The recent series of Vision 2025 focus groups conducted by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, captured an increasingly popular sentiment throughout the packaging community: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” According to input received from more than 58 consumer packaged goods (CPG) professionals, some familiar fundamentals are fueling new approaches to industry challenges. These include changing consumer demands, their impact on the internal production operations of CPG companies and increased collaboration between CPGs and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). These ever-present factors are longtime influencers of change in the packaging sector. However, the resulting solutions feel very fresh.
When we talk about the core fundamentals, what exactly do we mean? Changing consumer demands can refer to several factors. First, increasing calls for greater convenience and dwindling tolerance of delays in gratification continue to create challenges for manufacturers. What do consumers want now? A diversifying range of products, easy-to-use packaging and single servings top the list. As a result of these demands, we’ve seen the rise of the meal kit market, with players like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh offering consumers the experience and nutrition of a homemade meal without the hassle of searching for recipes and shopping for ingredients.