Sustainability, ecommerce and packaging design dominate in 2017

At the mid-point of the year, three top packaging issues emerge and converge: sustainability, ecommerce and packaging design trends.

This is based on the top five articles of the year so far, based on total number of article page views on PackagingDigest.com from Jan. 1, 2017, to June 30.

We regularly look back at the top articles of the previous month to see and report on what topics resonate with our global packaging community. But at the end of six months (photo above designed by Freepik), we decided to review the hot issues of the year so far as a way to track current trends—and perhaps to see any anomalies or emerging subjects.

What we see evolving is how the key packaging issues of the day converge more than ever before. Can you talk about packaging design without mentioning sustainability? You could, but to many packaging people, you shouldn’t because one is too closely entwined with the other.

It’s a good thing, then, that Packaging Digest actively presents insights into Sustainable Packaging, Packaging Design and Ecommerce Packaging—including these five articles that you’ve found most interesting over the last six months, starting with No.5 and working our way up to the No.1 article of the year (so far):

5. The sustainability of ecommerce packaging is in question

Does ecommerce generate more packaging waste than traditional retail distribution? Packaging Digest interviewed the authors of a new whitepaper published by environmental and policy packaging group AMERIPEN to get some answers. They identified five opportunities for packaging improvements and concluded: “[O]ptimizing packaging for ecommerce may very well look different than design for traditional retail, due to the different demands of the respective distribution chains.

“Opportunities to invest in further development of the packaging supply chain for e-commerce and subsequently omni-commerce scan the breadth of distribution channel and solutions will come only through industry collaboration and transparency.”

This is the same conclusion a packaging executive at Amazon has come to, too. Read on!

NEXT: Packaging design trends from snack king Mondelēz

4. 4 snacking trends and their packaging implications, from Mondelez innovator Gil Horsky

Gil Horsky (pictured), global innovation head from chocolate, biscuit, candy and gum brands powerhouse Mondelēz Intl., pinpoints four snacking trends that packaging designers can leverage to create product/package combinations that win consumers over. He gives additional insight into each of these four trends:

1. Mission Nutrition: From the addition of functional ingredients to catering for health conditions and intolerances, snack companies must meet consumers’ wellness agenda.

2. Pure Pleasure: From chocolate inhalers to lollipop cakes, clever producers are turning “snacks” into “experiences” that enliven and enrich.

3. Social Snacks: Consumers don’t want to snack alone. Sharing and personalization can turn snacking into a social activity.

4. Instant Everywhere: Buy-on-the-go lifestyles demand new retail and vending formats that make snack buying instant, affordable and fun.

NEXT: Keeping an eye on new sustainable packaging materials

3. 5 exciting, emerging sustainable packaging materials to watch in 2016

Shane Bertsch, vp of innovation at HAVI Global Solutions (HGS), thought these five emerging materials deserved attention because of their sustainable advantages. Many packaging professionals agreed, keeping this article, which was posted in February 2016(!), at No.3 for the first half of 2017.

1. Sustainable aqueous barrier coatings;

2. Molded fiber printing;

3. Light weight insulation;

4. Micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC) specialty fiber;

5. Micro-pattern material enhancement.

NEXT: Amazon leads for ecommerce packaging

2. Amazon on creating ecommerce packaging that’s great for all: customers, companies and the environment

Within two days of posting our exclusive interview with Brent Nelson, Amazon’s senior manager, worldwide packaging, Customer Packaging Experience (CPEX), the article skyrocketed to the top for the month…and then stayed in the top list for the next two months, too. So we were not surprised to see it so high up in our six-month list at the No.2 position.

In this article, Nelson talks about why sustainable packaging is important to Amazon, identifies some of the trials and opportunities—and how they will/might be solved. He also challenges packaging designers to innovate: “The time is now to reimagine packaging to enable companies to thrive in an ecommerce business model,” Nelson says. “Our commitment is to drive adoption of right-sized, minimal packaging that protects against damage and is made from environmentally responsible materials.”

NEXT: A delicious package that designers still think is sweet

1. Decadent Delici dessert packaging designed for Costco

Stories about the development of new packages always do well with our global packaging community. Who doesn’t like to see examples of innovative designs?! Well, we wrote about the new package for Delici back in April 2016, and it is still satisfying you. We’ve referred to this article in other articles since then, too. And each time we’ve provided a link to it, the clicks just keep on coming.

Transparent packaging helps sell this delicious looking dessert. Justin Johnson, principal of design firm More Branding (which did the design), explains, “The chilled product is a beautifully layered and luxuriously presented single-serve dessert glass. The visual beauty of the dessert flavors drove the engineering and design of the package.”

Johnson also tells us that the heavyweight glass cups selected for Delici’s premium positioning are reused by consumers. Sustainability!