PACKAGING IS AT
A SUSTAINABILITY
TIPPING POINT
‘Recyclable by Design’ tops 2019 packaging trends
Widespread bans on
single-use plastics,
the implementation
of China’s “National
Sword” policy and increasing media
attention around the environmental
consequences of plastic pollution on
wildlife and seafood supply, resulted
in 2018 being a tipping point for the
plastic packaging industry.
In order to achieve the ambitious
circular economy and sustainability
goals set forth by governing bodies
and businesses alike, an alliance
between food manufacturers,
packaging suppliers and waste
management agencies is paramount
to packaging design in the food
and beverage industry in 2019,
according to Innova Market Insights.
Innova Market Insights reports
strong average annual growth in
food and beverage launches with an
ethical packaging claim, by region
(2014-2018). Latin America (33
percent), North America (19 percent)
and Europe (10 percent) lead for the
use of these claims.
Paper-based and hybrid plastic
alternatives are on the rise
amid this dynamic too, with 40
percent growth reported in new
food launches with paper-based
packaging (2018 vs. 2014).
However, convenience remains key.
The number of food and beverage
launches with a recloseable or
resealable closure has risen
exponentially, with an average
annual growth rate of 92 percent in
the past three years (2016-2018),
according to new product data from
the researcher.
The top five trends packaging
trends are:
• Recyclable by design: In order
to boost recycling rates and
achieve some of the ambitious
circular economy goals set
forth by various governments,
collaboration between businesses
and the recycling agencies is vital.
Clearer labelling, standardised
packaging and increasing the
recycled content of products
could all help in encouraging
higher levels of recycling.
• E-Commerce ready: With more
and more consumers shopping
online, the landscape for online
retail is rapidly changing.
Developing packages that provide
product protection and tamper
evidence along the supply chain,
while reducing the environmental
impact of shipping materials in
the e-commerce supply chain will
prove vital.
• Nature’s appeal: Anti-plastic
sentiment and the rising demand
for designed-in recyclability have
fuelled a resurgence in paper and
paperboard packaging. Paper
is not only naturally renewable,
recyclable and compostable,
but can also add value via its
“naturalness” in an increasingly
eco-conscious society.
• More convenient convenience:
Consumer convenience continues
to be one of the most important
attributes to consider while
designing the optimal packaging
for a product. Innovations within
this area focus on facilitating onthe
go consumption and easeof
use.
• Pack to the future: With
increasing consumer demand for
transparency along the supply
chain, IoT technologies such as
QR codes and blockchain have
come to the forefront. There has
been a rise in the use of near field
communication and augmented
reality as tools for increasing
brand loyalty through consumer
engagement.
PA C K A G I N G
environmentally preferable
against robust standards.
“But companies can’t sit back
and wait till consumers ask for
ecolabels – they need to lead
by example and communicate
this. Reputable ecolabels are
now commonplace and there’s
generally no price premium
on ecolabelled products –
consumers have plenty of
choice.
“New Zealand organisations
do a much better job
of communicating their
sustainability efforts internally
than they do of letting the
public know.”
Ms Lipscombe says a related
survey finding was that
relatively few respondents
could name a brand leader in
the sustainability area. Only
two brands got more than
1% recognition: the Malcolm
Rands-founded ecostore,
which has ECNZ licences,
named by 5% of people,
while Fonterra scored 3%
awareness.
The survey also showed that
sustainability support was
still growing in New Zealand,
she says. “There was a sharp
increase over the previous
survey in the number of kiwis
who felt it was important
to work for a socially and
environmentally responsible
company – from 72% in 2018,
to 86%. Even more tellingly,
90% of respondents - up from
83% last year - said they would
stop buying a company’s
products or services if they
heard about the company
being irresponsible or
unethical.”
Ms Lipscombe says the other
strong finding from the survey
was the emergence of plastic
waste as the issue kiwis are
most concerned about –
72% rated it the number one
problem, compared with 63%
last year. The survey also
found eight-out-of-10 kiwis
had dispensed with single-use
plastic supermarket bags in
favour of reusable options – a
huge jump on last year’s figure
– 30%, while 85% agreed that
reducing disposable packaging
in general was the right thing
to do.
24 APRIL 2019