically, our teams were able to heighten the impact of key graphics while keeping the carton structure unchanged.

Each finish was selected to support a different role: gloss to make key elements pop, matte coatings to add depth and contrast, metallic inks to signal celebration and collectability, and embossing to add dimensional, tactile interest.

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Learn More About the Collaboration That Brought This Package to Life

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Award-Winning Recognition

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Better by Design: A Framework for More Circular, Functional and Convenient Packaging  

Designing Packaging for a Circular Economy

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, around 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined during the design phase. For packaging, early design decisions can influence material use, recyclability, carbon footprint, product protection and consumer acceptance. 

Better by Design builds on Design for Environment principles, but takes a broader view. It evaluates whether a packaging innovation delivers measurable improvements across three connected dimensions: circularity, functionality and convenience. 

Together, these dimensions support Ģ��TV����’s Better by 2030 Driving Circularity goal, which requires every new product innovation to demonstrate at least one positive differentiator in each area compared with the incumbent packaging. 

What “Better by Design” Measures 

Why Better by Design Matters for Packaging Innovation 

Packaging innovation often involves trade-offs. A solution may weigh more than the incumbent pack but deliver a lower carbon footprint, better recyclability or stronger product protection. 

Better by Design helps teams compare these factors systematically, so decisions are based on evidence rather than isolated metrics. 

Better by Design in Practice: ProducePack Punnet Tray 

The framework can be seen in action through the ProducePack Punnet tray, a paperboard alternative to virgin PET trays for fresh produce in representative EU markets. 

The analysis showed that the paperboard punnet delivered positive results across the most important circularity, functionality and convenience metrics for this type of packaging. 

Designing Better Packaging, From the Start

Better by Design is being integrated into Ģ��TV����’s innovation process from the earliest concept stage through prototyping, piloting and production.

By applying the framework throughout development, teams can make informed design choices, validate performance and build stronger value propositions for customers.

As sustainability knowledge, regulations and tools continue to evolve, so too will Better by Design. Its purpose remains clear: to support packaging solutions that meet customer needs, improve consumer experience and contribute to a more circular packaging value chain.