What requirements must packaging for confectionery and snacks fulfil in 2020 and beyond? ProSweets Cologne, which takes place from 2 to 5 February 2020, will provide answers to this question. Less plastic, more renewable raw materials, lower packaging weight and recyclability are the focus of the solutions on show in Cologne.
The topic of product information will also take on a new significance at the international supplier trade fair for the confectionery and snack industry with digitalisation, which is playing an increasingly important role at the point of sale.
Snacks and confectionery are classic on-the-go productsThey are bought spontaneously and often eaten on the go. The Convenience of the packaging plays a decisive role in this. But that alone is no longer enough: almost 70 per cent of consumers in this country have already decided not to buy a product at least once because they didn't like the product. Packaging not sustainable enough was. One in five Germans (19.3 per cent) even regularly put products back on the shelf for this reason.
This is the conclusion of a representative survey that the German Packaging Institute in June 2019 has published. Some retail chains are also getting on board with this issue and have issued recyclability requirements.
Confectionery and snack manufacturers who want to be one step ahead of their competitors have recognised that the sustainability of packaging is increasingly decisive for success at the point of sale. Brand manufacturers in particular are consistently pursuing a goal that is reflected in many innovations at ProSweets Cologne: As little packaging as possible, as much as necessary! Plastics that are difficult to recycle are gradually being removed from the product range. At the same time, more and more Alternative packaging materials such as compostable paper-based and biodegradable materials are used.
Paper that can be moulded without glue
In order to fulfil the constantly increasing requirements for the sustainability of packaging, the Possible uses of paper is constantly evolving. The latest innovations include Moulds made from 100 per cent recyclable lightweight paper, which replace plastic blister packs. They are folded in different ways by a latest-generation rotary erecting machine.
The PrincipleA tray blank made of ultra-light corrugated cardboard is removed from the cutting magazine, pressed through the mould plate and fed out of the machine as finished packaging. As the moulds can be formed completely without adhesives by simply hooking them together, they can be used by the consumer as a finished product. easily disposed of with the waste paper are recycled. From here, they are sent directly to paper processing and returned to circulation as recycled paper. What at first glance appears to be the art of Japanese paper folding is the result of close collaboration with plant engineering and packaging material specialists.
New materials for genuine circular products
However, it is not only packaging made from FSC-certified paper that will become a „genuine“ circular product at the Cologne exhibition centre. The exhibitors at ProSweets Cologne will be presenting in Hall 10.1 Fully recyclable or biodegradable films. The innovative materials often have the same mechanical properties as conventional PET/PE composite film and can be processed directly into individual and multipacks on flow-wrapping machines.
Whether paper in the lid or in the bottom film, in tubular bags or portion packs, full-surface, laminated strips or with viewing windows that are customised and cut by laser - the segment of sustainable composite materials is growing just as much as the Variety of equipment variants. There is now also a wide range of paper-based film solutions available for the economical wrapping of chocolate, hard or soft sweets and chewing gum. This is where materials made from renewable raw materials come into their own, as they reduce the amount of plastic in the composite material.
„The industry is pursuing a number of approaches to designing and producing packaging sustainably,“ says Micha Goes, Managing Director of the design agency Pacoon.
He assumes that the variety of materials will increase and that recycling technology will continue to improve. At ProSweets Cologne, the Managing Director of design agency Pacoon wants to motivate confectionery manufacturers to make a greater commitment to more sustainable packaging solutions - and is focussing on the following approaches Refuse, Renew, Remove and Recycle. As part of the special show PACKAGING „Function meets design“ he and his team present concepts for the future. You can find more information here.
On the way to becoming a digital all-rounder
Brands that clearly present themselves on sustainable packaging fall into the current consumer preference for sustainable packaging. Minimalism and clean label. This gives manufacturers an enormous reach at the point of sale.
„It is often not possible to include all the information that consumers want on the packaging,“ saysAlexander Schenk, Chief Design Director at the DeTeMa agency.
This is where the digitalisation of packaging comes in, another topic that is being addressed under the motto „Extended Packaging“ is the focus of the special show at ProSweets Cologne. Alexander Schenk: „Interactive technologies based on digital codes such as Digimarc have the potential to expand packaging into multi-talented products.“
The special thing about the Digimarc code: It is Invisible to the human eye and is applied to the entire packaging - a kind of watermark that can not only be used to encode the Global Trade Item Number or speed up the checkout process. It can also be used to link to social media.
Real and digital worlds merge at the point of sale, simply by pointing the smartphone camera at any part of the packaging. Recipe, nutritional value or allergen information can be called up, as can offers, competitions or coupons.
Best-practice solutions for every trend
How can snacks and confectionery fulfil the diverse packaging requirements? What do they need to consider when providing additional product information? From 2 to 5 February 2020, ProSweets Cologne will be presenting The entire spectrum of suppliers to the confectionery and snack industry: from a wide range of ingredients to innovative packaging machines and materials to optimised production technologies that meet the highest standards of quality and efficiency. Central topics of the industry will also be presented at the Speakers Corner, the central presentation stage at ProSweets Cologne.
In addition, the ISM Packaging Award powered by ProSweets Cologne for the most innovative packaging. The B2B trade fair takes place parallel to ISM, the world's leading trade fair for confectionery and snacks, in Cologne and forms the entire value chain of the confectionery industry from.
Source: Koelnmesse GmbH
