Drinks Packaging: growth, opportunities and driving trends
Drinks packaging is another industry sector experiencing major growth during the current climate in addition to food, hygiene and pharma. Since the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic, both food and drinks packaging sectors have seen demand increasing significantly and this is showing no signs of slowing.
We take a closer look at some of the trends driving the market, what’s hot, what’s not, and how consumer choices are shaping them.
Sustainability, recycling and environmental matters
While almost every corner of every industry was in chaos last year, the sustainability issues that had dominated the headlines dropped out of focus in the packaging sector. Single-use containers and plastics became necessities and recycling plants were severely hampered by furloughs and social distancing.
Now we are seeing environmental matters back in the fore and the effects of the last 12 months are revealing innovation in both design and development of drinks packaging. This acceleration in development is driving change and manufacturers are beginning to re-embrace the opportunities all over the world.
Growing automation in drinks packaging
A hot topic in the drinks packaging industry is again automation. The uptake in automatic packaging machines has risen significantly over the last 12 months and industry experts believe this trend is driven by necessity. As manufacturers cope with rising demand, distancing requirements and the need for consistency, automation ticks all these boxes and more.
This led many manufacturers and distributors to hire packaging machines at the beginning of the crisis to meet demand and harness some of the opportunities available.
While automatic and semi-automatic packaging solutions have been growing more and more common within the drinks packaging sector, recent influences have accelerated this by five years, according to some industry professionals.
How consumption trends affect the market
The consumer has an enormous effect on the market and this has been highlighted in recent reports, such as the Soft Drinks Packaging Research Analysis by Market Reports World, which predicts growth for the sector at a CAGR of almost 4%.
Some of the highlights of the report suggest:
- The carbonated soft drinks market continues to fluctuate according to consumer trends, indicating that manufacturers need to develop healthier options and address packaging
- Consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable packaging and healthier drinks
- Increases in disposable income in countries like China and India fuelling demand for soft drinks and beverages
- Changes in communication and marketing strategies are augmenting growth in the sector in emerging economies
- Surge in online shopping in the food and beverage sector is driving changes in the approach to packaging and distribution
A surge in healthy living trends across the world does influence decision-making and with populations becoming more and more environmentally aware, sustainability is increasingly important. Consumers want to be reassured that their drinks are not only satisfying their thirst but also that they’re produced sustainably, with minimum energy consumption and impact on the environment and packaged with the same priorities in mind.
While this sounds expensive, coupled with rising operational costs and compliance with ever-increasing regulation, we understand the driving need to look for new ways to operate. Automating much of the packaging process can provide the answer. It can become a valuable investment in future-proofing for manufacturers and distributors of all sizes, accelerating routine processes and streamlining efficiency, energy usage and reducing the pressure on the workforce.
About Jacob White
Jacob White provide drinks packaging machines tailored to suit your operations and processes. Using more than 100 years’ industry experience and knowledge, we can help you to become more streamlined, reduce energy consumption and create an efficient, cost-effective packaging line to future-proof operations.
Talk to us about our automated packaging and case packing machines and harness the opportunities in this growing market.
