Redesign Flexible Packaging For Sustainability & Shelf Appeal

Brands don’t update their packaging without a reason — often it’s to drive sales, grow market share, create renewed interest or provide your consumers with convenient functionality.

In this article, we’ll show you how to work with your flexible packaging converter to achieve your goal, whether it’s tied to shelf appeal or sustainability.

Enhancing your packaging’s shelf appeal

There are so many ways to revamp your packaging—from using unique printing effects in your graphics to making the leap to an entirely different package format. Your packaging supplier needs to help you narrow down the world of possibilities into what makes sense for your brand, your consumers, and your budget.

Your supplier should have a wealth of experience in your market and know what has and hasn’t worked for brands like yours. Factoring in experience, consumer insights, your design preferences, your brand image, your goals, knowledge of how your consumers interact with your products, etc., your supplier should be able to present you with a selection of customized digital or physical packaging prototypes to explore.

Questions to ask potential flexible packaging suppliers

• What innovative packaging formats would work well for my product and how consumers interact with it?
• What packaging solutions have you seen work well for brands of my size in my market?
• Can you provide digital prototypes customized with my graphics? And can you provide realistic physical prototypes?
• What new packaging ideas can you present that will fit within my budget?

Creating a more sustainable package

Brands that want to move toward more sustainable packaging need to first look at how they define “sustainability” within their corporate culture:

What are your brand’s goals? What do your consumers expect from you? Have you communicated a specific plan to investors?

Doing a quick internal audit will provide clearer direction as you approach your sustainable packaging objectives. This is important because “sustainable packaging” is actually quite a broad term, and you have a wide range of sustainable flexible packaging options to choose from. Examples include:

• Single-source packages that can be recycled at over 18,000 store drop-off locations across the U.S.
• Packages designed for industrial composting
• Downgauged and lightweight packages to reduce raw material consumptions
• Packaging materials derived from bio-based feedstock that naturally replenishes over time

But you shouldn’t just look for a flexible packaging supplier with a wide array of sustainable packaging products. Look for one that will stop at nothing to help you achieve your brand’s unique goals.

If, for example, you want to switch out of plastic packaging entirely and move into paper packaging structures, your supplier should do the research necessary to present you with a commercially viable solution.

This includes comprehensive research of potential raw materials and how they will interact with your product formulations. Your supplier should also walk you through how the solutions they present will impact your packaging lines (e.g., capital equipment expenditures) and pack performance (e.g., shelf life). And, ultimately, they should stand behind the performance of your sustainable packaging solution, troubleshooting any packaging line issues as they arise.

Questions to ask potential flexible packaging suppliers:

• What sustainable flexible packaging products do you offer?
• Based on my brand’s sustainability goals, what sustainable packaging solutions would you recommend and why?
• If we require a solution that’s not currently in your packaging portfolio, how will you help us develop a commercial-ready package?
• In what ways will you support my brand as we roll out this new packaging?

Let’s work together on your package redesign

When a brand comes to us with a packaging goal, we’re all in with support: material research and development, format design, prototyping, on-line trials, etc. And we’re always looking for the next customer partnership.

If you’d like us in your corner throughout the redesign process, reach out to our team to start a conversation today.