Next-Generation Packaging

Intelligent packaging systems monitor the internal condition of packaged goods to give information on quality during transportation and storage. Simply defined as packaging which senses and informs, these systems integrate hardware components such as time temperature indicators (TTI), freshness and ripening sensors, and RFID and other tags. This helps maintain the quality of products, contributing to a reduction in global waste. The healthcare and pharmaceutical industries are considered major growth markets, highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic, as there is a growing need to improve supply chain visibility in these sectors.

Application opportunities for intelligent packaging are not limited to just these industries, however. Within logistics and supply chain operations, smart packaging solutions are vital to goods in many other industries, better protecting them with real-time tracking as this cuts the risk of theft, last-mile delivery diversion, counterfeiting, and other crimes.

Monitoring solutions play a vital role in fresh and cold chain packaging, ensuring temperature stability during transit and enabling shipment status checks upon arrival. Previously, active trackers were often used for location checking but this need is overtaken today by requirements for temperature stability monitoring. An example of this is the Digital Shipping Label & Asset Tracker from the British start-up Envio that lets the shipper remotely track and re-label a shipment using an e-ink digital shipping label. This solution also sends out notifications when a shipment is opened, dropped, or exceeds a temperature threshold.

The vast expansion of global shipping and transportation capacity has enabled rapid transportation around the world of perishable goods and atmosphere-sensitive products. Within this complex process to ensure products arrive in best condition, the internal atmosphere of the storage container or packaging must be continuously monitored, maintained, and may need to be changed. As such, the use of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) becomes central to the effectiveness of transportation and delivery.

The benefits of MAP technology include reducing global food wastage, extending shelf life by days and even weeks, and achieving a more profitable and secure global food supply chain. For nutraceuticals, goods that tend to deteriorate through oxidation can be protected by actively replacing oxygen with nitrogen.

The Covid-19 pandemic also highlighted the need for MAP solutions to facilitate global vaccine shipments, particularly controlling and modifying atmospheric temperature during transportation. One example of this is the development of packaging that incorporates internal dry ice.

Sustainable packaging is a significant and evolving topic. It encompasses the optimization of packaging, the utilization of recycled or bio-based materials, and the implementation of circular or refillable systems within the supply chain.

However, there are notable challenges to the adoption of sustainable packaging solutions in the logistics and business-to-business (B2B) sectors, with limited integration beyond specific industries. Wider implementation is hindered by the lack of return services for reusable solutions, the influence of pricing considerations, and more. Research conducted by DHL eCommerce reveals that, while 28% of global customers express willingness to pay for sustainable packaging, an equal percentage would not.

Extensive exploration of innovative alternatives, encompassing water-soluble, edible, plantable, and biodegradable options, is currently underway to effectively address sustainability challenges. In order to replicate the properties of conventional packaging, these sustainable solutions must be compatible with sensitive products, ensuring the safe storage and delivery of each package’s contents.

A growing number of companies are additionally embracing minimalistic packaging approaches, such as employing non-colored kraft box packaging and optimizing package sizes to reduce shipment size, packing material usage, and overall CO₂e emissions. As an example, Continental, the German automotive parts manufacturer, has implemented smaller and more sustainable packaging for its timing belt kits with a water pump, resulting in a 70% package size reduction, reduced CO₂ emissions, and fewer truck trips for logistics.

Regulations and governmental legislation, such as recent new rules on sustainable packaging in the European Union (EU), will drive companies towards adopting green and efficient packaging solutions. This EU agreement sets packaging reduction targets (5% by 2030, 10% by 2035, and 15% by 2040) and mandates EU countries to reduce plastic packaging waste.