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Innovating with purpose for sixty years

a female kp colleague is working to create a plastic food packaging tray as a dummy
The plastic packaging industry has undergone a profound transformation over the past few decades, driven by advancements in automation, customer preference and legislation. Innovation has also played a major role in reshaping design and production processes, helping enhance efficiency and reduce environmental impact, creating the kp we know today.
kp 60 years websiteFounded in 1965 in Montabaur, Germany, kp’s journey began with a commitment to innovation and excellence. As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, we remain steadfast in our mission to be the world's leading sustainable packaging solutions company.
 
From our beginnings in Germany to the creation of kpAmericas in 1977 in Gordonsville, Virginia, we’ve continually sought to deliver growth through game-changing innovation and service excellence. Our 2017 acquisition of packaging company, LINPAC, brought a new dimension to our customer proposition; helping us become an even better research and development (R&D) powerhouse and a plastic packaging business with a full portfolio of new technologies, solutions and formulations.
 
kp now boasts some 5,500 colleagues working across 30 sites in 18 countries, across our Food Packaging (FP) and Pharma, Health & Protections and Durables (PHD) divisions. However, one thing that has never changed throughout the years is our focus on excellence, and we’ve always been known for game-changing innovation and sustainable solutions. By fostering human ingenuity and creativity, and harnessing the latest technology, we continue to solve customers’ problems and deliver fresh ideas.

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From barrier and wrap films, to trays, cards and graphics, we’re tailoring solutions across food packaging, pharma blister packs, medical devices and labels. With each product evolution, we look to use more recycled material, close the packaging loop and take every opportunity to make our packaging recyclable.

Innovation revolves around our customers’ needs

At kp we’re problem solvers and innovators. We’re committed to finding new ways of doing things and constantly develop our existing product portfolio with our customers and sustainability in mind.

From barrier and wrap films, to trays, cards and graphics, we’re tailoring solutions across food packaging, pharma blister packs, medical devices and labels. With each product evolution, we look to use more recycled material, close the packaging loop and take every opportunity to make our packaging recyclable.

In 2025 it is fair to say customers’ functionality requirements continue to grow. Coupled with sustainability demands, this creates an amazing opportunity for kp drive further value chain collaboration and innovative business models.
“Our innovation teams play a crucial role in preparing our business for the future by ensuring we have the right product lines in place to meet constantly evolving legislation. In Food Packaging, we closed 2024 with 48 active innovation projects. Behind each are layers of insight gained through collaboration with customers and organisations throughout the value chain. By working together and embracing innovation we are creating a more circular future for food packaging – one that will benefit businesses, consumers, and the environment.”
Ben Elkington
Innovation Director, Food Packaging Division at kp
“kp has an exciting future - Pharma, Health & Protections and Durables alone has an active portfolio of 102 patents and applications. Our ability to innovate cross-functionally and partner in the value chain ensures we continue to lead the way providing customer-centric sustainable solutions that meet the evolving demands of the pharma, healthcare, life sciences and industrial segments.”
Dr. Devesh Mathur
Vice President Innovation, Pharma, Health & Protections and Durables Division

R&D is key to unlocking new solutions

Why is kp so good at delivering solutions to big problems? Because we have developed a creative, collaborative culture where our R&D teams, packaging professionals and multi-discipline experts work side by side to invent and test tomorrow’s exciting products and solutions.

Opened in 2015, our kp i.center in Charlottesville, USA, is where we support customers to prototype new products rapidly. Our modelling, and machine and tool capabilities, mean we can replicate the entire value chain product life.

We now have additional i.centers – in the UK, Spain and Germany – and regularly invite customers to visit and immerse themselves in product development and design. Interaction, ideas and innovation are at the heart of our teams at each i.center – and collaboration with customers is the vital ingredient. This way of working not only creates loyalty but ensures our products are industry game changers.
 
In addition to our i.centers, we also have R&D centres across the business. Here teams are constantly looking to the future – and we’re relentless in marrying customers’ needs with our commitment to creating a circular plastics economy.

kp products that have pushed the boundaries


During the 1990s, kp was instrumental in innovations relating to modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) technology – with a focus on protecting food and extending shelf life, thus reducing food waste. 

Fast forward to today, and our customers’ problems remain our problems - our challenge is to solve those problems by pushing ourselves to think one step ahead.
 
When you work with innovation-focused teams striving to develop better films and trays to serve a circular economy, there’s never a dull moment. We’re always looking to deliver ambitious packaging solutions which provide superior performance as we focus on:
  • Improving consumer safety
  • Enhancing shelf life
  • Increasing recyclability
  • Increasing use of PCR material
To support kp’s ambition of 100% recyclability, we’ve launched products such as kpNext® R1, a recyclable blister film which integrates into existing manufacturing processes; Pentalabel® SmartCycle®, shrink sleeves made with a film that recycles directly with any PET bottle or container; and kp Tray2Tray®, which recovers used food packaging trays and turns them back into more of the same.
 
And we have received numerous industry accolades for our products like kp Elite®, which is made with up to 100% recycled post-consumer PET which is recyclable, and kp Zapora®, a protein tray designed to remove the need for absorbent pads and their adhesives.
kp is a company setting new standards for sustainability in the packaging industry. Our work on kp Tray2Tray® proved it’s possible to produce a tray made entirely from post-consumer recycled trays. We should also be proud of recent achievements incorporating recycled content into our expanded polystyrene rXPS tray, and the recent launch of the first lidding film to incorporate 30% PCR content.
Dr. Samuel Pardo
Senior Innovation Manager, Food Packaging Division
Our innovations have resulted in an array of differentiated products being launched which in the last 10 years alone, has driven 35% of PHD’s business. These are products like kpNext® films which is at the forefront of serving the healthcare and life sciences industries, and the kp Smartcycle® platform which delivers value to customers on sustainability for labels.
Dr. Devesh Mathur
Vice President Innovation, Pharma, Health & Protections and Durables Division

What is kp’s best product?

Our teams are justifiably proud of the various products they’ve been involved with, but ultimately, it's always the product we have yet to develop that will be the most exciting.

We want to see our products become a key element of the circular economy, so for the next 60 years and beyond, we will keep designing each and every one with its whole life cycle in mind.

To find out more about kp’s history and legacy of innovation, head to: https://www.kpfilms.com/en/about-us/our-history
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