“Three years ago, connected packaging felt like a sidebar conversation at Interpack 2023. This year, it felt like the main event.”

That was Eddy Peters, Managing Director at io.tt, reflecting on this year’s show in Düsseldorf, and it was difficult to disagree.

The shift was visible across the event: QR codes everywhere, packed conference sessions, and conversations stretching far beyond innovation teams into operations, compliance, production and supply chain.

But the real story at Interpack 2026 was not the technology itself. It was the growing sense that the packaging ecosystem is finally starting to connect.

For years, connected packaging has often existed in fragments, smart packaging in one conversation, serialization in another, consumer engagement disconnected from production systems. This year felt different. The focus had clearly shifted from possibility to operationalisation, interoperability and scale.

At Interpack 2026, io.tt joined an end-to-end connected packaging workflow led by Esko and Videojet alongside Amazon Transparency, CarbonQuota, ePac Flexible Packaging, Laetus, Recyda and RegASK. Together, the showcase walked visitors through the full lifecycle of a connected product, from intelligent artwork and print through to coding, compliance, traceability and connected consumer experiences.

More importantly, it reflected a wider industry shift.

“Every category has a moment where it stops trying to prove it exists and starts figuring out how to scale,” Eddy said. “Connected packaging may have reached that point.”

Here are Eddy’s five biggest takeaways from Interpack 2026.

1. From Possibilities to Operational Workflows

One of the clearest signals at Interpack 2026 was the growing shift towards connected workflows spanning the full packaging lifecycle.

Rather than presenting disconnected technologies in isolation, companies were increasingly demonstrating how packaging data, compliance, coding, traceability and consumer engagement can operate together as part of a single connected system. To help showcase this at Interpack 2026, io.tt joined an end-to-end connected packaging workflow to guide visitors through the lifecycle of a connected product.

“Three years ago, people were showcasing possibilities,” Eddy said. “This year, people were showcasing workflows.”

That distinction matters because connected packaging is becoming less about individual technologies and more about how systems connect operationally across the business.

2. Connected Packaging Is Becoming Infrastructure

One of the clearest shifts at Interpack 2026 was how connected packaging is increasingly being discussed as core infrastructure rather than a standalone innovation initiative.

GS1 Digital Link, Sunrise 2027 and Digital Product Passport readiness were embedded throughout conversations involving printers, converters, OEMs, software providers and global brands.

More importantly, the tone had changed.

“One thing that stood out was how many businesses were no longer asking ‘why connected packaging?’ and instead asking ‘how do we operationalise it?’” Eddy commented.

That reframing is significant. Connected packaging is no longer being treated as a marketing layer or campaign add-on. It is increasingly viewed as foundational infrastructure supporting traceability, compliance, authentication and product data management across the organisation.

The conversation has matured from proving value to implementing systems that can scale.

3. Interoperability Is Becoming the Real Battleground

As connected packaging infrastructure matures, interoperability is emerging as one of the industry’s biggest challenges, and opportunities.

Interpack 2026 highlighted how authentication, traceability, compliance and consumer engagement are increasingly converging into shared connected ecosystems. The connected code on pack is becoming a single-entry point into multiple systems rather than a standalone feature.

That shift requires collaboration across the ecosystem.

At io.tt, the long-held view is that brands should not have to choose between compliance, protection and engagement. A connected infrastructure should support all three simultaneously.

What Interpack made increasingly clear is that the wider industry is starting to align around that direction.

No single provider can solve connected packaging in isolation. The organisations that succeed will be those building interoperable ecosystems rather than disconnected technology stacks.

4. Regulation Is Accelerating Operational Urgency

Another noticeable shift across the show was how AI, automation and compliance tooling were being discussed; not as future-facing concepts, but as practical solutions to operational pressure already facing the industry.

Much of the automation showcased at Interpack focused on areas such as artwork management, regulatory compliance and handling increasingly complex packaging requirements at scale.

That practical focus signals another level of maturity in the category.

“A few years ago, connected packaging sat mostly with innovation teams,” Eddy said. “Now supply chain, compliance and production are all in the room and talking about it.”

That shift matters because regulatory pressure is accelerating rapidly. Digital Product Passports, sustainability reporting requirements, traceability mandates and GS1 Sunrise 2027 are all pushing organisations towards more connected, standardised infrastructure.

Disconnected workflows are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.

5. The Real Opportunity Starts After the Scan

Despite the progress, one limitation remains clear: too many connected packaging experiences continue to treat the scan as the endpoint.

The industry has made major advances building the technical foundations, GS1 Digital Link, serialised systems, traceability frameworks and compliance infrastructure. But the strategic opportunity begins after the scan itself.

The same connected infrastructure being deployed for compliance and traceability can also support authentication, loyalty, storytelling, education and long-term first-party consumer engagement.

Packaging and supply chain teams may be laying the groundwork today, but marketing and consumer experience teams will increasingly build on top of that same infrastructure.

The brands that benefit most will not simply have compliant connected packaging. They will have connected products capable of delivering value across the full product lifecycle.

A Clear Turning Point

Interpack 2026 did not feel like an industry still trying to prove connected packaging matters. The conversations felt more operational, more aligned and more focused on implementation than in previous years.

The industry now appears broadly aligned on the need for connected infrastructure. The challenge has shifted from proving the concept to implementing it at scale.

The next phase will not be defined by who adopts connected packaging first, but by what brands choose to build on top of it.