The leaders of the pack
What’s popular within packaging?
To understand what food and beverage packaging formats are most popular among consumers, we first need to look at the factors and trends that have the most impact on what consumers want.
Sustainability continues to rank as a major influencer when it comes to packaging, with consumers’ top concerns in this category related to hygiene, food safety and shelf life. Other focus areas include ease of use, durability, information included on the label, environmental impact, appearance, and recyclability.
The shape of packaging
When you consider all the factors involved in the consumer decision making process, what does that mean in terms of the type of packaging we’re seeing today? Paper and paperboard packaging, admired for being versatile, strong and sustainable, remains a popular choice for dry foods, while liquid paperboard is growing in popularity for shelf-stable aseptic products.
In addition, the food and beverage industry is also experiencing an ongoing rise in demand for spouted pouches, with the benefits they offer including portability, customization, a lower environmental footprint, and cost efficiency.
What the industry is serving up
Aseptic carton packs and spouted pouches are popular formats for both manufacturers and consumers. But what are manufacturers doing to differentiate their offerings, and what trends are we seeing emerge? On an aesthetic level, bright colors and eye-catching fonts are becoming more popular. At the same time, consumers are on the lookout for packaging that is simple and minimal; characteristics they tend to associate with sustainability and transparency.
Unpacking SIG’s portfolio
Our range of packaging solutions is designed to cover all the trends and topics shaping the food and beverage industry – while helping manufacturers expand their portfolios to better meet consumer demand. For example, with our aseptic and retortable carton packs, manufacturers can package food and beverages in a very safe manner while reducing food waste.
Furthermore, as a leading provider of packaging solutions, we’ve dedicated ourselves to creating packaging that’s not only good for society, but for the environment – with our industry-leading SIG Terra range featuring the world’s first aluminum-layer-free aseptic carton packing material linked to 100% renewable, forest-based materials. And we’re continuing to push the boundaries, with a 2030 goal to take things even further by developing a full-barrier, aluminum-layer-free aseptic packaging structure with a minimum 90% paper content.
In the sixth and final part of Food for thought, we’ll present our key takeaways from the entire series. Join us for a look back and follow along with other discussions by subscribing to our bi-weekly SIG newsletter.
- April 04, 2024
Innovation and partnership to improve global food access
The matter of functionality
