PET Food Processing - December 2018 - 47

PACKAGING TRENDS

all about

AESTHETICS
Pet food and treat packaging design trends
mirror pet owners' lifestyle priorities.
By Pedro Gonçalves | petfoodprocessing@sosland.com

As today's pet parents want the same quality and safety
standards for their pet food as they do their own food,
the packaging and design trends driving human food can
easily be translated to food packaging for our four-legged
friends. Both human food and pet food are trending
toward wholesome, simple ingredients with a focus on
special dietary and nutritional needs. Packaging plays a
key role in identifying those specialties for consumers,
whether they are shopping online or in-store.
Packaging, which is often thought of as the thing that
gets tossed in the recycling bin once a product is used,
presents a particularly interesting opportunity to innovate
sustainable solutions and draw in consumers with unique
design choices that speak to their needs and wants.
According to a global study by Nielsen, 52% of consumers said their purchase decisions partly depend on
packaging, specifically saying they check the label to see
if the brand is committed to positive social and environmental impact. This speaks to consumers' desires to buy
products that have a positive impact on their community and the planet. When consumer trends such as this
are coupled with today's visual trends and translated into
packaging design, they can have a very powerful impact.
A consumer survey commissioned by Tetra Pak found

that 76% of respondents believe this focus on environmental issues will increase in the next five years, and 38%
of consumers reported environmentally sound packaging
makes them much more likely to consider a brand.
One route to more sustainable packaging is to do more
with less. The decisions made during the crucial packaging design phase will impact the environmental profile
of a product in every stage of its lifecycle. Decreasing
the amount of required materials optimizes a package's
environmental footprint. Material choices are also key.
There are many options available for renewable, sustainable materials, such as plant-based plastics or Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified paperboard.
A sustainable package should also extend the shelf life
of the pet food by preventing exposure to light or oxygen
to protect the product's taste, color, smell and nutritional
value. Aseptic and retortable cartons are a great example
of this. This technology extends shelf life without the
need for preservatives or refrigeration, and the packaging
is recyclable.
But sustainable package design is just one piece of the
packaging puzzle. Once the foundational, functional design
choices have been made, there are a variety of other
design aesthetics that can be leveraged to communicate

Simple bold graphics
and metallic finishes
offer a modern look
that consumers equate
with a simplified life.
PureLUXE

www.petfoodprocessing.net | December 2018 | PET FOOD PROCESSING

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PET Food Processing - December 2018

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