The global beverage packaging industry is currently undergoing some significant changes, so we decided to take a look at some of the trends, movers and shakers in this fast moving sector.
The stats are staggering, with the global beverage industry expecting to reach an estimated $1.9 trillion by 2021, with a CAGR of 3.0%. This growth is fuelled by growing urbanisation, health awareness, increasing population and disposable income. The Asian market is experiencing unprecedented growth, accounting for two-thirds of global consumption by 2021 .
The drinks industry is typically broken down by;
- Carbonated soft drinks
- Bottled water
- Fruit beverages
- Ready to drink tea and coffee
- Sport beverages
- Energy drinks
- Value-added water
- Beer
- Wine
- Spirits
Coca-Cola and Pepsi continue to be the dominant players in the non-alcoholic beverages market, with AB InBev, Heineken and Diageo the global leaders in alcoholic beverages.
The expansion of the drinks industry is inevitably influencing the global beverage packaging sector, with growth projections set to reach $173 billion by 2025 (grandviewresearch.com).
Essential to Your Packaging Strategy
The beverage packaging industry is undergoing a period of transformation and we decided to take a look at the 3 primary triggers:
Sustainability
A significant push to create environmentally friendly, biodegradable, recyclable material is number one on the agenda for many of the leading Brands.
Smart Packaging
Brands are looking to use intelligent technology to extend shelf life, monitor freshness, track authenticity, display product information, improve customer safety, evidence logistics and distribution, enhance product security, connect with other channels and generate customer insights and data points.
Customer Experience
Packaging that will enhance and uplift the customer experience both pre and post-purchase. Ensuring the drinks packaging is sturdy, aesthetically pleasing and design-led, weather-resistant retains aroma and is heat-insulating.
How Are Brands Responding?
So which brands are leading the charge with a future-focused packaging strategy?
Innocent’s new Smoothie bottle is their most sustainable bottle yet, made up of 50% recycled plastic and 15% plant material.
ABV InBev owned Devils Backbone, have started to utilise augmented reality where packaging can be seen to come to life when viewed through a smartphone. By scanning a printed QR code, animated stories relating to Vienna Lager, Golf Leaf Lager and Striped Bass Ale can be viewed, effectively using the bottle as a media channel for a commercial.
Diageo is phasing out plastic packaging from multipacks of its Guinness, Harp, Rockshore and Smithwick’s beers and replacing it with 100% recyclable and biodegradable cardboard packs.
Coca-Cola has decreased the weight of its packaging by 27% and have a plan to reduce the amount of material in its packaging by 25% by 2020. The new Abbey Well twist bottles are now 100% recyclable with the new design using up to 32% less plastic than in previous bottles.
Gin brand, Twisting Spirits have certainly gone the extra mile on Customer Experience, by firstly matching each ingredient in the spirit with a colour algorithm, these colours were then used on the labels as vivid bars. Twisting Spirits printed each individual flavour on its own tactile embossed paper, so the label “feels like it tastes” with lemongrass, for example, given a citrus skin texture. Resulting in a distinct product with masses of shelf appeal.
To see how Brand has helped the likes of Coca-Cola, Diageo and SAB Miller with their packaging innovation or to discuss a specific project please contact us at enquiries@brandims.com