The Packaging School

We’re honored to share that Trellis (Formerly GreenBiz) included our online Certificate of Sustainable Packaging (CSP) program in their 99 SustainabilityCertifications for 2026! 🌟

The CSP was included under the “Circular economy, product, and packaging certifications” section.

Read more about our CSP and the other 98 sustainability-related certifications: https://trellis.net/article/99-sustainability-certifications-for-2026/

99 sustainability certifications for 2026 Build credibility with skill- and knowledge-building across key areas of your profession.

Planning on staying in this weekend?
We’ve got you covered!

Last month, Packaging Digest posted an article covering 13 packaging-related documentaries deemed impactful by packaging experts.

The list includes:

♻️ NPR (YouTube): Is Recycling Worth it Anymore?

💡Louie Psihoyos and Josh Murphy (Netflix): The Plastic Detox

🚰 University of Arizona x Rhumbline Media (YouTube): Beyond the Mirage - The Future of Water in the West

🇹🇼 DW Planet A (YouTube): How is Taiwan Beating up Everyone at Plastics Recycling?

👩‍🌾 John Chester (YouTube): Biggest Little Farm

🏭 Daniel B. Gold & Judith Helfand (YouTube): Blue Vinyl

🛒 Nick Stacey (Netflix): Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy

💸 VICE Media (YouTube): Most Expensivest with 2Chainz

♻️ John Oliver (YouTube): Plastics (Last Week Tonight)

🪖 FRONTLINE PBS (YouTube): Plastic Wars

📚 The Story of Stuff Project (YouTube): The Story of Plastic

🏝️ Dandhy Laksono & Rehung Nasution (Netflix): Plastic Island

🍔 Thomas Winter & Jack Nitz (YouTube): You Are What You Eat, and What It’s Packaged In

A special thank you to Packaging Digest for putting this list together and to Susan V. Collins, Kelvin Lin, Ryan Emmons, Matt Levine, Liam Hawry, Malcolm Waugh, Derek Springston and Abby Boudouris for providing the recommendations.

Anything the experts missed? Comment your favorite packaging-related documentaries below! ⬇️

Read more on the documentaries: https://www.packagingdigest.com/trends-issues/13-packaging-documentaries-that-tell-the-hard-truth

13 Packaging Documentaries That Tell the Hard Truth Documentaries recommended by packaging experts are influencing public perception of packaging, too — but often not in a good way.

Packaging does a lot more than protect a product—it shapes how the product performs, sells, and scales.

The Certificate of Packaging Science (CPS) is a self-paced, online program covering all major aspects of packaging materials, processes, and design across 12 engaging courses.

Since 2017, our CPS students have come from Fortune 500 companies, family-owned businesses, and everything in between.

Learn more about what the CPS can do for your career here: https://packagingschool.com/certifications/get-to-know-cps

Have you ever heard of Waiākea? 🌋
They’re a Hawaiʻi-based water brand specializing in volcanic water sourced from Hawaiʻi.

Aside from its unique value proposition, Waiākea is also recognized as a pioneer in sustainable packaging—becoming one of the first beverage brands in North America to use bottles made from 100% PCR PET and introducing a bottle made from recycled ocean-bound plastic.

Packaging World reports that Waiākea is looking beyond the bottle with its packaging strategy, recently becoming the first brand to launch beverage labels printed with UV flexographic ink made from algae-derived inks (that is marked as carbon-negative).

Sustainable packaging innovation isn't anything new for Waiākea—CEO Ryan Emmons was quoted in the article stating:

"We built the brand on a triple bottom line model back in 2012, prioritizing circular packaging, sustainable sourcing, and a commitment to community."

To launch labels with algae-based ink, Emmons and Waiākea partnered with Colorado-based Living Ink Technologies. Living Ink was chosen due to their success in past packaging projects with clients like Nike, Patagonia, and Crocs.

Read more on the new algae-ink Waiākea label here: https://www.packworld.com/sustainable-packaging/bio-based/article/22967438/waikea-launches-first-algaederived-ink-for-ecofriendly-labels

Waiākea Launches First Algae-Derived Ink for Eco-Friendly Labels Learn how Waiākea's algae-derived UV flexographic ink revolutionizes sustainable packaging. This carbon-negative innovation could prevent 100+ million metric tons of CO₂e emissions yearly.

is often viewed as the sustainability-minded generation, but what do their packaging preferences actually look like? A recent Packaging Digest survey, reported by Lisa McTigue Pierce, offers some interesting answers:

🧐 49% of respondents say they trust sustainability claims "to some degree"—14% trust them completely and 37% are skeptical and conduct their own research

🤨 12% of respondents admit they are “very skeptical of most claims” and just 2% say they don’t trust packaging claims “at all”

💸 Income was found to be a large factor in trust, with those making more than $100,000 USD annually having higher trust levels—31% versus just 11% for those who make less than $100,000 USD

With 37% of respondents (n=301) skeptical enough to conduct their own research on sustainable packaging claims, brands need to ensure their landing pages, socials, and other communications on packaging and sustainability are clear and direct for the Gen Z audience.

Dive into more of the survey and the results here: https://www.packagingdigest.com/sustainability/does-gen-z-trust-your-sustainability-claims-

Does Gen Z Trust Your Sustainability Claims? The answer is a little tricky because of a surprising divide. Plus, their trust changes drastically, depending on their income.

Those in the packaging industry know that designing and implementing sustainable packaging solutions is no simple task—it requires navigating a complex set of trade-offs, from environmental impacts and consumer perceptions to evolving regulatory demands.

To help packaging professionals navigate this complexity, we developed the Certificate of Sustainable Packaging (CSP)—an online program designed to build expertise across materials, processes, tools, and regulations that shape sustainable packaging development.

Learn more: https://packagingschool.com/certifications/get-to-know-csp

Due to ink shortages caused by the Iran war, NBC News reports that Calbee 卡樂B—a Japan-based snack company—is shifting its packaging from colorful to black and white (see thumbnail).

The switch was catalyzed by shortages in an oil-related product called naphtha.

The conventional packaging for Calbee’s lightly salted chips (usu shio) was bright-orange with a yellow image of chips and a mascot. The new packaging is just black and white with monochrome lettering and no mascot.

Calbee provided a statement for NBC News that reads:

“Calbee will continue to respond flexibly and promptly to changes in its operating environment, including geopolitical risks, and remains committed to maintaining a stable supply of safe, high-quality products. We ask for your understanding.”

Read more on how Calbee is responding to supply chain disruptions caused by the Iran war: https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/japanese-snack-packages-are-turning-black-white-iran-war-depletes-ink-rcna344877

Some Japanese snack packages are turning black and white as Iran war depletes ink supply The move is the latest caused by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz because of the war in Iran. The war has sent prices of oil and other products higher, as well as caused supply crunches.