Top 4 Trends in Sustainable Packaging and Their Effect on Consumer Demands

Packaging is essential to launch and market eco-friendly products for all industries, from food and drinks to fashion and construction. Therefore, focusing on sustainable and eco-friendly packaging options is one of the ways for companies to become more eco-friendly and respond to their eco-conscious consumers' demands. 

Sustainable packaging is defined as packaging that has a minimal impact on the environment and is recyclable, biodegradable, or compostable. By embracing sustainable packaging practices, companies can reduce their environmental impact, improve their brand reputation, and appeal to the growing number of environmentally conscious consumers worldwide.

As environmental concerns continue to grow, the packaging industry is increasingly moving towards sustainability and constantly searching for more innovative and sustainable ways of packaging. In this blog post, we will discuss the top trends expected to shape the sustainable packaging landscape in 2023 and why your business should consider adopting sustainable packaging solutions. Keep reading to discover how serious consumers' eco-friendly product demands are and how to respond to them with suitable packaging alternatives. 

1. Lightweight Packaging

As the name suggests, lightweight packaging aims to reduce product packaging weight. It is considered one of the most effective packaging methods and is highly popular in sustainable packaging due to its advantages. Lightweighting helps companies improve their resource and energy consumption by reducing the material used for packaging.

However, lightweight packaging comes with its own challenges, such as calculating the optimum weight required for packaging a product. Companies must address and find ways to overcome these challenges before fully embracing the method. For lightweight packaging, it is crucial to have the optimum weight of material or packaging that will not compromise the product's integrity. No matter how light your packaging is, it should protect the product in the best possible way and ensure safe delivery to the endpoint. A trusted partner could help you determine the material's accurate weight or if the packaging will be too light. When done right, lightweight packaging can effectively address waste management and contribute to a more sustainable future.

2. Minimalist Packaging Design

Minimalist packaging refers to using fewer materials than the originally-sized packaging and reducing the packaging size. Minimalist packaging, also known as downsizing, includes taking a minimalist approach to product and packaging design to simplify it. 

Minimalist packaging design helps companies reduce waste and eventually reduce their negative environmental impact. Minimalist packaging is a good option for manufacturers with limited shelf space and companies who market products that can degrade quickly because of the perishable ingredients. 

One thing to note about minimalist package design is that it can be frustrating for consumers to receive less product due to the smaller package size. So, rather than considering minimalist packaging as a blanket solution, it is better to determine which products can be packaged using this method without annoying customers, while still helping you to decrease package waste. There are various methods for sustainable packaging for products unsuitable for minimalist packaging.

3. Biodegradable Packaging

Biodegradable packaging is another trend in sustainable packaging that started dominating the industry in 2023. Biodegradable packaging suggests packaging made from materials that can decompose naturally in the environment without creating extra waste and pollution. The most known materials used in biodegradable packaging are cornstarch and cellulose. However, mushrooms and seaweed have recently been used by companies for producing their packaging materials. Using materials from natural organisms such as crops and algae can help companies to decrease the production of chemicals, biofuels, and plastics and help companies minimize their environmental impact.

Biodegradable packaging is expected to become a significant trend in the packaging industry as more packaging companies are investing in research and development to create innovative biodegradable packaging solutions that are cost-effective and can meet the needs of consumers.

4. Refillable Packaging

Refillable packaging has been a trendy solution for longer than any of the solutions above. The trend started with the use of cotton reusable bags while shopping. With the launch of eco-friendly coffee shops and co-working spaces promoting and selling cleaning products and food items like grains, the refill concept followed.

With refillable packaging, brands can refurbish or re-manufacture when the consumer returns the empty packaging or allow them to use the same packaging for their next purchase, as in the case of refill concept shops. Refillable packaging enables customers to use the same packaging repeatedly and reduces the need for new packaging. 

Refillable packaging offers a solution for consumers and companies to reduce their environmental impact with minimal effort. Opting for refillable packaging and adopting refill programs are super handy and accessible for companies and customers alike.

It also helps both sides with cost savings. When using refillable packaging, businesses don't need to produce as much packaging as they used to, and it reduces the waste and energy required to manufacture new packaging. Customers can return their original plastic packaging for a refill at a discounted price.

How serious are consumers' eco-friendly products demands?

Increasing and deepening with the pandemic, consumers have become more eco-conscious and demand more sustainable options. According to PwC's June 2021 Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey, half of all global consumers surveyed say they've become even more eco-friendly. The same survey suggests that eco-friendly consumerism is here to stay. 

Although business leaders and analysts have been pondering which of the consumer behaviors accelerated by the pandemic will persist, deepen and require action from their side all over the world, a recent report produced by First Insight and the Baker Retailing Center at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania found a significant disconnect between senior retail leaders and consumers exists when it comes to sustainability. 

The sustainability imperative has been driven primarily by the consumer, however, the customer side is only one side of the story. To make a real change, companies, retailers, and manufacturers should be paying attention to their customers' growing demand for eco-friendly products. 

Why should my business consider sustainable packaging? 

Regarding ever-evolving ecological concerns, by adopting sustainable packaging practices companies can improve their brand image and meet the growing demand for eco-friendly products among consumers. This can lead to increased customer loyalty and higher sales as more people become aware of the importance of sustainable packaging and actively seek out products that align with their values.

Sustainable packaging eliminates the adverse ecological effect of traditional packaging materials. For example, plastic can take hundreds of years to decompose, leading to a buildup of waste in landfills and oceans. Traditional packaging can have severe environmental consequences such as pollution, ecosystem damage, and biodiversity loss. 

Sustainable packaging is designed to be biodegradable, compostable, or recyclable, reducing the amount of waste that ends up in the environment. In addition, sustainable packaging helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other negative environmental impacts associated with the production and disposal of traditional packaging materials. If you are not sure where to start with sustainable packaging, check out Intengine's blog for more articles about sustainable and eco-friendly packaging and find experts in your sector by using Intengine's packaging directory that can help you with eco-friendly packaging alternatives with their sector-specific knowledge and expertise.

Tags: sustainable packaging, lightweight packaging, biodegradable, refill, minimalist packaging