Packaging Innovations: The Latest Technologies Revolutionizing the Packaging Industry

When we talk about evolution, we may think of human evolution. But there is one more field that has progressed in leaps and bounds. We are talking about the packaging industry. This industry has improved a lot in such a short period.

If we talk about the first packaging item it was a corrugated box which was made in England around the 1800s. But if we look at the current packaging industry it has become futuristic and tech-savvy. We have made a lot of progress starting from the one-click marketing to discovering microorganisms that eat plastic.

The wonders of the packaging industry do not cease to impress nor it seems to stop from getting better and better. In this article, we will talk about the different kinds of packaging innovation and how they helped in shaping the modern-day packaging industry.

What is packaging innovation?

Packaging innovation is used to refer to the creation that helps in the improvement of the packaging Industry.

The new invention in the field of packaging can be seen in Nanoparticle technology. This is a perfect example of science and packaging.

What are the latest technologies that are changing the packaging Industry?

In this section, we will talk about the latest technologies which are changing the packaging industry. There are a variety of technologies about which we are going to talk about. Some of them might be new to you, while you may have heard the names of some of them. Down below, we have written about them in detail.

1. Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is a field of engineering that works by manipulating atoms and molecules many things can be achieved by this atomic-level manipulation, especially in the fields like designing, production and manufacturing.

This nanotechnology looks promising in the packaging industry. We can see some of its innovative ideas in the food packaging industry. In the food industry, many challenges are faced due to the spoilage of food. When we talk about packed food, its safety and security, it is difficult.

In nanotechnology, there are several ways by which these are used. One of the methods is Carbon nanotubes. The carbon nanotubes are available in single or multiple layers. When these nanotubes are used with different types of flexible material then their qualities are increased by many folds.

A good example of this would be the Nano tape or popularly known as the Nano Magic tape. This tape is one of a kind that can be used again and again after washing it. One of its many amazing features is that even after washing, its adhesive does not weaken but instead, it strengthens.

2. Edible packaging

As we know that staggering amount of plastic waste ends up in landfills. A huge part of this plastic packaging comes from the food packaging. As the times call for action, many people have come up with many different packaging solutions.

Out of all these solutions, there is one out-of-the-box solution. We are talking about edible packaging. Many companies have tried to use edible packaging as a way to reduce packaging.

The packaging materials are made from many different materials like different types of Seaweed, gelatinous materials, starch, and many more things.

3. Custom Packaging

Custom packaging is the type of packaging that is made according to the needs and specifications of the products. The packaging may sound like a normal thing but this customizable packaging has paved the way for many small businesses to stay in the competition.

Many different ways of printing are available in custom packaging. Some good examples of customised packaging will be custom printed tape and customised boxes. Many businesses have benefitted from the help of custom packaging.

Custom packaging has helped in improving sales by indirectly affecting customer loyalty, brand awareness, brand image etc. all these things are very important in terms of marketing and sales.

4. Recyclable packaging

Recyclable packaging is not a new concept in itself but the innovation that is used and introduced keeps this industry fresh. Recyclable packaging has helped in making the packaging industry more eco-friendly.

Recyclable materials like corrugated boxes, courier packaging bags, and BOPP tapes are a good choice for packaging as well as they are environment friendly. Due to the introduction of new technologies in the recycling industry, it is possible to keep our environment safe and clean.

5. Biodegradable packaging

When we talk about the innovations that are bringing revolutions in the packaging industry. As we all have experienced the staggering use of plastic which is useful but the after-effects and the process of biodegradation are million years long.

To tackle this problem, many different types of biodegradable materials are used to make an alternative to plastic which is biodegradable. The term used for such plastics is biodegradable plastic or Bio-plastic.

Bio-plastic is made from all kinds of materials that will not harm the environment as well as work just like ordinary plastic. Materials like cornstarch, wood straw, bamboo, sugarcane fibre and many more things are used to make this bio-plastic.

6. Sustainable packaging

Sustainable packaging is one of the latest trends in the packaging industry as people are getting more and more aware of the awful effects that different materials have caused. The need for a type of packaging that will keep the resources safe and save them for future generations gave rise to sustainable packaging.

The thing about sustainable packaging is that this is an umbrella term under which many categories fall in. There are many trends like minimalistic packaging, paper wrapping, using recycled material etc which have emerged from sustainable packaging. The use of recycled corrugated boxes or kraft tape is seen as a sustainable way towards packaging.

7. Smart packaging

Smart packaging is seen as the future of product packaging. Smart packaging is still in its budding stage yet the potential that is shown by this is remarkable. Smart packaging could be understood as a blend of technology as well as customer utility.

Smart packaging is of two types active packaging and intelligent packaging. Active packaging works by eliminating the factors which are responsible for spoiling products inside it like using the packaging that eliminated the bacteria which will is responsible for spoiling milk.

Intelligent packaging is something that we all are much more aware of. This form of packaging includes things like barcodes, QR codes etc. This form of packaging deals with information. In this era when information has become the most important part of the world. Using the internet and connecting it with the packaging is seen as a wise move which is full of potential.

Conclusion

We have reached the end of this article which is about the packaging innovations which will are revolutionizing the packaging industry. In the introduction of this article, we have talked about what is packaging innovations and then we have discussed the variety of different types of packaging which are new and have a lot of potential to grow in the future.

Along with those packaging, we talked about other types of packaging like custom packaging which have played a huge role in the revolution of the packaging industry.

We hope that in this article you were able to get all the information that you needed.