Print Innovation Asia Issue 6 2022
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Making a Sustainab It’s no secret that winning the hearts of today’s consumers requires more than a great product. Increasingly, it’s also about the packaging. Every day, hundreds of thousands of products compete for attention at stores or are delivered to homes. The packaging creates the first impression and the first experience – of the product, the brand and the values it stands for. The corrugated packaging market is growing fast. According to Smithers, over 160.5 million tonnes of corrugated packaging was produced in 2020, and it predicts corrugated packaging consumption will grow an average of 3.8% - 4% by 2025. In this new market reality, brands need a new strategy. Facing high demand, they need to deliver products in a flash to retail outlets and online customers, and provide exceptional unboxing experiences, all with minimal carbon footprint.
Digital printing of corrugated packaging can help with all three – fast delivery, unboxing and sustainability. By allowing a flexible supply chain and enabling high-impact graphics and personalized packaging, digital printing on corrugated enables fast delivery and great unboxing. It can also significantly improve packaging sustainability. Sustainability by the numbers Recent reports show the shift from plastic to paper-based packaging is supported by consumer beliefs and action. In a 2020 survey for the Paper and Packaging Board, 33% of consumers said they avoid using plastics if they can. Another survey, by McKinsey, found that almost 75% of consumers are now willing to pay more for sustainable packaging.
Digital printing can help with efforts to make packaging plastic-free. Fefcopublished research showed 21% of plastic packaging for produce e-commerce packaging and other applications can be easily replaced by corrugated cardboard. Sustainability throughout the packaging life cycle HP’s commitment to making a sustainable impact and positive, lasting change for the planet, dovetails perfectly with the heightened focus on sustainability. HP views the life cycle of a sustainable package through four stages: from packaging raw materials, through printing and conversion, to consumption of the packaged products and lastly, to the packaging disposal processes.
