Innovation in Packaging Materials and Technologies
Every time, I am asked about the futuristic innovations and technologies in packaging industry, I give answer differently. There is a reason for this. Innovation can be revolting but it depends on how easy can you adapt it? Hence, answer varies with context and adaptability. How dynamic is your market and your organisation is the key.
Do you remember the term “Chain Reaction”? We used to study that process in our academic years. A Dynamic industry is a perfect example of the chain reaction. One thing leads to another and creates a different situation which can propel new growth in other dimensions. Any change in such market will lead to a situation that trigger the use of next best option.
With 4 books and 17+ years of experience, my tryst with packaging industry is now going ahead in experimental mode. I was never convinced with unexplained technical concepts and hence, writing triggered as my understanding grew.
Let me give you examples of the most crucial aspects of packaging, focusing on the innovations that have revolutionised the situation afterwards.
Shrink sleeves have created a demand that has benefited various industries and ultimately become a basic requirement within a decade.
- Digital print: It is one such innovation that seemed almost impossible a few years ago. Request for mock-ups previously pushed multiple important factors like production of cylinders/plates/test proofs, budgets, and print limits beyond permissible boundaries, posing a huge challenge. The whole procedure used to delay the deadlines by weeks. But now, with digital print, such mock-ups are available within minutes.
- Counterfeit protection: This packaging innovation secures your product from “Me-Too” brands. The market was previously flooded with duplicate and substandard replacement products that defamed the original brand. With counterfeit packaging technology, brands can now secure their products from being replaced by cheap imitations, thereby building consumer trust.
- Decoration: As the market develops, the concepts of design, aesthetics, and semiotics have evolved a lot. Branding plays a pivotal role in packaging design. Decorative elements within these frameworks connect with consumer’s psychology. Special effects like – Gold Finish, Silver finish, Sand, and Soft touch are textures used to highlight specific features of the product through packaging.
- Sustainability: This is an unavoidable topic with a major impact on the world. Discarded plastic has become a nightmare for nature and all living beings. I don’t need to explain the problem, but we can definitely talk about the solution. Sustainability and Recycling are two methods by which the situation can be contained. Using substrates or films that are sustainable or support recycling is the solution that can create a valid change.
- Cost reduction: This is one such criteria which is omnipresent in all industries. Budgeting or Cost-cutting happen in packaging too. Usually, Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) is the one that contributes to the cost. Apart from this aesthetics, substrates, printing quality, and complex shapes add to the cost. Yet, most of these can be managed within the budget through technology. Taurus’ HIP framework is known to provide the fastest and best results within budget.
- Consumer use application: Portable and convenient packaging that is easy to use, interactive packaging like QR codes and RFID tags, sustainable packaging for health and environmental impacts, and smart packaging for food safety are exceptional application-based packaging innovations that reduce consumer inconvenience at certain levels.Above mentioned highlights are the triggered points for more innovation in the packaging industry.