The international conversation on eco-friendly packaging is getting louder – from sustainable packaging, to the rise of zero waste grocery stores and laws limiting the use of plastic. But what do retailers and industry leaders see as the future of packaging? What do consumers want? What are the alternatives to plastic and paper? What ideas are already being implemented in commerce?
The first European Packaging Forum, which took place in Düsseldorf earlier this year, focused on these questions and more as industry leaders from Germany and Europe dug into packaging in retail, the current situation on the market and possible future developments. FreshPlaza recapped the discussion on its Web site.
Sustainable packaging
The discussion on sustainable packaging shed some light on the consumer side of things. Ralf Mayer de Groot from Mayer de Groot Marketing-Research and Consult GmbH, asked, What do consumers really want when it comes to packaging? To dig deeper into this Mayer de Groot considered conscious and unconscious decision criteria in regard to the most important characteristics of berry packaging: a protection function (against pollution and damage) for the respondents, the visibility of the fruit and the shelf life or shelf life in the packaging.
"In the theoretical survey, environmental friendliness was credited with value, but in practice it was less important,” he says, mentioning price is also responsible for this consumer view. "Many consumers do not want to pay for eco-friendly packaging."
Communicating through packaging
When considering the perfect packaging, Alessandro Ferraresso, a speaker at the forum, named three main features:
- rational (it must be practical and functional, it requires efficient use of materials);
- responsible (the packaging must be sustainable and allow communication about the product and itself); and
- fresh (the packaging should be visually appealing and honest).
"Packaging is very important and communicating about it is the future," says Ferraresso. "You can work with different levels of information, from pure pragmatic packaging to an Internet presence on the product that consumers can use to keep themselves informed."
All levels of society
Throughout the discussions, it became obvious that there is a goal to include all levels of society in the packaging discussion.
Ulrich Budnik, managing director of Rewe Homberg and Budnik, was present at the forum to answer questions about his experiences in his two branches in Dortmund. He emphasized the differences in the expectations that consumers of different income classes have on the retail food trade. In higher-income areas, the emotionalization of the food retail trade is an important factor. "The affluent clientele pays more attention to the connection to the producer and the market," he says.