“At the beginning of the pandemic, we thought there would be a slowdown in demand or action on sustainability,” Recalled Rebecca Casey, senior vice president of marketing and strategy at TC Transcontinental Packaging, during a panel discussion at the 2021 Annual Conference on Plastic Caps and Seals. But that didn’t happen at the flexible packaging maker.
“When we look at our innovation pipeline, we find that most of the projects are around sustainability,” she said during a panel discussion at the 2021 Annual Conference on Plastic Caps and Seals. ”We see big trends here, and we’re going to continue to see that develop.”
For flexible packaging maker ProAmpac, Darius has put some customers on hold on packaging innovation to focus on crisis management, said Sal Pelingera, vice president of global applications and innovation at the company’s Center for Collaboration and Innovation.
“Some progress had to stop and they had to focus on feeding and supplying people,” he said during the panel discussion.
But at the same time, the epidemic has also brought opportunities for enterprises to adapt to the market environment.
“We’ve also seen a big increase in e-commerce. Many people are now switching from direct shopping to online shopping. This has in some ways led to the replacement of hard packaging with lots of soft packaging and suction bags, “Pelingella said at a conference.
“So for omnichannel and retail products, now we’re moving more of our retail products into e-commerce. And the packaging is different. So whatever you can do to reduce the voids in filler packaging to reduce breakage and reduce the number of packages shipped, flexible packaging is excellent at that, “he said.
The picture
Image: From ProAmpac
The shift to e-commerce has led to ProAmpac’s increased interest in flexible packaging.
Flexible packaging can reduce material use by 80 to 95 per cent, says Mr Pelingera.
Concerns about virality have also led to the use of more packaging in some apps, which has made some customers feel more comfortable shopping.
“You’re going to see more packaging, and consumers are more willing to see packaged products. In general, the pandemic has created a lot of problems, especially for the workforce. But it has also led to significant growth and a greater focus on our core business and how we can do more to support new growth areas like e-commerce, “Mr. Pelingella said.
Alex Heffer is the chief revenue officer of Hoffer Plastics in South Elgin, Illinois. As the pandemic hit, he saw an “explosion” of disposable bottle caps and accessories.
This trend began before the pandemic, but has intensified since the spring of 2020.
“The trend I see is that American consumers are more health-conscious in general. Therefore, more attention is paid to carrying healthy packaging on the road. Before the pandemic, this kind of portable product was absolutely ubiquitous, but I think it’s increasing as kids go back to school, “Hofer said.
He also sees more consideration of flexible packaging in market segments traditionally served by hard packaging. ”There is a trend to be more open to flexible packaging. I don’t know if it’s COVID-19 related or if it’s market saturation, but it’s a trend we’re seeing, “Hofer said.
Post time: Mar-08-2022