With the New Year well underway, this is the moment when the people look ahead, taking stock of early signals and emerging shifts that point to what the year ahead may bring.
As part of our annual Three Trends series, we asked industry leaders to share their key takeaways.
Next, we speak to Jason Wong, CEO of Paking Duck.
Jason shares his picks for three trends to watch in the coming year, his least favorite trend of 2025, and how he fared with last year’s New Year’s resolution.
Looking Ahead:
What are three trends to look for in the coming year?
1. I think we’re going to start seeing regulatory pressure in regions like EU and parts of Asia for Producer Responsibility.
Brands are facing real consequences for their packaging choices, which is creating the incentive structure that aligns with what consumers have been asking for.
2. “Good Enough” sustainability initiatives just won’t cut it anymore. For the last few years, brands could point to minor improvements and get credit for it. Consumers and regulators are getting stricter with brands that are greenwashing.
There’s a growing market for actual material innovation rather than fixing old systems. People aren’t satisfied with a 30% recycled content and are looking at whether the material itself makes sense.
3. The West is no longer the lead in innovation. For many years, Asia was seen as the place for cheap manufacturing and copying IPs. The sustainability conversation was led by the West for as long as I can remember.
However, some of the most exciting material science and circular economy models are coming out of ASian companies and research institutions. I think the next generation of packaging solutions will increasingly come out of Seoul, SIngapore, or Shenzhen rather than Silicon Valley.
Looking Back:
Your least favorite trend of 2025:
The performative sustainability announcements without actual commitments. We saw so many “we’re exploring” and “we’re committed to studying” statements from major brands this year.
At some point, the time for exploration is over – we have the technology, we understand the problems, and continued delays are intentional negligence.
If you could sum up 2025 in one emoji:
🌱
It’s been a year of things finally starting to break through the surface.
Your favorite campaign of 2025:
The Gymshark “Shop Lift-ing” billboard campaign was one of those rare pieces of advertising that made you stop and smile.
They installed interactive billboards where passersby could literally pull clothing items off the ad itself – under the provocative phrase “Shop Lift” at the top. As people grabbed the free items, the billboard gradually revealed the full message: “Shop lift-ing essentials—up to 60% off everything,” promoting their clearance sale. I love that they turned potential customers into active participants in the ad itself.
What was your 2025 New Year’s Resolution, and did you keep it?
My resolution was to say “I don’t know” more often instead of feeling like I needed to have an immediate answer to everything.
Working in an emerging industry, there’s pressure to be the expert on everything, but some of the best conversations happen when you admit uncertainty. Did I keep it? Most days, yes. Though I’m definitely still working on it.
