swop 2023: Trends of the packaging industry unveiled

Mono-material packaging has become an unstoppable trend in sustainable packaging, in particular, for the daily chemical and food sector. And some of the mono-material packaging uses recyclable materials to boost its sustainability.

By optimizing the preservation and protection functions, mono-material packaging can also reduce the damage and deterioration of the contents during transportation and storage. After use, it can be recycled more easily than multi-material packaging.

The photo shows the mon-material packaging solutions offered by Kaida Group for Liby laundry beads.

There are many exhibitors showcasing their mono-material packaging solutions, and many of them are used in daily chemical, food and pet food packaging.    

Some exhibitors told Adsale Plastics Network that the costs of mono-material packaging are 20-50% higher than conventional composite material packaging.

Due to relevant mandatory regulations requiring packaging to be recyclable in Europe and the US, customers in these regions are more willing to pay a premium for environmentally friendly packaging.

The photo shows RIZONE’s all-PE pet food packaging solution.

Our editors notice the trend of using PET, PLA or PCR (post-consumer recycled) plastics for cosmetic packaging.

According to some exhibitors, most cosmetic packaging, such as eye shadow palettes and compact powder cases, uses AS, ABS or PETG materials which cannot be easily recycled. Therefore, converters offer more bio-based or recycled solutions for brands to increase the sustainability of product packaging.   

In addition to sustainable development, exhibitors also mentioned that the demand for personalized cosmetic packaging has grown significantly, and many customers ask to have customized molds.

Shenzhen Beauty Star showcases a variety of creative cosmetics packaging at the exhibition. For example, by using single-screw color injection molding process, with the help of the ingenious design of the mold and the difference in melting index between the raw materials and the color masterbatch, a surface effect similar to the natural texture of marble is formed.

Hangzhou ebei’s True love series of eye shadow palettes, lip glaze tubes, double-ended air cushions, and double-ended cream containers has creative design, which can be folded into a heart shape.

As told, the lip glaze tubes can be filled with lip glaze, liquid highlight/eye shadow, concealer and other contents. The four-color powder cases can meet the needs of dry/wet pressed powder materials.

In addition, thick-walled PET bottles are increasingly used as substitute for glass bottles in small batch and multi-variety production.

Glass bottles are a common packaging for essential oil products. However, an exhibitor told us that although the price of glass bottles is relatively competitive, the minimum order quantity is usually 100,000 pieces. For small-volume brands, that cannot meet their packaging needs of small batch and multiple varieties.

At swop 2023, Zhejiang Ruichang displays thick-walled PET bottles for essential oil products. The plastic bottles are available in two different specifications, 15ml and 30ml, and three different shapes. They are manufactured using two-step blow molding.

Featuring the benefits of renewable materials and low carbon emissions, plant-based material packaging is increasingly recognized as well. It can be used for daily chemical and food products.

The flexible tube packaging of Palmolive Up! shower gel is made of sugarcane. It reduces CO2 emission by 19% when compared with conventional PE materials.