Page 33 - Packaging News Jan-Feb 2020

January-February 2020 www.packagingnews.com.au FMCG PACKAGING TRENDS 2020
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plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products.
“In Australia and New Zealand, we haven’t been affected by govern- ments declaring a sugar tax but giv- en what’s happening in other mar- kets, you can be sure it has been tabled for discussion. I think manu- facturers are taking a leading role to reduce the need for such a tax, and as a result, in nearly every supermar- ket category you’re seeing low- or no- sugar options,” he says.
“The plant-based trend is fuelled by growing awareness of sustainable pro- duction that serves the planet, with much of the information (or in some cases misinformation) coming to con- sumers via the internet. In the dairy industry this is playing out in the pro- liferation of plant-based ‘milks’, which are fast becoming mainstream prod- ucts – motivated less by lactose intol- erance than by sustainability.”
On the packaging side, this can pres- ent a quandary for manufacturers.
“Some manufacturers have put plant-based products into plastic packaging, but then consumers are saying that while they want the product inside, they don’t want it in this packaging,” Pooch says.
Paper-based packaging like Tetra Pak cartons, however, has found fa- vour for plant-based beverages, which is playing in the packaging giant’s favour.
In Pooch’s view, there’s room for education around sustainability, as it’s clear people are turning away from some products or packaging formats because they perceive that they’re not sustainable when this may well not be true.
MESSAGE FOR MANUFACTURERS
“I think manufacturers have to un- derstand that these consumer shifts or behaviours, which might have been considered fads a few years ago, are absolutely mainstream now. So every manufacturer needs to be thinking about their sustainability stories, and thinking about under- taking a proper life cycle analysis of the product, not just making some greenwashing claim,” Pooch says.
“Consumers, especially the mil- lennials, are not afraid to question
Consumers are making healthy food choices but want eco-friendly packaging to match.