Packaging suppliers and consumer brands are still absorbing the fallout from 2025’s “Liberation Day” tariffs and the Iran war, facing higher material, freight, and resin costs while making mostly incremental changes to sourcing and design rather than overhauling packaging supply chains.
Key Takeaways
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Tariffs and war keep pressure on costs: Baseline import tariffs, steep duties on metal cans and oil-driven plastic price hikes are raising packaging costs and shipping rates.
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Reshoring and material swaps are constrained: Attempts to move packaging to U.S. suppliers or switch away from plastics are limited by higher domestic prices, lack of local capacity, and long testing timelines.
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Resilience and partnerships become strategic: CPGs are sharpening risk playbooks by mapping suppliers, maintaining redundancy and revisiting past responses to high oil prices.
