Softly does it

24 October 2016



Softly does it


Softly does it

With a volume of 1.8 trillion litres in 2016, the non-alcoholic beverage market is big news. Canadean helps Packaging Today track innovation in beverage packaging, and asks what’s on the horizon for this colossal sector.

The non-alcoholic drinks market is diverse and enormous, but is unified by underlying packaging trends. For the most part, these are concerned with health, responsibility in development, and ensuring that products work as they are supposed to.

Otsuka Pharmaceuticals is best known for Pocari Sweat, a performance drink that replenishes electrolytes and ions lost through perspiration. The Japanese firm has just re-invented the beverage as a jelly, its first new form of product since 1980, and a potentially major packaging breakthrough.

“Edible hydration is designed for those who fail to hydrate, despite understanding the performance benefits of fluid and ion replenishment before exercise,” says public relations spokeswoman, Miwa Oshio. “By offering the functional benefits of Pocari Sweat in a jelly, Otsuka Pharmaceuticals aims to pioneer a new category in the market for replenishment products.

“According to multiple athletic associations, such as the International Association of Athletics Federations and the American College of Sports Medicine, appropriate fluid replenishment before exercise is vital for optimum performance. This product is aimed at those who understand the importance of fluid and ion replacement, but are not doing so before exercise. Edible hydration means that the product is fast absorbed, and reduces the time between consumption and supporting performance.”

The Pocari Sweat innovation is an insight into the Japanese perspective on packaging. “The main trend we are seeing is an increased use in plastic bottles and their waste reduction. There has also been growth in powders that are diluted with water, giving consumers the chance to prepare their drinks to fit their personal requirements, and the use of pouches, reducing waste and making the jelly product easy to carry, dispense and store away for the next time,” Oshio explains. “The full range comes in many different sizes and packaging formats, but the most popular for consumers on the move are 500ml and 900ml bottles, and 750ml sachets of powder. The jelly comes in a stand-up pouch that, when finished, packs completely flat, making it easy to dispose of.”

 

Drink yourself fit

Sports drink giant Gatorade recently unveiled its new Smart System. Designed in conjunction with the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI), this squeeze bottle integrates a proprietary hydration-tracking technology that measures and records an athlete’s fluid consumption during training and competition. Weigh-in scales are used to measure sweat loss, and this information, plus all tracking data, is transmitted wirelessly to a central system.

“Personalisation is everywhere, and the key for Gatorade was how to combine technology and advanced packaging techniques and products to provide a smart and effective experience, not only for athletes, but also for all active people, no matter what their goals or aspirations,” says Toby Wingfield, global R&D packaging director for Gatorade. “Being able to customise a hydration process is potentially game-changing, and Gatorade is very pleased to have found a way to merge technology, packaging, innovation and engagement into one platform.”

Another fertile area of innovation concerns bottles made from biomass-derived plastics.

Suntory’s recent strategic partnership with Anellotech will focus on developing ways to use bioplastics for brands including Lucozade. Suntory currently uses 30% plant-derived materials for its mineral water products, and hopes its collaboration will result in totally ‘bio’ bottles.

“Focusing on developing materials to replace petroleum in making everyday consumer products expands Suntory’s commitment to reducing the environmental burden of beverage packaging, including reduction of CO2 greenhouse gas emissions,” says the firm’s head of packaging material development Munehiko Takada. “Suntory is pleased with the progress Anellotech and its industry-leading partners have made, which gives Suntory confidence in its ability to develop and commercialise a sustainable and cost-effective process for producing bio-based aromatics.”

 

Healthy fizz

Big moves are also being made in carbonated soft drinks (CSDs). Chief among them is movement from ‘classic’ ubiquitous fizzy drinks. Pepsi, Coca Cola and Dr Pepper and others are seeing their volumes tumble as consumers demand a wider choice of flavours and shy away from perceived ‘bad’ ingredients. Zero-calorie drinks are popular, but the focus is now shifting to reducing or removing sugar.

Carbonates have benefitted hugely from making health claims, with ‘organic’, ‘no artificial colour’, and ‘no artificial flavour’ the three most common in launches between October and December 2015, with ‘natural’, ‘no preservatives’, and ‘no artificial sweetener’ also common, alongside newer examples such as ‘no gluten’ and ‘made with fermented ingredients’.

Health-oriented recent launches include Bionade, which is an organic soft drink made from fermented raw natural ingredients, which are claimed to have detoxifying and probiotic benefits. Fever-Tree, meanwhile, promotes its organic credentials by avoiding all artificial ingredients, and naturally flavoured Honest Fizz products avoid GMO, caffeine and gluten.

Beyond this, adults are also now able to opt for ‘grown-up’ (alcoholic) versions of drinks that have traditionally been soft, with the rise of ‘hard soft drinks’ that bridge the gap between soft drinks and alcoholic beverages.

 

Crafty move

Consumers value products that are distinct from the mass market and exude superior quality through unique flavours, natural premium ingredients and artisanal production techniques. ‘Craft’ carbonated soft drinks have the potential to capitalise on this sentiment, with products that play on ‘authenticity’ and small-batch quality to mark them out as more sophisticated than regular soft drinks.

Orangina, for example, has announced plans to reposition itself as a premium adult drink. Its new marketing campaign foregrounds the firm’s French heritage and its PET bottles have been redesigned to “exude a more premium feel” that will help position Orangina  as a “vibrant brand for millennials”, according to Satvinder Dhillon, Lucozade Ribena Suntory’s head of packaging development.



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