Packaging Manufacturers Seek Solutions To Meet Meticulous Requirements
By Isaac Fletcher, contributing writer, Food Online
Consumer demands for smaller carbon footprints, sustainability, minimal resource input, and product strength leave package manufacturers searching for solutions in a world of high resource, energy, and transportation costs
Manufacturers of industrial packages are suffering from rising prices attributable, in part, to rising energy costs. As electricity and resources become more expensive and the shortage of freight capacity bumps up transport costs, high-grade packages are becoming difficult to market. Many packaging elements such as pallets, containers, and technical components are usually made of plastics, which are becoming increasingly more costly to produce due to the high energy input required for their production. By using low-cost recycled materials, generating their own renewable energy, and participating in the development of logistics strategies, industrial package manufacturers are showing that it is possible to create a marketable, profitable product. Demand for more sustainable products will also help these manufacturers to create a desirable product.
Consumers in every type of sector want to shrink their carbon footprint. Accordingly, the demand for more sustainable packages produced with minimal resource input has risen. However, this is not to say customers are willing to sacrifice strength and safety in favor of a more sustainable product. Industrial package manufacturers must still deliver a package that protects goods while using less material. Less material also means less space occupied by the packaged product, an important consideration given the rising costs of transportation.
Additionally, containers need to become more identifiable so that different logistics systems can control them over the course of in-plant production and through the distribution chain. Coding and traceability are the solutions to this requirement and industrial package manufacturers are working to create in-mold labeling technology that would allow for durable, easy-to-clean labels. To meet the strict requirements of consumers, industrial packaging manufacturers are facing the challenge of delivering the required innovations at as little extra cost as possible, while still maintaining a high quality standard.
To attract long term customers, some manufacturers are offering sustainability through developments in recycling. The German packaging company, Schutz is approaching this by creating plastic intermediate bulk containers (IBC) by reprocessing used IBCs, thereby achieving the dual effect of reducing its carbon footprint and making itself less dependent on expensive raw material supplies. Importantly, this approach results in no loss of quality.
In order to address its own sustainability concerns, Swiss Utz Group uses its own recycling center to process boxes and pallets into granulate, an input necessary for the production of plastics. The company has also invested in its own photovoltaic installation and combined heat and power plant to supply itself with eco-friendly electricity. These are, of course, large investments, but ones that will pay off as Utz shelters itself from electricity exchanges and government price interventions. As sustainability concerns continue to grow, industrial packaging manufacturers must continue to adapt and deliver a sustainable, reliable, and easy-to-use product if they wish to stay relevant in the packaging landscape.