Reduced consumer spending along with businesses’ cost-cutting initiatives frequently put innovation efforts on the back burner throughout this difficult year. Yet the packaging industry has found ways to remain dynamic and reactive to shifting market needs. Here we look at some of the key packaging developments that have shaped the industry in 2009, as well as emerging trends that may play a significant role in packaging in the coming year.

Although 2009 was a difficult year for businesses across the board, a number of trends, particularly sustainable packaging, continue to exert a significant influence on the packaging field and are likely to guide pack strategies for the near future. Experts also cite some emerging concepts that are already gaining prominence in packaging as we make our way into 2010.

The Sustainability Imperative
As with last year’s top pack trends, sustainability remains a driving force in packaging, with increasingly more businesses across the sector incorporating eco-friendly thinking into their packaging and processes.

According to an annual survey from Packaging Digest, 41 percent of packaging companies said they are very familiar with sustainability issues, compared to 21 percent in 2007. In addition, 68 percent of survey respondents in November claimed sustainable packaging efforts have increased in the past year, while only 4 percent said they have seen a decrease.

Approximately two-thirds of the survey’s 1,012 respondents said that consumer demand from both retailers and customers is driving the focus on eco-friendly packaging. The use of recycled or recyclable materials were listed as high priorities in sustainability initiatives, as were better collection and recovery methods, improvements in education and training, and development of new materials.

“[S]ustainability has evolved into a mainstream commitment,” the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) explained in a packaging trends report last month. “Sustainable practices encourage sales by addressing consumers’ interest in ‘greener’ products, and by reducing waste and conserving resources, they often generate cost savings.”

The PMMI cites five primary sustainability categories: utility conservation, source reduction, recycled content, recyclability and renewable materials. Conserving water by removing it from the conveyor lubrication process and saving energy by installing power-consumption monitoring tools on packaging equipment are two of the methods gaining usage in this field.

Similarly, reducing waste by implementing closed extrusion systems in label production and replacing key materials with more easily recyclable compounds, such as swapping mixed polymer laminates for polyester in lidstock, are also methods gaining traction in the move toward sustainable packaging, PMMI notes.

“This movement toward biodegradable and compostable materials is definitely an established trend. We’ll see that continue,” John R. Burke, president of the Foodservice and Packaging Institute, told QSR Magazine. “On the plastics side, what you have going on is not so much plastic versus paper but a plastic resin versus another plastic resin or polystyrene versus polypropylene. You have to try to get a share of the market wherever you can grab it.”

Emerging Trends
Sustainability is not the only concept expected to play a key role in packaging innovations in the coming year. In a recent report titled Consumer Packaged Goods Trend Predictions for 2010, market and trend analysis firm Mintel listed several emerging packaging ideas expected to influence the industry in the near future. Among them:

• Symbol Overload — Consumers want to see information on their products, but some forms, such as nutritional facts, come across as confusing or cluttered. For this reason, more manufacturers will introduce simple, clean front-of-package information.
• Local Expands — Buying only local goods may be impractical, but many consumers prefer packaging that signals a product as being from a place that is at least recognizable. As a result, more companies are working to broaden the definition of “local.”
• Simple into Special — More stylish packaging is expected to make purchasing day-to-day goods like juice or soap feel more enjoyable.
• Color-coding — More manufacturers are forecast to apply color-coded packaging to make shopping for retail goods easier.

“Post-recession, we don’t expect manufacturers to reinvent the wheel. Instead, we predict 2010′s new products will give shoppers something familiar paired with something new to better satisfy their needs,” Lynn Dornblaser, new products expert for Mintel, said in an announcement of the findings. “[W]e expect today’s familiar megatrends — health and wellness, convenience, sustainability — to get a fresh, new makeover for 2010.”

Innovation Through Design
Financial concerns remain a high priority for packaging firms, but difficult conditions may also be driving new design trends. According to a September survey from Food Engineering Magazine, 28 percent of packaging companies are introducing new packaging designs and installing new equipment in an effort to increase market share through the downturn.

“A poor economy poses an opportunity for innovative companies to differentiate themselves while the rest of the market is holding back,” the survey says. (See Innovate Through the Downturn)

An ongoing design development involves reducing the amount of secondary packaging, such as over-wrap or excessive packaging film, both for consumer convenience and to save on materials costs. For example, Amazon.com recently added new toys to its “frustration-free” packaging program designed to simplify the difficulty of opening gifts during the holiday season.

Streamlined, clutter-free packaging design is becoming a widespread goal, particularly as companies pay closer attention to consumer needs in a period of reduced demand and spending.

“Package design should start with the realization that ‘clutter’ is the universal reality of the shopping experience. It is necessary to break through the clutter to generate shoppers’ interests, so clean, simple designs are best. Physical packaging that extends usage and stands out will also help keep your brand top of mind,” Shikatani Lacroix DesignLounge explained in a November whitepaper.

Lastly, using “attitudinal” packaging to show that a company has a commitment or purpose beyond simply profiting from its sales is likely to be a key feature of future pack designs.

“[A]s retailers increasingly grow their share of own brand at the expense of rival brands, manufacturers will need to find a purpose beyond price to remain listed by retailers,” the U.K.-based Design Council says. “These two factors point to brands having to use their packs to entertain and ‘jolt’ consumers out of their existing repertoires at point of purchase, and become far more stimulating than simply being a big logo on a box.”

Earlier

Need-to-Know Pack Trends

Less Time to Open, More Time to Enjoy

Innovate Through the Downturn

Resources

Green is Ingrained in Packaging…
by John Kalkowski
Packaging Digest, Nov. 1, 2009

Packaging Trends 2010
The Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute, Nov. 19, 2009

The New [Package] Deal
by Blair Chancey
QSR Magazine, November 2009

Consumer Packaged Goods Trend Predictions for 2010
Mintel, November 2009

Packaging Trends Survey
by Kevin T. Higgins
Food Engineering Magazine, Sept. 1, 2009

Amazon’s Frustration-Free Packaging Program Expands…
Amazon.com, Oct. 1, 2009

Trends in Consumer Packaging
Design Lounge, November 2009

Future Trends for Packaging
by Jonathan Sands
Design Council, 2009