As sustainable packaging commitments from Walmart and Pepsi continue to expand, the definition of clean label is evolving to include not only natural ingredients but also decarbonization, reductions in virgin plastic packaging, cleaner processing, energy efficiency and more. Consumers are driving this movement, but industry partnerships and sustainable packaging initiatives are still in place as the food and beverage industry transitions.

“We see that when it comes to clean labels, nothing is off limits,” says Stephanie Mattucci, director of food science at MINTEL, in a recent webinar on clean labels. “In addition to ingredients, clean label concerns have expanded to processing, packaging, ethical and environmental concerns. Those eco- and ethical-related claims have shown growth over the past decade.”

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According to Mattucci, the clean label trend has evolved from natural and organic to a holistic concept of clean eating, as consumers consider their health and what their bodies need.

For consumers, comprehensive clean eating points to responsible farming. In 2024, Ajinomoto Company and Danone announced a partnership to reduce emissions by adding amino acids to farmers’ feed, which also act as a nutrient. Studies have shown that amino acid-balanced feed with AjiPro-L, in combination with a methane reduction additive, can amplify the effect of the methane reduction additive by approximately 30%, according to Ajinomoto.

“Most of our company’s footprint comes from dairy ingredients and sourcing fresh milk, so we have more than 50% of emissions today coming from dairy,” Sara Lockwood, global regenerative agriculture director at Danone, explained in a 2024 webinar. “Out of dairy emissions, methane represents about 55%.”

“Customers want packaging that meets clean label expectations not just in design, but in certified claims,” says Treijon Johnson, sustainability director at Accredo Packaging.  “As a result, we are prioritizing the use of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) bio-based certification, PCR content certification and How2Recycle recyclability validation, which offers transparent, credible on-pack messaging.”

Consumers Dig Deeper via Label Technology

While discussions around front-of-pack ingredient regulations have subsided, brands and designers continue to provide ingredient information to consumers. It’s working, and brands are now moving quickly to offer nutrition and clean eating data via label technology.

In 2023, the Consumer Brands Association (CBA) partnered with The Recycling Partnership (TRP) to provide consumers with more data through QR codes, utilizing the SmartLabel QR code labeling platform. This accessible technology offers up-to-date, localized recycling instructions on packages.

Consumers can scan the SmartLabel QR code on the packaging, click a button, and instantly determine if the product packaging is recyclable locally. 

For recycling, the SmartLabel QR code leverages the TRP and Can I Recycle This (CIRT) databases, which now encompass over 9,000 recycling districts nationwide. 

“The program offers a solution through new partnerships with two platforms to provide zip-code level packaging recycling information to consumers,” says Rishi Banerjee, senior director of SmartLabel, Consumer Brands Association.

Moreover, brands have started using the platform to provide nutritional claims, ingredient sourcing, sustainability attributes, certifications and even safety recall data.

“Brands can use SmartLabel to immediately notify consumers about product recalls and provide rich details like the nature of the recall, which products are affected and even where to find the lot code on the package label,” Banerjee adds. “This type of transparent communication engenders trust and loyalty.”

According to the CBA’s internal surveys, consumers value detailed information on ingredients, nutrition, and health. Currently, SmartLabel has over 80 participating parent companies representing more than 100,000 products and 1,000 brands.

“With SmartLabel, brands don’t need to update their packaging as often since changes can be made to the SmartLabel page on the fly,” Banerjee says. “When a change is made on the SmartLabel page, it will appear everywhere the page is hosted in real time, including brand ecommerce pages and retail ecommerce sites.”

Material Reduction Meets Renewable Energy

While CPGs adjust PCR resin portfolios in 2025, suppliers’ research and development efforts have been moving fast to meet robust consumer trends. Accredo Packaging is a company accelerating innovation with new resin types for flexible packaging. 

Accredo Packaging launched a 100% bio-based resin flexible pouch at PACK EXPO in 2024. The bio-based polyethylene pouch offers the same oxygen barrier and product freshness as conventional multilayer options, with no increase in material thickness. 

“The polyethylene pouch delivers the same oxygen barrier and product freshness as conventional multilayer options, with no increase in material thickness,” says David Bertlesman, director of research & development at Accredo Packaging. “This was made possible by developing custom bio-based additives that use the same carrier resin, allowing us to maintain performance while achieving higher renewable content.”

“Brands are asking deeper questions about tradeoffs, such as barrier performance versus recyclability, weight versus carbon, and renewable content versus cost,” Berlesman adds. “We see a growing need to help customers navigate these complexities transparently.”  

The bio-based film material circumvents any food contact issues and avoids post-consumer recycled (PCR) pricing challenges. 

“In the current market environment, any increase in pricing – whether driven by feedstock scarcity, logistics or inflation – creates real pressure on brands trying to scale sustainable, post-consumer recycled packaging,” Johnson adds. 

Accredo Packaging cites wind power as a source of energy in the production of the bio-based pouch. “By using wind electricity in all U.S. manufacturing, we enable brands to make meaningful, low-carbon claims,” Johnson says. 

The bio-based pouch has been engineered to run on existing form/fill/seal equipment with minimal adjustments.

Due to the limited supply and slow ramp-up of food-grade PCR content, there have been pricing challenges for CPGs. Multiple companies, also known as activators, in the 2020 U.S. Plastics Pact partnership have paused internal reduction PCR commitments in 2024 and 2025. These companies include Walmart and it has been reported that Mondelēz, Mars, Nestlé and L’Oréal USA are also among the previous members that appear to have recently stepped away from the group.  

With these changes, the pivot to clean labeling is well underway. In May 2024, Liberty Coca-Cola removed plastic packaging carriers for its 12- and 16.9-oz. bottled products and replaced them with Smurfit WestRock’s PETCollar Shield paperboard packaging. The collar features CarrierKote paperboard, a renewable and recyclable paperboard that contains up to 15% recycled content. 

“We’ve made it our mission to invest in technology that produces recyclable beverage containers that can return to our system while significantly reducing the need for secondary plastic packaging,” says Fran McGorry, co-owner of Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages. According to the beverage distributor, Liberty Coca-Cola is the first bottler in the world to implement the PETCollar Shield Plus bottle clip solution.

In 2022, Liberty Coca-Cola chose the paperboard collar for its mini-cans. With both in place, the company is expected to displace 200,000 lbs. of plastic annually.