The Future of Packaging

The next generation of packaging for liquids has no cap. Customers tear off a strip at the top, revealing the self-sealing valve. Image courtesy of Aeroflexx.

New Designs Offer the Best of Rigid and Flexible Packaging

By Andrew Meyer, Chairman & CEO of AeroFlexx

The future of packaging will bring increased convenience for consumers. New packaging options offer superior designs and combine the best characteristics of rigid and flexible packages.

When it comes to the packaging of liquids, these new packages already exist. Widespread adoption can be expected within just a few years. By the end of the decade, customers will expect these new, more convenient packages featuring advances in packaging technology.

Superior design

Imagine a package for liquids that never spills. Researchers have created self-sealing valves that do not require customers to close these new packages. Knock them over, and nothing spills. Drop them, and there’s no splatter. Hold them upside down, and nothing comes out. Say goodbye to accidents.

Imagine never having to wrestle with a cap to open a bottle again or never losing a cap again. That’s because, for the next generation of packaging for liquids, there’s no cap. Customers tear off a strip at the top, revealing the self-sealing valve. They don’t even have to hunt down a pair of scissors. When they discover the product hasn’t been opened yet, they can open it with a simple flick of their wrist.

This next-level packaging also allows for more exact dispensing than ever. The exact amount the consumer wants easily comes out, down to the last drop. Never want to encounter crusty gunk or spoilage around the spout again? This packaging eliminates that waste.

These packages also retain their shape and integrity throughout their life cycle. Pouches or tubes won’t turn into misshapen noodles that drive the product — be it toothpaste or tomato paste — into impossible-to-reach crevasses.

Flexible, yet rigid packaging

Flexible, yet rigid plastic — does that sound like an oxymoron? New advances in packaging technology combine the best attributes of both rigids and flexibles. Consumers and brands no longer have to make a compromise by picking one or the other.

This packaging also uses 50 to 70 percent less plastic, incorporates up to 50 percent recycled content, and eliminates up to 85 percent of the virgin plastic that traditional rigid bottles require. Yet, because these new packages remain durable and don’t lose shape, they enhance the overall consumer experience as well as brand integrity.

Climate-conscious consumers appreciate products that use less plastic and take less of a toll on the environment. According to a 2020 McKinsey & Company report, “more than half of US consumers are…highly concerned about the environmental impact of packaging in general.” The report also found that “consumers are willing to pay more for green, but they would also buy additional sustainably packaged products if more of them were available and they were better labeled.”

In short, the future of packaging will make life easier and be better for the planet.

About the Author

Andrew Meyer is Chairman and CEO of AeroFlexx, a packaged goods producer and Diamond Winner of the 2018 Dow Packaging Awards. Learn more at www.aeroflexx.com.