10 global trends that are shaping the future of packaging

Ten emerging trends will affect the design and development of packaging in the supply chain worldwide, according to Brian Wagner of Packaging Technology Integrated Solutions. Wagner outlined those trends at the 2013 Material Handling and Logistics Conference sponsored by Dematic in Park City, Utah:

1. Emerging markets. With 70 percent of world growth expected to come from emerging markets, companies will have to optimize package designs for non-Western countries.
2. Big science. Advances in scientific knowledge will lead to new substrates. Nanotechnology, for example, will allow packagers to simplify material, going from seven to possibly two layers to achieve the same package functionality.
3. Demanding consumers. Packaging will have to provide more details to consumers who use smartphones to obtain product information. Conductive inks will be used to print information that can be relayed via radio signal to a smartphone.
4. Environmental concerns. The continuing emphasis on sustainability is pushing companies to develop new substrates for packaging, such as bio-based material or alternatives to petroleum-based materials.
5. More legislative oversight. Governments at all levels are enacting packaging regulations, creating a complex web of rules covering everything from labeling to disposal.
6. Developments in neuroscience. Neuroscientific insights into personal behavior will allow packaging to be targeted more precisely to consumers' needs.
7. A riskier world. Increasing product and safety risk puts pressure on packaging to ensure safe food, high-integrity materials, and tamperproof goods.
8. New retail models. Because products ordered online vary in size and shape, Internet retailers will be challenged to find standard, common sizes for their packages.
9. The rise of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries. The growing middle class in those countries will lead to more worldwide competition for the resources used to make packaging.
10. Innovative designs. Packagers will develop special designs whose look and shape will provide a competitive advantage for their brands.