How did packaging change over the decades to become “The Packaging”?

In ancient times, humans used natural materials to package goods, using materials such as animal skins, woven cloth and wooden crates. As civilization progressed, people began to use more durable materials to package their goods and products. This led to the development of packaging technologies such as paper, cardboard, and plastic. Over time, plastics and aluminum came to be pervasive in the packaging industry due to their durability, affordability and ease of mobility. However, this created a major and everlasting problem for the environment and the society – global pollution. We soon began to pay the price for the functionality and appealing packaging, which, in addition to its basic purpose, needed to boost sales, thus resulting in greater profit and competitiveness on the market.

Taking into account the growing population and the environmental challenges of today, we observe packaging from different angles. It is no longer just about the attractive packaging, but rather packaging that will follow new trends and offer more sustainable solutions. Product preservation, best machine-running properties, longer shelf life and end-of-life are new requirements to which the packaging industry needs to respond and that have been identified as crucial in order to reduce negative effects on the environment, but also to promote circularity.

An ongoing shift with packaging is certainly in its materials. Substitution of fossil-based materials with bio-based solutions pushed the boundaries of scientific knowledge and brought packaging to another level. Formulations based on different types and ratios of biopolymers that perfectly meet the properties of the final product are continuously researched and developed, and at the same time, with their biological source and end-of-life scenario, they successfully respond to today’s social challenges, contributing to the global goal of reducing dependence on fossil sources and reducing CO2 emissions.