Trends in the packaging world are set to continue along established routes marked by preferences for increasingly technological packaging with high visual appeal featuring innovative sustainable materials that combine communication, information, food safety, and consumer protection.

Let's start with creativity. This characteristic is indispensable to capture buyers' attention and draw them to a product. It involves delivering stylish, inventive designs that speak to a range of targets, from large-scale retail to luxury segments. The new trend affects all segments across the board, from mass consumption - where products need to make themselves heard in markets crowded with competition - to e-commerce - where packaging also plays a fundamental role in protecting products and making sure they get to customers in perfect  condition  - and then to luxury - where carefully researched sumptuous materials  allow consumers  to enjoy an exclusive experience throughout the purchase, before the actual contact with the product and its high-end qualities.

There are various key figures in this continuous evolution, including the manufacturers of materials, which are constantly searching for innovative solutions to improve shelf life and sustainability, the printers commissioned to combine product information, communication, creativity  and - of course  -  sustainability, and lastly the packaging designers; their task is to find increasingly eye-catching forms with sustainable weight and size, without forgetting product ergonomics and accessibility, especially in a market made up of increasingly of elderly consumers.

In response to these needs, the industry is providing materials with various percentages of recycled and recyclable materials for secondary packaging, alongside paper and plastic designed to guarantee an enhanced tactile and visual experience, and the use of paper-based multilayer packaging to minimise the amount of plastic contained in the packaging without affecting the product's shelf life.

Another area generating considerable interest, given the rush towards ever greater digitalisation, is smart packaging, in particular the solutions that can be employed to make packaging interactive and informative. These include QR codes and talking labels (offering benefits for the visually impaired) that allow buyers to access premium content, consumer engagements initiatives, and nutritional information by simply scanning labels with a smartphone - an action that is second nature nowadays.

Find out more about sustainability, creativity, innovation and 2024 trends in online magazine ItalianFoodNews. Click here for the article.