Packaging plays a fundamental role in several business areas: for marketing, packaging is a means of positioning the brand and the product; for product development, it can leverage certain functionality and make it easier to use; For the supply chain professional, packaging must be cost-effective, sourcing available, and strong to ensure product integrity in storage and transit.
In recent years, new market trends, which are born from the growing demands of consumers, have encouraged the packaging market to constantly seek innovations. Some of the main innovations are related to packaging concerns in environmental terms, in the generation and disposal of waste. An innovation that draws attention is the packaging of the Gusto Recipe Box, which goes beyond packaging made from natural or biodegradable products. The company has developed an edible package, which is used in its food kits, similar to the concentrated cubes we use to season food. Made from pea protein, the transparent film can be introduced together with the cube in the preparation of food, which is dissolved and does not generate any alteration in the food.
Figure 1 – Edible packaging, which dissolves in water when using the product. Source: Gousto company website (gousto.co.uk).
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Another important innovation in the use of packaging is related to the development of packaging that allows its reuse, such as returnable containers from the beverage industry presented by Bruno Peixoto in this blog. In other industries, packaging is also being created that allows reuse, as is the case of Happier Beauty, which announced in 2021 the development of a reusable packaging for toothpaste. The company already sold toothpaste in 100% recyclable packaging, made of aluminum and biodegradable plastics, but they took a step further by creating reusable tubes, which allow the reuse of the same dispenser with the insertion of product capsules, which are biodegradable.
Figure 2 – Reusable toothpaste dispenser, by Happier Beauty. Source: Happier Beauty website (happierbeauty.com.
The innovation regarding toothpaste is quite interesting, given that the traditional packaging of these products is difficult to recycle, due to the countless layers that compose it. This is even a characteristic of packaging that has been changing and has also been the focus of innovations in the sector, which is the use of packaging made from a single raw material, given that packaging that has several layers (metallic films coated with plastic films, for example) practically prevent recycling and generate large volumes of waste.
These innovations generate a series of impacts for supply chain professionals and for the supply chain as a whole. Thinking in terms of supplies, the purchasing and sourcing has the challenge of looking for suppliers capable of delivering packages with these new characteristics or creating partnerships for their development, which can increase costs and supply risks, as there will hardly be an abundance of suppliers able to produce these new packages. For production, it will be important to analyze the impacts on production flows, because when there is a change in packaging characteristics, it may be necessary to adapt machines to operate with new formats and weights. For storage and transport, it will be essential to test whether these new packages guarantee the necessary resistance to maintain the integrity of the product during processing operations. picking, movement and transport. Many of these impacts are similar to those addressed by Fernando Chalréo in his recent post on “reduction”.
Still in the wake of the development of new packaging, it is fundamental to structure an efficient reverse logistics, which is capable of properly disposing of the waste generated. In this sense, it is not surprising to note that innovations in relation to the reverse have also been intensely occurring, such as the operation created by the startup Green Mining, which created a technology for reverse logistics that collects post-consumer packaging and introduces it back into the production cycle, with complete waste tracking.
Figure 3 – Startup Green Mining, focused on Waste Reverse Logistics. Source: Company website (greenmining.com.br).
Finally, there are still some companies that have been innovating for some years now by not using packaging in their products, as can be read in article I wrote in 2016 about supermarkets that sell products in bulk, which make their products available without packaging, requiring customers to bring their own containers to purchase the products sold.
The packaging sector will still undergo major innovations to meet market demands. The integration between the different business areas will be a key element for the implementation of these new packages to fulfill its role without affecting the costs and the service offered by the companies.
References:
Supply Chain Digest (17/02/2022) – Six Ways Supply Chains Can Transform Packaging
Economic Value (06/01/2023) - Why recycling plastic in Brazil is like drying ice
Packaging Europe (14/01/2022) – Behind the development of 'the world's first refillable toothpaste dispenser'
The Gousto Blog (11/11/2021) – The World's First Pea-Based Edible Stock Sachets
Packaging World (02/11/2021) – Meal Kit Brand Tests 'World's First' Edible, Dissolvable Flexible Film Made from Pea Protein
Happy – Happier Beauty Launches World's First Reusable Toothpaste Dispenser!
Henry Alvarenga
He has been working in consultancy for 7 years, with experience in more than 20 Demand Planning and S&OP projects, Logistics Network Design, Logistics Master Plan, Inventory Policies, Operations Strategy and Market Intelligence
