The Four Accelerators of Change Demanding New and Innovative Packaging Solutions

At FORDS, our Futurology department has identified the four key drivers that are placing both new and intensified demands on packaging and has set out how we can provide innovative solutions to help.

Changes in market dynamics and consumer behavior are nothing new, of course, but it is the rate of change – driven by technological advances, the climate crisis and demographic ageing that make this era unique against others in recent memory.

It is clear just how much climate change is causing devastating effects across the globe. From disrupting natural systems and forcibly raising sea-levels to creating catastrophic weather events that will continue to displace more and more people, climate change is the challenge of our age.

However, despite some governmental action and environmental legislation being put in place including The Paris Agreement and various state-imposed plastics taxes, more can and must be done.

The role of packaging in climate change cannot be understated. From milkshakes to make up, every product has an impact on the planet. Brands are continually seeking new ways to reduce both the energy output required to produce packaging and also reduce the amount of materials used. Furthermore, packaging design can be crucial in helping consumers to reduce, recycle, reuse and reinvent.

How Can Our Solution Help?

From design to disposal, we think deeply about how we can deliver improvements in packaging sustainability.

We are able to lightweight your packaging and reduce the overall amount of materials you use to help lessen your environmental impact. In some cases, we can reduce the weight of your package by an incredible 60% by providing a rigid, hermetic seal that negates the need for an overcap and screw thread.

We can also seal to the full compliment of recyclable container materials including pulp, paperboard, RPET, glass, aluminium and more.

You can learn all about the sustainability benefits unlocked by FORDS foil closures here.

The shift in retail from traditional bricks-and-mortar to online and mobile is well-known, but the rate of transfer is what is making everyone stand up and take notice.

An ever-increasing proportion of products in food and beverage, infant nutrition, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, personal care and many more are being purchased via online channels. So much so that the e-commerce market is tipped by Morgan Stanley to grow to $5.4 trillion in 2026 – up from $3.3 trillion as recorded in 2021.

In the United States, e-commerce could reach 31% of sales by 2026, up from 23% in 2022 as traditional stores continue to close and consumers prioritize convenience
(Global Ecommerce Growth Forecast 2022, Morgan Stanley).

How Can Our Solution Help?

At FORDS, our foil closures produce airtight seals so that products can be robust and resilient enough to withstand the unique pressures of e-commerce.

Our R&D capabilities allow us to specify, test and deliver the optimum seal performance to protect the integrity of products, extend shelf life, increase puncture resistance and prevent leakages throughout the journey from dispatch to consumption.

We can also offer tamper evidence mechanisms to completely safeguard your goods through today’s complex supply chains and dynamic e-commerce channels.

Learn more about our packaging development process.

The major change in consumer behavior over the past decade has been driven primarily by climate concerns. As a result, consumers are increasingly choosing to factor sustainability into their purchasing decisions. 74% of consumers in the United States said they would be willing to pay more for products with sustainable packaging
(2020 Global Buying Green Report, Trivium Packaging).

When comparing products today, customer’s are more inclined to seek goods with recyclable packaging or goods packaged in reusable containers that don’t need to be thrown out after use thus reducing an individual’s waste output.

Aside from sustainability, demand for ‘natural’ and additive-free products is also accelerating faster than ever before. This, combined with the desire for reducing food wastage, is continuing to provide challenges for brands within the food and beverage sectors particularly.

How Can Our Solution Help?

Our foil caps peel away easily and can leave no reside to (a) allow for a clean separation of materials meaning consumers can directly contribute towards greater recycling efficiency and (b) allow users to reuse or reinvent your packaging containers thus limiting their waste output.

What’s more, our hermetically validated seals can withstand retort processes to extend shelf life and minimise the need for preservatives that consumers are turning away from.

It is estimated by the UN that by 2050, 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged over 65 (16% of the population) – an increase from 1 in 11 people as recorded in 2019 (9%).

Lower fertility rates, lower mortality rates and increased migration are, ultimately, the engines driving this phenomenon known as demographic ageing which will see the number of people aged 80 and over triple from 143 million in 2019 to 426 million in 2050.
(World Population Prospects: the 2019 Revision, UN, 2019).

Such a rapid shift will have profound consequences for the global economy, healthcare, welfare and a host of social and cultural factors. Packaging too will of course be affected as older consumers have a specific set of needs when it comes to handling and opening products.

Therefore, one of the great packaging challenges of the future will be balancing the demands of the rigorous supply chains and the pre-existing conventions for specific product types with the needs of older customers for whom accessibility and easy opening is imperative.

How Can Our Solution Help?

Using our advanced R&D facilities, we can test and refine to achieve the perfect balance between seal integrity and easy opening. We can make your products more accessible to older or impaired consumers and provide the perfect peel experience.

Our ability to balance the needs of brand owners and consumers alike, is underpinned by our unique capacity to control a package’s primary seal. We can control the exact perimeters of the seal and the peel balance. We can highlight the specific area of the peel initiation, the peak peel force requirements, the strongest point of the seal and the peak separation.

This precise diagnosis of the seal performance allows us to provide brand owners with a detailed journey of the end user’s opening experience as well as providing peace of mind on product integrity.