This week on Packaging Today, we’re serving up the packaging industry’s hottest developments—from adhesive trends to ocean cleanup efforts:🔥 Hot Melt Adhesives: Boon or Burden?With the global market now around $9–11 billion and growing at 4–5% CAGR, hot melts are booming across packaging for corrugated, e‑commerce, and more. But does “solvent-free” actually mean more plastic and more waste in your products?🔍 UV‑Tagged Plastic Packaging Hits ShelvesMarks & Spencer (and Aldi in Europe) are testing invisible UV tags on plastic bottles, enabling traceability and real-time recycling data . Could this finally fix contamination in the recycling stream? Or is it just another layer of complexity?🏝️ Bali’s Ban on Small Plastic ScrewsStarting 2026, Bali plans to ban sachets and small single-use plastics to reduce ocean pollution. Can local bans like this actually bend the curve on marine waste and are they replicable elsewhere?📉 Paper Packaging’s Rollercoaster RideU.S. packaging paper shipments are down up to 7% in some months year‑over‑year, despite a slight rebound in June (+5%) . What’s driving this volatility: e‑commerce slowdowns, tariffs, or a pivot to digital? And what does it mean for corrugated brands?Why This MattersAre hot melt adhesives really greener—or just hiding more plastics?Will UV tagging finally make recycling data transparent enough to act on?Can regional plastic bans like Bali’s scale into global policy?What do paper shipment trends signal for packaging design, supply chains, and sustainability strategies?#packaging #sustainability