Consumer, the big loser in the sustainable packaging challenge.

I didn’t post for a while … because I didn’t see any genuine innovation or more probably I haven’t anything interesting to say. But today, while I was cleaning my project files, something come to my mind...

… Looking at innovative packaging these last months, I noticed :

• Sustainability is everywhere

• Ongoing new “green” development for increasing recyclability or reuse

• Boom of new technologies to ease recycling

• More “green”, natural, authentic or home made style products

• Implementation of digital experience for customers

• New harmonisation, new regulation for recyclable & reusable packaging

All these news are positive ! But did I see any new packaging enhancing consumer experience & inclusivity and convenience these last month … not really.

It seems that sustainability became the must-have and convenience the nice-to-have. Couldn’t we combine both?

Did we forgot the interest of long shelf life and high barrier of packaging for the right product protection, did we forget small packaging format for avoiding food waste, did we forget the need of having several flexible formats to fit different market? Did we forget the need for inclusive packaging …? Maybe we consider all these functions as a prerequisite, but I didn’t see many communications in this direction.

I would suggest that it’s time to rethink packaging by (re)including the consumer needs as part of the right solution.