Technological watch
Accelerating packaging innovation cannot come at the cost of ensuring safety.” According to new report
New research from Industrial Physics, a packaging, product, and material test and inspection provider, has highlighted the pressures facing packaging professionals and the risks that cannot be overlooked in the race to innovate. × Industrial physics report The international survey of packaging professionals operating in the consumer goods, food and beverage, and medical and pharmaceutical industries found that an overwhelming majority of packaging decision-makers (96%) believe it is important for companies to explore new packaging developments.
It was revealed that the goals driving change in the sector currently are: waste reduction (57%), reducing the cost of packaging (55%) and sustainability (53%). Steve Davis, Product Line Director at Industrial Physics said in the report: "consumers, and lobby groups that speak for the consumer, are driving the industry toward endlessly recyclable packaging."
In 2022, Industrial Physics released a research report on packaging sustainability*, where manufacturers revealed investment in sustainable packaging was driven by the goal to reduce their environmental footprint (65%), reduce waste (50%), and meet consumer demand (49%). This year’s packaging survey results indicate that waste reduction and sustainability remain defining considerations, with respondents reporting the greatest areas for development in the next five years as: material choice (53%), production processes (51%) and material reduction (49%).
The latest research also uncovered the three biggest challenges faced in packaging innovation in 2023:
Current testing standards High cost of expertise Cost of materials The report explores several key factors that can lead to the development of new packaging without the knowledge or ability to ensure it meets the safety and quality requirements for that sector.
Greg Wright, Chief Commercial Officer at Industrial Physics said: “We have recently seen a dramatic increase in the pace of global packaging innovation. As a result, we have seen the positivity of new entrants and fresh ideas, however, this change has also highlighted the enormous risk we face if challenges vocalised are not addressed properly.”
The research report also includes contributions from experts in the field such as John Blake, Senior Director Analyst in Packaging Engineering and Supply Chain Applications at Gartner, illustrating how the survey results translate into real world examples within a variety of sectors.
Wright continued, “We understand the immense pressure that packaging professionals are facing, navigating sustainable customer preferences, budget restraints and changing legislation, however, accelerating packaging innovation cannot come at the cost of ensuring safety for customers. We undertook this research to explore the challenges in more detail, and highlight how overlooking these in the plight for faster innovation could have a detrimental effect on the packaging industry.”
The research report concludes with opportunities that respondents identified for innovation in the next five years, including:
Wright concluded, “At Industrial Physics, we are really pleased to see the strong appetite for packaging innovation from our latest research. We hope that this report highlights to those in the industry how they can overcome their current challenges and seize the host of opportunities that our industry has to offer in the coming years.”
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It was revealed that the goals driving change in the sector currently are: waste reduction (57%), reducing the cost of packaging (55%) and sustainability (53%). Steve Davis, Product Line Director at Industrial Physics said in the report: "consumers, and lobby groups that speak for the consumer, are driving the industry toward endlessly recyclable packaging."
In 2022, Industrial Physics released a research report on packaging sustainability*, where manufacturers revealed investment in sustainable packaging was driven by the goal to reduce their environmental footprint (65%), reduce waste (50%), and meet consumer demand (49%). This year’s packaging survey results indicate that waste reduction and sustainability remain defining considerations, with respondents reporting the greatest areas for development in the next five years as: material choice (53%), production processes (51%) and material reduction (49%).
The latest research also uncovered the three biggest challenges faced in packaging innovation in 2023:
Greg Wright, Chief Commercial Officer at Industrial Physics said: “We have recently seen a dramatic increase in the pace of global packaging innovation. As a result, we have seen the positivity of new entrants and fresh ideas, however, this change has also highlighted the enormous risk we face if challenges vocalised are not addressed properly.”
The research report also includes contributions from experts in the field such as John Blake, Senior Director Analyst in Packaging Engineering and Supply Chain Applications at Gartner, illustrating how the survey results translate into real world examples within a variety of sectors.
Wright continued, “We understand the immense pressure that packaging professionals are facing, navigating sustainable customer preferences, budget restraints and changing legislation, however, accelerating packaging innovation cannot come at the cost of ensuring safety for customers. We undertook this research to explore the challenges in more detail, and highlight how overlooking these in the plight for faster innovation could have a detrimental effect on the packaging industry.”
The research report concludes with opportunities that respondents identified for innovation in the next five years, including:
- Packaging testing processes and equipment
- Packaging shape
- Package coating
Wright concluded, “At Industrial Physics, we are really pleased to see the strong appetite for packaging innovation from our latest research. We hope that this report highlights to those in the industry how they can overcome their current challenges and seize the host of opportunities that our industry has to offer in the coming years.”
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This project has received funding from the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 837761.
