Page 21 - Packaging News Magazine Mar-Apr 2021

March-April 2021 | www.packagingnews.com.au | COVER STORY
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“Freshness indicators enable con- sumers to manage the product in home storage to reduce food waste, an issue costing the Australian economy $20 billion per annum,” Dossor says.
Result offers both technologies in a label format whereby an activation point is selected to fit with current production and distribution. When the atmosphere around the label changes, the colour-changing pro- cess is activated indicating the cold chain stability or freshness of the product over time.
“This allows the consumer to make informed decisions on the freshness of the food after opening and reduces food waste in the home, while also giving brand owners the ability to track temperature stability of the sup- ply chain without the need for hard- ware-based devices,” Dossor says.
SHELF-LIFE EXTENSION
Fresh produce owners are no longer restricted to using passive packaging to protect their products against damage and spoilage. With active packaging, as Dossor explains, the produce and packaging work in syn- ergy to extend the shelf life of a fresh produce item, mostly via two tech- nologies: absorbing systems and releasing systems.
“Result supplies customers with the dispensing equipment necessary to automate the addition of oxygen absorber or desiccant sachets to their bags or packs of food. We also possess the know-how for extending the package life of fresh produce via releasing systems, having success- fully completed and subsequently been industry-awarded for such a project involving fresh grapes.”
ENHANCING CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT
Thanks to digital connectivity, con- sumers can use their smartphone to scan or tap in-store or at home a QR code, NFC tag, or another identifier that has been added to a product or item’s packaging. The brand owner can then engage with consumers any- time, anywhere, to build deeper, more valuable relationships.
“Intelligent packaging solutions delivered by Result Group provide
product transparency, context-aware experiences, new direct-to-consumer services and unlock game-changing insights into audiences in the pro- cess,” Dossor says. “For instance, a wine brand owner can integrate a QR code or NFC tag on or within the bot- tle’s label which, once scanned by a smartphone, can provide the con- sumer with engaging information such as retail or bar location, drink recipes, instant-win competitions, serving suggestions as an accompani- ment to a meal and so much more.”
“As a business, we are aware that with the advent of intelligent pack- aging, companies may think a con- siderable investment needs to be made around the software and workflow process. This is not so. Innovation and technology can now serve up affordable smart packag- ing solutions.”
SUPPLY CHAIN EFFICIENCY
The key attributes of intelligent pack- aging are to capture data and estab- lish a link between brand and con- sumer. As soon as a product or item is shipped and out of the warehouse, a business loses control of it.
MAIN AND BELOW: Consumer engagement with a brand is enhanced on many levels via the packaging’s digital connectivity to the smartphone platform.
Dossor says intelligent packaging solutions provide business-wide internal/external supply chain man- agement, production process, real- time automation and control, data collection and reporting.
“This type of intelligent packaging is particularly useful for businesses operating in the food, beverage, phar- maceutical, nutraceutical and pet food sectors. The information is exchanged in the cloud and is real- time for brand owners,” he says.
SUSTAINABILITY
In recent years, Result has turned its focus to sustainable packaging and using technology to deliver on those key drivers.
“Our range of laser systems enables branding of fresh produce and its packaging, eliminating the use of labels, while our range of linerless label applicators deliver environmen- tal benefits in the removal of release liner,” Dossor says.
The company’s line of intelligent packaging solutions is an extension of its current effort towards deliver- ing more sustainable options for cus- tomers. For example, its smart appli- cations can be leveraged to improve consumers’ recycling habits.
“By scanning a QR code or integrat- ing an NFC tag on a product’s packag- ing, consumers can access informa- tion on how to recycle the item and also identify the geo-location of the nearest waste and recycling depots,” Dossor explains.
Overall, the opportunities are almost endless in active and intelli- gent packaging. Enhancing consumer engagement has never been easier, the costs are a fraction of traditional advertising seen in consumer good sales and the data gained ensures decisions on product acceptance and development are in the palm of the brand-owner’s hand. ■
Result Group is a GS1 Strategic Alliance Partner and Michael Dossor is co-chair of the GS1 Traceability Solution Providers Working Group. He will be lecturing at the upcoming Australian Institute of Packaging training course on active and intel- ligent packaging.