In 2014, we saw a large number of brands experimenting with and adopting flexible packaging to market their goods. Flexible packaging has an association – one that isn't necessarily deserved, as we'll see later in this piece – with being environmentally friendly and is often cheaper to produce than traditional packaging, so it's very likely that this trend will continue in 2015 and beyond.
So-called eco refill packs, popular among coffee manufacturers, may use less packaging but the fact that foil can't be reused at all recycling plants complicates matters slightly. Materials like glass and cardboard can widely be recycled, sometimes even in a closed loop–meaning that it can be recycled endlessly with no reduction in quality. Of course, there is still a cost–both financial and to the environment–associated with transporting the materials, powering recycling plants and so on.