Introducing New Blog Series: Consumer Trends

Here at PI, we like to keep our finger on the pulse of consumer trends. In this new blog series, we want to share with you some of the trends currently sweeping the plastic packaging industry. You’ll learn about what consumers are looking for, what packaging companies are focusing on, and how shifting priorities influence the way that manufacturers design and create custom packaging. For our first entry, let’s turn our attention to something that affects virtually every industry for which we manufacture: Environmental sustainability.

Seamlessly Switching Your Substrates

For too long in the packaging industry, manufacturers had to choose between style and practicality. More often than not, this meant sacrificing things like environmental friendliness in the name of producing a highly recognizable, branded package.

Fortunately, advances in plastic packaging have enabled brands to shift away from that mentality over time—glass soda bottles, for example, can be faithfully replicated in more environmentally friendly plastic. Custom packaging thermoforming capabilities advance in leaps and bounds, and at PI, we see this up close.  More and more package styles once thought possible only with glass or aluminum can now be replicated using plastic, making it easier for manufacturers to keep their costs down while encouraging recycling.

Benefits Beyond Recyclability

While plastic packaging is highly recyclable, this type of sustainability isn’t the only reason packaging companies and their clients are making the switch. Typically, plastic is more cost-effective than many alternatives, and not just during the manufacturing process. For example, plastic packaging typically weighs considerably less than glass, especially when shipping high volumes of product. This means that shipping costs are drastically reduced for companies using plastic—in some cases, they’re even able to fit more in a shipment.

Shifting away from other materials and toward plastic is just one of many consumer trends sweeping the custom packaging industry right now—keep checking back to see more of what’s influencing modern package design.