Top brands use their product packaging to engage with consumers daily. In a world where competition for consumers’ ever-shortening attention spans is high, brands need to find new ways to stand out and stay relevant. Product manufacturers are constantly searching for the latest in innovative package design and sustainable options without sacrificing quality while keeping costs low. Finding that balance can be a challenge, but the latest flexible packaging options can help.

Driven by consumer demand for environmental sustainability, food safety and freshness, and producer requirements for cost efficiency, innovative design, and a holistic, tailored process, the following trends are set to dominate the flexible packaging industry in 2017:

Flexible Packaging For Customer Convenience

As consumers’ lives become increasingly hectic, people don’t have as much time to cook meals from scratch, opting instead for convenient, ready-made meals. Demand for pre-packaged options such as meat, fish and poultry, frozen foods, and partially-baked bakery products is on the rise—and that means demand for innovative flexible packaging options has also increased. This means the future of flexible packaging will require more options that have modified atmosphere for baked goods, or better heat-resistant packaging for microwaves and ovens.

Flexible packaging options such as Emmerson Packaging’s MicroPack™ microwaveable packaging is the ultimate for convenient frozen food. It allows for frozen vegetables to be effortlessly steam-cooked in a microwave without the need to remove them from the package. Consumers can enjoy a healthy, nutritious meal in a matter of minutes, which is a massive advantage for families today.

Flexible Packaging For Food Safety & Freshness

In addition to increased consumer demand for ready-made products, people also want reassurance that what they’re eating is fresh and safe. As grocery costs increase, consumers want packaging that keeps foods fresh for longer, thus reducing waste and ultimately allowing them to keep their grocery spending in check.

Technological advancements in flexible packaging production have resulted in films that allow for more barrier options to keep food fresher longer. These new films provide producers with a significant advantage over glass or metal packaging—which does not allow for customization of barrier protection. Flexible packaging thicknesses can be custom-designed for all types of products allowing for barrier protection against moisture and oxygen that is appropriate to your individual products.

Sustainable Packaging Trends

Ask any consumer whether environmental protection is important to them and it’s highly likely they’ll say “yes”. A recent Nielsen study found that the millennial generation is the most willing to pay extra for sustainable offerings—almost three out of four respondents agreed. Less waste, cleaner air, and smarter energy usage, however, is something we all strive for.

Emmerson Packaging continues to take eco-friendly, sustainable packaging to new heights. With products like SmartPack™, produced with an award-winning, environmentally friendly process & SmartPack-BDG™, a fully biodegradable package solution, leaving behind only methane gas and biomass, we’re fully committed to our green operations.

In fact, Emmerson Packaging was the first flexible packaging company in North America to achieve the ISO-14001 Environmental Management designation and we continue to identify opportunities to minimize our environmental footprint on a daily basis. Since the year 2000, per foot shipped, Emmerson Packaging has:

• Reduced our residual solid waste by 87%
• Lowered our water usage more than 78%
• Reduced electricity usage by 41%
• Reduced VOC emissions by over 55%
• Became a certified SGP Printer

Flexible Packaging For Pet Foods

Consumer spending on pet products is increasing year-over-year. The most recent StatsCan figures on pet food sales in Canada predicts that dog food alone will be a $1.28 billion dollar industry by 2020. Pets are considered part of the family, and as such, people want to ensure they’re feeding Buster the best they can afford. With respect to pet food packaging, consumers want the same qualities they do for their own food; reassurance that the food will stay fresh, and that the packaging is environmentally friendly and strong.

Our PetPack-BDG™ product meets all of these requirements—it’s completely biodegradable and shelf-stable, even for moist or wet pet foods. It has been rigorously tested to ensure that there are no toxic materials associated with it, thoroughly tested for palatability by a third party, and has been created only from materials known to be fully biodegradable.

Holistic Processes & Innovation With Flexible Packaging

In order for producers to meet these consumer demands and bring forward the best possible products to market, they require the latest in flexible packaging innovations. Whether it be a unique shape, closure or spout, premium-quality graphics to stand out on the shelf, or freshness indicators that tell consumers if a product has seen better days, flexible package companies need to be ready for any request.

Successful executions require a holistic approach, and packaging executions need to be considered at the earliest stages of product development. While product and packaging integration has been a part of many conversations in the last few years, this is not a new concept. Emmerson Packaging has been partnering with companies in this way since 1956. Whatever is required, whether it be product planning, research, development, design or shipping & distribution, we are able to provide complete packaging solutions for whatever our customers’ needs are. Our team is committed to ensuring that all packaging is tailored perfectly to the product it holds.

Learn More about Flexible Packaging

Flexible packaging is the most economical method to package, distribute and preserve food, beverages and other consumables. It meets increasing consumer demand for safety, freshness and environmental sustainability while simultaneously meeting producer demand for cost-efficiency, tailoring and innovation.

The flexible packaging market is set to grow steadily in 2017 and beyond. If you’re ready to learn more about premium products like Emmerson Packaging’s SmartPack™, SmartPack-BDG™ and PetPack-BDG™, our Project Central Team is waiting to talk to you. Click here to chat with them today!