Lisa McTigue Pierce, Executive Editor

May 15, 2019

4 Min Read
6 riveting reads about packaging this spring

Amazon’s refillable packaging for ecommerce cleaners, packaging innovation for Heinz ketchup and new packaging trends we’re seeing are among the top articles read in the month of April 2019, based on high numbers of page views on PackagingDigest.com.

We start from the bottom and work our way up to the #1 reveal…

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6. Evolution of a package: Heinz ketchup

This graphical timeline shows nine packaging developments throughout the life of Heinz ketchup, starting with 1876 and continuing to present day. Quick and easy to read, the history outlines how a major brand owner has leveraged packaging innovations over the years.

NEXT: What is affecting packaging sustainability?

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5. 5 factors affecting sustainable packaging moving forward

Last fall, Transparency Market Research identified these five areas in sustainability that currently affect packaging:

• Increasing environmental concerns and effective regulatory policies implemented by governments will significantly boost demand for eco-friendly packaging in coming years.

• Technological advancements in the production of green packaging materials that reduce harmful gases will fuel the market.

• On the other hand, higher production costs associated with environmentally friendly packaging materials will affect profit margins. This factor may have a negative impact and hinder innovation in the sustainable packaging market in next few years.

• In addition, limited awareness among people regarding types of sustainable packaging has limited its growth. However, concrete steps taken by governments to increase awareness and educate people about the positive effects of green packaging should make a difference.

• According to the regional analysis, the U.S. is leading in sustainable packaging, with numerous companies operating in industrial and manufacturing sectors. Moreover, countries in the Asia Pacific region are also considered as offering lucrative options for the green packaging market.

NEXT: Refillable packaging for Amazon’s private label

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4. Amazon chooses refillable packaging for Clean Revolution

When it comes to the “Rs” of sustainability—reduce, reuse, recycle—reuse has often been the least favored. Not so anymore, as seen with the debut of the Loop reusable packaging shopping platform.

Ecommerce titan Amazon also believes in refillable packaging, having selected the Replenish bottle/pod system for its private label cleaning products. The package reduces the amount of water shipped by 90% and minimizes leaks during shipment, an important feature for the rough-and-tumble small parcel environment where packages could be positioned in any orientation.

NEXT: Another half dozen winning packaging articles

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3. 6 gold-star stories about packaging

Our compilations of the top articles of any given month are often high in the list of best-read articles for the next month, too. That’s the case here. In April 2019, packaging professionals reviewed these top articles from the month before:

1. Nestlé clarifies its sustainable packaging vision

2. Amazon chooses refillable packaging for Clean Revolution (Sound familiar? This was also the fourth best-read article in this list, for the month of April.)

3. Most food cans no longer use BPA in their linings (Spoiler alert! This is also the second best-read article for the month of April. See more on the following page.)

4. Nike’s new green lobster shoe box tests packaging limits

5. How digital healthcare and packaging benefit users

6. 5 packaging trends emerging in 2019

NEXT: Still high interest in BPA

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2. Most food cans no longer use BPA in their linings

This February 2018 article continues to enjoy high readership, even though the news is more than a year old that at least 90% of today’s food cans have replaced linings that previously contained the controversial chemical bisphenol-A (BPA). This old news has made our “top” list for three months so far in 2019 (February, March and now April).

Our packaging community is still discovering it though. The newest reader comment just posted on May 13:

“NPR investigated the BPA alternatives for hardened plastics and the BPA alternatives were shown to leech estrogenic compounds more or less than BPA. ‘BPA free’ is just a marketing scheme because the alternatives are just named differently and expose estrogenic compounds in a similar way to you and your child. Obviously, the plastics industry is not going to do research on the alternative plastics, but use some logic and know that petroleum-based compounds are all bad for living organisms.”

NEXT: What are the new packaging trends?

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1. 5 packaging trends emerging in 2019

With a little more time for sharing and reviewing within our packaging community, this article jumped from #6 in March to #1 in April.

Charles Haverfield, CEO of packaging supplier U.S. Packaging & Wrapping LLC, shares insights into what’s driving these five predictable packaging movements:

1. Flexibility (flexible packaging!)

2. Changes in ecommerce

3. Environmental awareness (sustainability) 

4. Less is more (minimalism)

5. The power of nostalgia (retro designs)

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About the Author(s)

Lisa McTigue Pierce

Executive Editor, Packaging Digest

Lisa McTigue Pierce is Executive Editor of Packaging Digest. She’s been a packaging media journalist since 1982 and tracks emerging trends, new technologies, and best practices across a spectrum of markets for the publication’s global community. Reach her at [email protected] or 630-272-1774.

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