How has packaging evolved over the last 20 years?

Since its humble beginnings as a simple means to protect food and keep it fresh, packaging has developed and changed to play a much more important role in many ways. For example, it now offers a whole host of other purposes including branding and usability instructions, and exciting designs to increase sales. Nowadays, the main goal of packaging is indeed to sell the item and create a brand identity that consumers will feel comfortable with.

Companies tirelessly review and renew their packaging, investing large amounts of capital into the process and developing the way that products are packaged. Over the last 20 years, different factors have caused packaging to change.

Packaging Design

Perhaps one of the most important considerations of modern day packaging is the design. It is imperative for companies to be able to provide a product that is packaged in a well-designed way that is impressive to the customer. This necessity has facilitated the advancement of packaging technologies.

In addition to allowing more colorful and complex designs to become more easily viable, packaging technological advances have also allowed for unique and modern shapes to be easily made. Forming shoulders are able to assist with creating intriguingly shaped packaging that was simply unavailable from 10 to 20 years ago.

Wastage

Towards the end of the 20^th century, studies and surveys across the globe found troubling and concerning wastage figures that saw packaging materials being wasted during the manufacturing stage, and also that poor quality packaging was leading to product wastage. This was of particular concern in Russia, where 70% of potatoes and over half of all fresh fruit was being wasted because of this reason. Modern manufacturing processes, including the use of advanced equipment such as formers and forming tubes, have resulted in even less wastage.

Environmental Considerations

Closely linked to wastage, the packaging industry has also been affected by environmental concerns. Not only does this fuel the desire to keep wastage at a minimum, it also has led to further considerations such as materials used. As a result, many foods now come in recyclable packaging, or packaging which is made from already recycled materials. This in turn has had an effect on packaging design, as most products now come with clear instructions on how the materials can be disposed of or recycled in the most ethical and environmentally friendly manner.

Health and Nutrition Information

Another key change to packaging over the past 20 years has been the nutritional information that is present on food products. Public health concerns and new legal requirements have led to the inclusion of such information on packaging. As a result, not only does this conform to legislation, it also becomes part of a brand’s market placement.

As a matter of fact, more and more companies are now including their health and nutrition information in a prominent place on their packaging in order to attract more sales.

Sources:

http://www.kenrayglobal.com/two-decades-of-change-in-the-packaging-industry/

http://www.packagingoftheworld.com/2013/08/how-has-packaging-developed-over-last.html

https://medium.com/digital-packaging-experiences/the-evolution-of-packaging-57259054792d#.71kknqdxc

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