The impact of changing consumer behaviour on the plastic packaging industry

Commodity Inside understands that consumer behaviour will play an important role in shaping the rigid plastic industry. We have identified the following key consumer trends which will impact the industry in the coming years.

• In developed countries, families no longer sit down together to eat a home-cooked meal. This has trigger more demand for ready meals and fast food. However, in developing countries there is still joint family system which helped bring families together. Home-cooked food is still quite common in these countries which keep demand for ready meals low.
• The rising number of more single person households together with changes in eating habits will support demand for smaller pack sizes food such as ‘meals for one’ and ‘food on the go’ etc.
• Due to increasing busy life style, demand for snacking and eating ‘on the run’ is on the rise.
• Some consumers have a negative attitude to packaging and prefer not to buy pre-packed foods. However, we are not expecting any significant impact of this on the plastic packaging sector.
• We understand that ageing population will further underpin demand for easy open and reclose types of packaging
• The growing number of women in employment has been influencing food industry in emerging markets. This has been supporting demand for ready meals, convenience food and fast food from takeaways.
• Children are becoming increasingly influential in purchasing decisions practically when it comes to food. Brand owners are now printing cartoon characters and in some case the packaging itself are in different cartoon characters’ shapes.
• Growing demand for fresh products, containing fewer preservatives, will result in an increasing requirement for packaging with good barrier properties. The development of active and intelligent packaging formats, which monitor the freshness of pre-packed product, will help to satisfy this demand.
• Consumers are becoming more health-conscious, and prefer to buy fresh food and thus supporting the purchase of products considered to be fresh and healthy. Therefore, more active and intelligent packaging, which monitors the freshness of pre-packed products, will help to support plastic packaging.
• Consumers are also getting conscious about recycling and sustainability and therefore will to some extent more inclined towards the plastic packaging compared to other packaging materials. However, at the same time the negative aspect of plastic packaging can also negatively impact the growth.