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The paper explores how the food packaging industry leverages external enablers in a transition to a circular economy (CE) and is a first to bring together the literature on external enablers of entrepreneurship with CE. Utilizing qualitative data, the findings offer insights on how CE related external enablers for the food packaging industry transformation. The paper adds empirical credence to the conceptual claims of the external enablement framework. The findings suggest that packaging manufacturers react to four enablers linked with CE, that push them toward circularity: political, regulatory, socio-cultural and technological. The industry is moving convergently and leveraging a relatively small range of mechanisms that shape the existing business. In addition, while we find that regulation is perhaps the most important enabler shaping the business, the triggering of more advanced innovation or entirely new ventures requires additional enablers. • We investigate circular economy through an external enabler perspective. • Qualitative case provides insights into circular economy in the packaging industry. • 4 enablers drive circularity: regulation, political, sociocultural and technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]