What exactly does it mean? That’s what I asked myself recently when I was at the Automate Show in Chicago. Let’s explore this buzzword.

While the growth in online purchasing drives changes from product design, to package changes, picking, fulfilling and shipping, product protection stands alone as the main issue, according to the E-Commerce: Think Inside the Box report by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.

Milk (cow, sheep, goat and butter) and other liquid dairy products like coffee creamer and other creams, are still holding strong even though nut and other plant-based milks have made the dairy case competitive.

It is obvious that the packaging world is taking sustainability in packaging — as well as operations — seriously. The numerous brands, retailers, suppliers and packaging companies that continue to change practices as well as offer lighter, recycled or reusable materials attest to it. But is it enough?

Growing desire to reduce the depletion of natural resources, non-renewable energy sources and rainforests is pushing manufacturers toward more environmentally friendly packaging solutions.

If you are regular reader of this column, you are likely aware of the competitive advantages provided by PackML in August’s “Get Ready for IIoT: 5 Reasons to Implement PackML Now.” Your company may even be planning to implement PackML. So where do you start?

Robots have done — and will continue to do — wonders for the labor force, in terms of helping relieve repetitive work and more mundane tasks for workers. But are we taking too many jobs away from people?

“You want to do what? With whom?” Those were some of the first questions asked when I suggested we host a farm and canning facility tour for a group of skeptical online influencers.

In the world of packaging, data is the key to increasing efficiency and cutting expenses to create the most profitable product. Reacting quickly to machine shutdowns, supply chain issues and safety events gets our plants back to what they are supposed to be doing: making the product.

I find myself looking at packaging, even if the item isn’t on my list. I do an overall look just to see if any new packaging has come out. This includes the packaging, the price, the product (especially food, meat, dairy) and most recently, the level of commitment a brand has to the environment. Can I recycle the packaging once the product is gone?