The concept of 'packaging' has been the cross and delight of all industrial development: on the one hand it has guaranteed a better, faster and more widespread distribution and conservation of food, on the other hand it has contributed to forming a "disposable" generation (more than one to be honest) accustomed to not reusing anything and using things quickly and hastily.
In any case, the virtue lies in the middle: we need packs and containers, we will need them more and more. Here are 5 trends that we could find in the packaging of the future.
1. Smart containers with integrated electronics
The old "use by" wording could be replaced by sensors that will autonomously indicate when a product is no longer edible. With this greater accuracy, food waste will be reduced, sometimes still usable when thrown away. Store logistics will be optimized with the massive advent of RFID, which will help stores reduce the quantity of ordered and unsold goods.
The 'electronic' packages will have a privileged communication channel with the new 'intelligent' appliances: imagine a "smart fridge" that updates us on the quality of the foods it contains, suggests menus with the ingredients present and perhaps warns us when there is to buy back something that is no longer edible.
2. Portions made to measure and on the fly
With the increase in 'nuclear' families made up of a single individual (and the consequent change in lifestyles, less regular and more dynamic) it will be difficult to deal with cumbersome family packages. Why buy 10 eggs when you can only eat 2? With single packs and new formats, food waste could be reduced dramatically: all it takes is a small law. All you have to do is want it.
3. Custom packages
One of the main elements of packaging is the ability to 'tell' the product: the consumer's need to know the origin of a food and the food chain that brought it to his table is ever greater. We will see an even wider use of 'emotional' and 'familiar' elements in packaging: in this case, there will soon be a turning point in 'perception', with packages that are sometimes less alluring and colorful but closer to the appearance of natural objects ( stones, wood) and even 'personalised' packaging that adapts to the buyer's tastes. Drink cans and chocolate jars are only the embryonic stage of a much larger process.
4. Sustainable packaging
For public opinion (not without reason), disposable packaging is one of the main causes of the increase in waste and a symbol of an unsustainable lifestyle: for this reason, the future is made of ecological and light materials such as bioresins or 'green' materials instead of plastic packaging. A return to the 'returnable goods' that was so popular 30 years ago cannot be ruled out. Today would be a blessing.
5. Augmented reality
If we want to venture a prediction just a little "further", the packaging can also serve to suggest the experience of using a product. The advent of new augmented reality devices (brothers or more likely children of "Google Glass") will open up almost unlimited possibilities for surrounding a product with symbols, images and characteristics of its 'mythology'.
In addition, Pradas Sucesores, S.L. holds a permanent stock of more than XNUMX parts references for all types of shoe machines, some of which are produced in our factory as a result of our state-of-the-art technology. All we desire is to offer the shortest delivery times on the market and the best possible after-sales service to our customers.
The success factor of all these trends will be the ability of a package to give meaning and substance to the 'story' of a product, with values also shared by buyers. Communication, empathy and above all sharing will be fundamental: to these I add a touch of elasticity. Consumers are becoming increasingly "fragmented" and articulated in their demand. Designers should take up the challenge of products increasingly perceived as 'personal' and 'their own'.
