As consumers and brands shape emerging packaging requirements, Schwarz Partners must find novel materials, streamline processes, and continue to meet these needs. Here are four tenets to help Schwarz Partners navigate a stronger, more sustainable future.
92%
Swaying consumer purchase decisions of shoppers say sustainability is important when choosing a brand.
~By comparison, 90% of consumers in the U.S. like chocolate.1)
Brands are adopting environmentally conscious packaging and mandating it from converters, encompassing all elements of packaging: base material, adhesives, and inks (i.e., soy-based inks).
The PVH apparel company, a global fashion group (i.e., Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger), converted 74% of its packaging to fully recyclable and aims to reach 100% by 2025.2)
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)
The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
The U.S. Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act of 2021 (BFFPPA)
Schwarz Partners can extend its strong sustainability stance by reevaluating packaging materials to maximize circular recycling, reusable packaging, and renewable materials. For example, corrugated has a 93% recycling rate in the US.1) The average box is recycled 7 times and contains nearly 52 percent recycled material.2)
Boxed water has eliminated plastic bottles by providing water in sustainable packaging – a 92% plant-based carton that is 100% recyclable.3)
Schwarz Partners should deepen collaborations with key suppliers (like Henkel). The goal is to find or co-create innovative material solutions that often must meet conflicting performance requirements in eCommerce packaging. A powerful example is the EPIX® technology portfolio. Learn more here.
$69.8 B
Massive and growing globally from USD 69.8 billion in 2023 with a 10% CAGR through 2028.1)
If eCommerce represented the GDP of a country, it would rank #80 out of 195 countries in size.2)
1) https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/e-commerce-packaging-market-103363504.html
2) https://www.worldometers.info/gdp/gdp-by-country/
Driving new packaging and shipping requirements.
Revitalizing the use of paper and paperboard packaging materials.
Mandating material innovations in packaging. Creating “opposing” performance needs such as durability, lightweight, and environmentally conscious.
Driving packaging trends for brands, eCommerce companies, and Schwarz Partners
Lighter-weight packaging materials help reduce shipping costs.
Primary and secondary packaging are becoming one packaging solution.
Schwarz Partners focuses on evergreen efficiency improvements.
56%
of retailers name shipping costs as their biggest fulfillment challenge.1)
1) https://www.forbes.com/advisor/pet-insurance/pet-ownership-statistics/#sources_section
70%
cart abandonment rate is frequently due to shipping fees.2)
62%
of shoppers won’t buy from a retailer that doesn’t offer free shipping.3)
Schwarz Partners can continually optimize packaging designs and source lightweight material solutions that elevate packaging performance, increase manufacturing efficiencies, combine primary and secondary packaging when feasible, and ultimately reduce shipping costs.
Schwarz Partners needs to fortify agility to stay on top of changing preferences and requirements, allowing the integration of new capabilities and dynamic developments. To advance momentum, Schwarz Partners can double down on efforts to craft a future-focused organization.
Smart packaging
Uses barcodes, quick-response (QR) codes, or sensors with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.
Provides product tracking and product-specific information in real-time, such as spoilage, temperature tracking, and tamper-evidence.
62%
of online shoppers consider trustworthiness the most important brand feature.1)
1) https://www.statista.com/statistics/1332294/trustworthiness-transparency-in-marketing/
56%
of online shoppers in the U.S. are willing to spend more with a trusted retailer. 2)
2) https://www.marketingcharts.com/industries/retail-and-e-commerce-231020
$38.3 B
is the projected value of the smart packaging market by 2033.3)
3) https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/smart-packaging-market
Packaging automation
Streamlines processes, improves decision-making, and elevates manufacturing output.
Brings challenges such as new skills, technology integration, traceability, accountability and reporting compliance, and supply chain compatibility issues.
1) https://www.afandpa.org/news/2023/us-paper-and-cardboard-recycling-rates-continue-hold-strong-2022
2) https://www.fibrebox.org/corrugated-vs-rpcs
3) https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/ending-consumer-confusion-over-recycling-is-critical-battle-against-plastic-2023-07-19/
Stringer partnerships unlock the innovation and agility needed to tackle packaging's toughest shifts. Together, we can mimprove efficiency, enable circularity, and scale solutions - one corrugated run at a time.
In our white paper 'Navigating packaging, profits, and precision', we explore how converters like Schwarz Partners can drive next-generation packaging ideas and solutions. It's an 8-min read. It's packed with insights. And it's only one click away.
I'm Matthew Crane, your personal contact at Henkel Adhesive Technologies. Do you need help choosing line-ready adhesives for corrugated, retail display, and eCommerce? Or advice on how to scale across sites? We do it all.
