Sustainable Boom in the Packaging Industry
Every time we order food or a new product or anything online, we unintentionally give rise to one of the most underrated business industry - ‘The packaging sector’. India's growth in the packaging industry is projected at a CAGR of 27 per cent from 2017 to 2026 and to reach $200 billion by 2026. It holds immense scope primarily driven by the pharmaceuticals and foods and beverages industries. Huge investments in the food processing, personal care, and pharmaceutical end-user industries are helping in the expansion of the packaging market. India witnessed major innovations, in terms of branding and packaging. For instance, iD Fresh has introduced Smart Sip Tender Coconut and iD Grated Coconut, in innovative eco-friendly packaging. Many popular brands, like Amul, Mother Dairy, Patanjali, and others, use UV-protected films, colour-changing films, and holographic films to reduce the chance of adulterating their products.
As the world is getting more educated there has been an increasing awareness and consciousness by the people towards using environment-friendly products, the packaging industry shifted its gears by bringing a variety of fancy yet environment-friendly trends. Generally, Polyvinyl chloride,the world's third-most widely produced synthetic plastic polymer(PCV) , was being used to manufacture bottles, jars and vials. However as the government started applying the ban and certain norms to be followed to reduce the impact, the manufacturers are trying to shift to Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and High-density polyethylene (HDPE) (lightweight plastics creating a lesser impact). Now, the packaging sector has taken a turn since a few brands have started focussing more branding with their mojo packaging styles, this has led to a bandwagon effect since then.
Growing Demand-
Globalisation has led to increased trading activities, obviously and wherever there are goods to be shipped they need to be packed! So the packaging business can grow from packing daily items to almost anything that needs to be sold. This large scale scope if used by the entrepreneurs venturing into this field with the correct marketing can help them earn fortunes. The people seeking to expand in these fields, as well as the new startups, could rethink packaging design beyond the ordinary must-haves, evaluate the cost, convenience, desirability. Branding with these three simple ways will increase the chances of making your brand more visible -
Firstly, switching towards a sustainable narrative which makes a good impression. Secondly, stepping your design game up- convenient yet innovative designs keeping the growing concern towards hygiene in mind. Lastly, direct-consumer models for e-commerce and shipping purposes.
Let's look at another key phenomenon, living in the 21st century has given rise to the number of single-person households; this is pushing demand for goods packaged in smaller portion sizes. People look for conveniences like resealability or microwavable packaging. Several strategies are advancing to address this, including substituting alternative materials, investing in the development of bio-based plastics, designing the packaging in such a way that it makes recycling easier, and improving recycling and processing of plastic waste.
As we all can guess, China dominates the sector and is the largest manufacturer and exporter of packaging materials and products globally. However the pandemic has adversely affected manufacturing capacity and the isolation of China worldwide initially during the start has led the packaging companies to relook at their supply chains, which is driving their attention towards the second world countries, preferably India.
As we all can guess, China dominates the sector and is the largest manufacturer and exporter of packaging materials and products globally. However the pandemic has adversely affected manufacturing capacity and the isolation of China worldwide initially during the start has led the packaging companies to relook at their supply chains, which is driving their attention towards the second world countries, preferably India.
Rethink Futuristic Designs
Earlier packaging was used to create distinction and increase shelf presence through attractive and easy-to-spot colours, shapes and graphics. But now brands have opted
towards more modernistic looks as the emergence of social media and digital marketing have accelerated the growth in creating ‘aesthetic looks’ for all designs. One important driving factor is; the consumer’s perceptions of both the actual product and brand value depend highly on packaging—both its tactile feel and its look. The need to keep the design choices to not have undesirable indirect consequences—such as increasing food waste, which could have a larger environmental impact than the packaging itself has grown in the past few years. In an interview read online Fox talks about the branding and consumers perceptions of the brand, Fox explains: “There are particular challenges with premium brands and luxury packaging because the natural thing to do is to add embellishments and finishes to raise the perceived value. A lot of the time when that’s done, you’re adding layers to the process, figuratively and literally, that is counterproductive to the sustainability of that pack. When things are over-packaged, that no longer makes people feel good – which is essentially what premium and luxury goods seek to do! For example, I got sent some reference books when we were first in lockdown, and the amount of packaging was shocking. It came in five boxes — and the final box was massive. It made me feel a bit sick. This was especially the case as I thought ‘how am I going to get rid of all of this?’ Hence maintaining the convenience as well as looking for what captivates people.
Lastly, growing concerns about the environment has led brands to follow the circular economy model - A circular economy is an economic system of closed loops in which raw materials, components and products lose their value as little as possible, renewable energy sources are used and systems thinking is at the core. This helps the consumer use their products at the maximum capacity without harming the environment much.