Speaking at the Thin Wall Packaging conference in Cologne, early December, Linpac Packaging innovation manager Ben Elkington has said packaging manufacturers must acknowledge and respond to the ‘rise of the consumer’ and the growing trend of ethical consumerism if they are to remain competitive.
During his talk ‘Packaging for the Consumer of Tomorrow’, Elkington said changing social demographics, emerging markets and new technology would all impact upon packaging design in the future.
“It is impossible to predict what the future looks like but we can identify trends which indicate possibilities and potential,” said Elkington.
“The growth of emerging markets – the E7 countries of China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Indonesia and Turkey; the increase in middle class consumers particularly in Asia but declining disposable income in western economies; an ageing population and an increase in smartphone ownership and mobile broadband, will all have a role to play in what consumers look for in the grocery store and how they go about their shopping.”
“We are facing some very savvy shoppers who are demanding more from retailers and manufacturers,” he continued.
“They want convenience, high quality products and service and are thinking ‘green’.”
Examples of the likely effects on packaging in the future included, said Elkington:
- Ageing population would lead to a need for larger fonts, improved ease of access and smaller meal portions
- Recession-hit convenience shoppers will look for re-sealable packs to reduce food waste and offer better value for money
- The spread of wealth, or reduction thereof, will lead to more ‘tiering’ of product ranges, bringing ‘good-better-best’ labelling into practice
- Pressure on resources will lead to a greater pressure on costs for raw materials but increase consumer demand for more sustainable, environmentally-friendly packs
Part of the Linpac group of companies and based in West Yorkshire, UK, Linpac Packaging is a manufacturer of primary fresh food packaging with a network of 16 manufacturing sites and 23 sales operations servicing 37 countries.
Linpac Rfresh MB split pack
