The Future of Packaging Trends

There’s more to packaging than getting your goods from A to B in one piece. Driven by consumer demand, sustainable packaging should now be a key consideration for every e-commerce business. Then there are the latest innovations in technology – like smart labelling – that can help you track a package on its journey. Read on as we dive into all things packaging.  

Sustainable Packaging Trends

Businesses which adopt sustainable packaging will minimise their impact on the environment, improve their brand image, and reduce their costs.

Eco-conscious consumers are driving much of the trend – 82% would be willing to pay more for sustainable packaging¹.

Eco-Friendly Packaging Materials

Plastic can take anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose², but these materials provide a sustainable alternative:

Reusable Packaging

Within supply chains, reusable shipping containers (and totes, bins and pallets) provide many benefits to businesses:

• they’re made from robust materials, ensuring a long lifespan
  
• they’re designed for optimal loading and stacking
  
• they can be shared with others for cost-efficiency
  
• they integrate with track and trace technology to give shippers greater visibility
  
• as they’re shared, empty return runs are avoided, thus reducing empty transport miles
  

At the consumer end, there are several reusable packaging models:

Return of packaging: consumers return their empty packaging to a brand to be cleaned and reused or recycled.

Refill at home: consumers keep their refillable containers and are sent refills via a subscription service.

Refill on the go: consumers refill their reusable containers via an in-store dispensing system.

The global reusable and refillable packaging market is expected to grow by over US$7 billion by 2029⁴, driven by demand from consumers for more sustainable options. 

Plastic-Free Packaging

The world produces 141 million tonnes of plastic packaging a year⁵ – much of which will end up in landfill where it takes hundreds of years to break down. But there are some innovative alternatives:

Plastic six-pack rings have been known to strangle marine life. But in the US, Saltwater Brewery⁶ instead uses a compostable material made from barley and wheat remnants.

Notpla⁷, has developed an interesting alternative to plastic water bottles – an edible water “bubble” with a seaweed casing that users can consume whole. 

Paper Packaging

Paper and cardboard form a key part of e-commerce packaging, and provide a sustainable alternative to plastic:

• Easy to recycle by consumers at home.
  
• The paper manufacturing industry contributes 0.8% to global emissions compared to plastic's 4.5%⁸.
  
• Plastic is more likely to end up in landfill; in the EU, for example, only around 40% of plastic is recycled, whilst cardboard’s rate is over 85%⁹.
  

The benefits of using paper/cardboard packaging include:  

• Swift assembly – pop-up construction of cardboard boxes saves time and reduces labor costs.
• Durable – corrugated cardboard is strong and able to keep its shape during transit, making it a good fit for protecting delicate items.
• Cost-effective – cardboard is lightweight, thus reducing shipping costs, and can be bought in bulk relatively cheaply.
• Customisable – brands can add logos and designs to the packaging, to create a unique unboxing experience.  

Packaging Waste Reduction

Online shopping generates 4.8 times more packaging than brick-and-mortar stores¹⁰, making waste reduction a key issue for any e-commerce business wanting to improve its sustainability credentials. There are many strategies your business can adopt to reduce packaging waste:

Lightweighting: reducing the weight of the packaging to minimise shipping costs and transport emissions. This can be done by switching to thinner, lighter materials, and/or cutting the amount of material used.

Optimise your packaging size and design to reduce wasted space. There are dedicated e-commerce solutions – such as Packsize – which will create a custom-sized box for your shipment.

Choose recyclable, reusable and biodegradable materials. These increase the packaging’s lifecycle, and ensure that when it does eventually get thrown away, it will dispose naturally.

Keep it simple with mono-material packaging. This involves using just one type or material or fiber for the packaging which makes recycling much easier. 

Educate your customers. Let them know if and how the packaging can be recycled. Encourage them to send any product returns in the original packaging, too.

Set goals. Monitor and track your packaging performance metrics (such as usage, cost and waste generation) and set targets to help your business improve.  

Smart Packaging Technologies for Sustainability

Next-generation smart packaging is helping businesses to enhance the sustainability of their supply chains:

There’s more to running a sustainable business than switching to eco-friendly packaging (though it’s a great step!) With a DHL Express Business Account, you’ll have access to a range of dedicated green shipping solutions.