Union, NJ - Packaging experts O.Berk Company has spotted several hot packaging trends to watch out for this year. A few of these trends include sustainability, electronic-enabled packaging and smaller packaging. 

Sustainability is a trend because customers are seeking packaging that is both environmentally and socially responsible; this means that refillable and reusable packaging are being used more often, as are reduced packaging material and lighter weight and biodegradable plastics. "It's no longer about paying 'lip service' to the notion of sustainability. It's about the ability to prove the use of sustainable practices at every stage of getting a product to market and ensuring its reuse and/or recyclability post-use," says the company.

Electronic-enabled packaging can benefit tech savvy shoppers that are too busy to search for product info on their own. This may be to manufacturers' advantage because they can touch base with customers by providing extra product information via smart-phones, by using 2D bar codes on advertisements and on packaging. An added bonus is that this new technology also may send analytics about a purchaser's behavior, as well as demographics to manufacturers; which can better suit customer's needs in the long run.

How many times have we purchased an item and thought to ourselves, "What a waste of packaging?" Good news! Packaging is decreasing in size because prices of various resins are increasing. But, instead to boosting prices for packaging, several brands have reduced the size of packaging without compromising what matters most to customers, price stability.

Says the firm, "Consumers seem to notice price increases more readily than they notice package reduction or weight loss when it comes to the products they purchase, so a few ounces reduction in package size here or there is barely noticeable and keeps [the customers] on budget."

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, April 2011 (online 2/25/11)