Balancing quality, sustainability and performance in metal packaging: key takeaways from our Packaging Europe webinar

On October 5, 2026, Industrial Physics joined Packaging Europe for a live webinar, Shaping the Future of Metal Packaging: Quality, Sustainability and Performance. Three experts from across the beverage can value chain came together to explore how the industry can keep innovating while protecting quality, cost and line speed. 

Missed the session, or want to revisit it? Watch the full recording below. 

Meet the speakers

Steve Davis, Global Product Director, Industrial Physics. Steve opened the discussion with findings from our recent research into the priorities and pressures shaping beverage can making and filling. 

Jason Galley, Director and Chief Executive, Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association. Jason brought the can maker and industry body perspective, from regulation and sustainability to the long record of innovation in the beverage can. 

Greg Bentley, EU Packaging Director, Suntory Food and Beverage. Greg shared the filler’s view, including what quality looks like on a high-speed line and how he works with can suppliers. 

The session was hosted by Packaging Europe. 

Where the research started the conversation

The discussion was built around themes from our research, Ready but not prepared: metal packaging’s 2028 reality check, which gathered views from around 200 professionals across India, Germany, the UK and the US. Rather than simply present the findings, we put them in front of a can maker association and a global beverage filler and asked what they mean in practice. 

What we discussed

Competing pressures can create shared wins. Sustainability targets, lightweighting, regulation, customer expectations and line speed all land on the same can. The panel agreed these priorities are interlinked, and that done well, savings from using less material and creating less waste can help fund the next investment. As Jason put it, “it’s quite easy to set up win-wins.” They also cautioned against specifications that are tighter than they need to be, which add cost without adding value. 

Makers and fillers need a common language. Strong relationships between can makers and fillers rely on shared specifications, supplier audits and open dialogue. Greg highlighted the value of using consistent test protocols and equipment on both sides, so that a difference in results points to the can and not the instrument. When two parties test differently and get different results, Greg noted, “it’s the equipment which is the variable.” 

Earlier visibility makes the difference. Respondents to our research pointed to quality issues being detected late, and to the challenge of finding consistent, repeatable measurements. The panel discussed how process control and earlier measurement help catch variation before it reaches the filling line, where waste and downtime get expensive. Steve’s view is that “earlier, more consistent testing helps everybody along.” 

Data is the next opportunity. A can line generates a huge amount of measurement data. The panel explored how connected data and AI-supported analysis could help operators act in real time instead of reviewing yesterday’s numbers, and how makers and fillers might share insight while keeping the trust that their relationship depends on. 

Investment comes down to value. When it comes to new measurement technology, the question is simple: what value does it unlock? In Jason’s words, “If there’s a value there, then it’s worth pursuing.” The panel also noted that the industry has shown it can move quickly when it has to, as it did with changes to can linings. Greg’s take: “the industry can move quickly when it needs to.” Structural integrity, meanwhile, stays non-negotiable as cans get lighter: “you can’t risk the integrity of the container. It’s as simple as that.” 

Your questions

The live Q&A covered the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and recyclability, compatibility between can liners and new beverages, which steps in a can’s journey matter most as lightweighting continues, and whether test and measurement is becoming a bigger part of the maker and filler relationship. We’re also preparing written answers to the questions we didn’t have time to reach, so keep an eye out for them. 

Protecting the integrity of metal packaging, from can making to can filling

At Industrial Physics, our purpose is to protect the integrity of our customers’ brands and products. For quality, R&D, and operations experts in can making and can filling, that depends on measurements you can trust at every stage. We work with both can makers and fillers, so we see the challenges from both ends of the line, and our metal packaging test and measurement solutions are designed for accuracy, repeatability and reliability. 

Explore our metal packaging test and measurement solutions to find the right fit for your line. 

Explore our metal packaging solutions

Thank you to Packaging Europe for hosting, and to Jason and Greg for sharing their time and expertise.