Global Packaging Trends: Unpacking Mintel’s Latest Report

How might expanding legal measures affect the use of plastics? What will the economic squeeze mean for consumers? Will on-package marketing need to adapt to cater for younger and more savvy consumers? Which technological advancements could deliver breakthroughs for packaging? And what more will need to be done in the quest for true sustainability? We explore all of this and more.

In the face of a worsening climate crisis which continues to receive growing media coverage and become a greater priority for the public, legislators will be compelled to respond by utilizing legislation to drive environmental change.

We can expect attempts to curtail plastic waste output to sit at the forefront of any policy development. And whilst the focus on plastic over other materials seems disproportionate given the data we have when comparing its lifetime CO2 output versus glass, metal and paper, a reduction in the use of virgin plastics is certainly necessary. Plastic waste also ranks highly among consumers’ climate concerns; therefore, we can expect to see stricter regulations placed on its use and disposal.

In the UK, for example, Members of Parliament have called for a complete ban on the export of plastic waste by 2027 in a bid to ensure plastic waste is kept and recycled domestically. How quickly these types of measures will come into the play around the globe is unclear, but both brands and packaging manufacturers must monitor developments closely in their territories to get ahead of any incoming legislation.

Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) are also likely to see greater uptake throughout the next decade. Whilst they do add cost to the point of sale for the consumer (in the form of a small deposit), they are reported to drastically increase the amount of materials returned for recycling.

Finland, for instance, claims that 90% of bottles and cans purchased in the country during 2020 were returned for recycling under its DRS.

Brands and packaging manufacturers will need to find ways to add value to their goods and/or make the returns process as seamless as possible for consumers to offset the additional cost incurred by the consumer – both monetary and in terms of time and effort.

With the global economy in a state of flux driven by labour shortages, supply chain issues, increased energy costs, inflation and worsening inequality, the overwhelming majority of consumers are being squeezed.

Setting aside price shocks and even post-pandemic fallout, real terms pay has been either stagnant or falling across large parts of the world for some time and this isn’t projected to change any time soon. Therefore, with rising costs and less disposable income, consumers are having to rein in their spending, and this is creating the need for more value-based options.

Consumers will therefore look to brands to help them surmount economic-induced pressures with products and packaging that fit with purchasing abilities and represent value without excessive compromise.

As the economy remains strained, the opportunity to present consumers with packaging that represents financial value propositions – while not compromising on quality, convenience, freshness, safety and environmental responsibility – will be a differentiator at the point of sale.

With consumers being less trusting of companies, governments and institutions than ever before, they are generally more sceptical about the claims brands make on all sorts of issues from sustainability to ethical sourcing to product integrity, and they require more convincing than in years gone by.

Consumers want to know more about the products they buy and the brands they buy from. Brands will therefore need to pivot from solely marketing their strengths and achievements to also communicating clearly about their focusses for improvement and the causes they support.

Younger consumers value transparency and this can be achieved through clearer labelling and more explicit definitions of what the claims made on labels mean for the greater good.

But signalling an intent to change in the future or committing to ‘find new ways to do X’ simply isn’t enough. Brands must provide clarity on what they are actively doing to operate in a more responsible and sustainable fashion or be regarded as simply ‘washing’ in some form or other.

Technology pervades every area of our lives. With the fast-paced onslaught of news updates and notifications from so many different applications, some consumers can feel overwhelmed or find themselves left questioning the benefits of having to continually digest such vast amounts of information.

Advances into areas like the Metaverse, NFTs and Cryptocurrencies are welcomed by many but deemed superfluous by others. Hence brands needs to utilize technology to truly add value to consumers’ lives rather than attempting to dazzle with interactivity that serves as nothing more than a gimmick in a crowded space.

The increase in popularity of QR codes – often attributed to frequent use of COVID track and trace-type measures during the pandemic – means brands are increasingly incorporating smart labelling into their packaging with nutritional information and ingredient lists to both save on materials and allow consumers to ‘pull’ digital information as they require it.

However, taking it a step further, on-pack QR codes can also deliver digital experiences for consumers via mini sites or dedicated landing pages that enable the consumer to learn more about their brand, product and corporate social responsibility initiatives.

For younger consumers, who increasingly shop online and through social media, brands should consider how packaging design can appeal to influencers and their followings. Being fluid with agile packaging formats allowing for design changes to jump on trends and viral memes will become an increasingly effective method to boost sales and grow brands.

Of all the changes and developments occurring today, none is more demanding of our attention than the climate crisis. The impacts span far and wide across the globe and are seen through environmental degradation, the loss of species, natural disasters, weather extremes, food and water insecurity, the displacement of people, economic disruption and loss of life.

Mintel’s 2022 Sustainability Barometer report found that as many as 70% of global consumers are convinced there is still time to save the planet, but that more than half say responsibility for doing so falls on manufacturers and governments rather than individuals.

This is not to say individuals don’t feel the need to change their behaviours for the good of the planet, but that large institutions and corporations should be leading the way and creating the conditions necessary for individuals to make a difference.

Brands and packaging manufacturers will need to push further in their efforts to produce lighter weight packaging, use less materials and reduce the energy output required to create packaging. This means utilising the most sustainable packaging materials for any given product, tailoring packaging to meet the recycling infrastructure present in different regions and educating consumers on recycling methods to ensure less waste ends up in landfill.

With the development of AI, we will see retailers, brands and manufacturers being able to quantify their emissions more efficiently, model a variety of potential outcomes resulting from alternative practices and ultimately reduce emissions. Learn more about the future of packaging.

As the consumer landscape continues to change, the importance of packaging will come to the fore more than ever. It’s clear that brands and packaging manufacturers are at a crossroads. The call for greater transparency, sustainability, and value, driven by the climate crisis, technology and consumer sentiment, is loud and undeniable.

Amidst global economic, environmental, and technological challenges, packaging is no longer just about containment—it’s about communication, trust, and a commitment to a better tomorrow. Whether responding to legislative measures or harnessing technology to connect and inform, the way we package speaks volumes about who we are and where we’re headed.