Page 3 - Packaging News magazine Jan-Feb 2022

January-February 2022 | www.packagingnews.com.au COMMENT | MANAGING EDITOR 3
What we know for sure...
THE new year has arrived with a fresh tremor of pandemic calamity rippling through Australian soci- ety. In the industries supported by packaging, we’re once again seeing supply chains under strain, translat- ing to product shortages and empty supermarket shelves. At the time of writing, retail sales are reported to be at an all-time low since the start of the pandemic. Manufacturing and service operations are challenged by staff on sick leave or in isolation, and industry bodies and government are strategising daily on how to alleviate the burden on health care services and businesses, while keeping the economy running.
And yet, as we move into our third year of facing the certainty of uncertainty, there seems to be an undercurrent of hope that high vaccination rates, and a collective will to get back to some kind of nor- mal, will see us through. Of course, there’s no way of knowing this, because if Covid has taught us any- thing, it’s that we need to be flexible and ready for change at the drop of a new viral variant.
At times of heightened unpre- dictability, it’s instinctive to seek out what we do know and can rely on as a framework for navigating a potentially precarious path. In the packaging industry, what we know
for certain plays out in the megatrends currently shaping our innovation, steering our investment, and inform- ing our policies and strategies.
As the pages of this issue bear out in the themes and topics covered, there are three megatrends that will continue to shape the packaging sector in 2022: Sustainability & the Circular Economy; Digitisation of Product Packaging; Connectivity and Automation in Production.
Let’s look at each of these in turn. In 2022, when we talk sustainability, we’ll also be talking circular economy. Brand owners and converters alike will have a renewed focus on clos- ing material and energy loops. This will drive decisions from the board- room to the factory floor and will play out in further investment in recov- ery, recycling and remanufacturing infrastructure. Find out more in our Sustainability section starting on page 24, and our Plastics & Bioplastics fea- ture on page 28.
Digitisation of product packag- ing will continue to advance apace. Smart packaging that communicates not only with consumers but along the supply chain will come to the fore, as brand owners grow bolder in adopting new technologies that provide digital touchpoints at every stage of the prod- uct lifecycle. Read more about these new technologies in our special report
starting on page 18.
And in the manufacturing
arena, as our Industry 4.0 fea- ture on page 42 attests, we’ll see production floors start to wake up to the digital revolution, with increased machine con- nectivity delivering rich data to guide operations, the adop- tion of AR and VR technologies for remote training and ser-
vice, and the increased uptake of robotic automation to enhance pro- ductivity and drive efficiencies.
Pandemic notwithstanding, what we know for sure is it’s going to be an interesting year, and the PKN team will be with you all the way keeping youinformedofnewdevelopments. ■
Lindy Hughson
Managing Editor & Publisher
MANAGING EDITOR & PUBLISHER
Lindy Hughson (02) 9213 8239 lindyhughson@yaffa.com.au
EDITOR
Colleen Bate colleenbate@yaffa.com.au
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Wayne Robinson waynerobinson@yaffa.com.au
SENIOR JOURNALIST
Jan Arreza janarreza@yaffa.com.au
NATIONAL SALES MANAGER
Sharon Amos
0417 072 625 sharonamos@yaffa.com.au
ADVERTISING PRODUCTION
Luke Buckley (02) 9213 8216 lukebuckley@yaffa.com.au
SUBSCRIPTIONS WWW.GREATMAGAZINES.COM.AU CALL: 1800 807 760
EMAIL: SUBSCRIPTIONS@ YAFFA.COM.AU
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
1 year $77.00
1 year (overseas)
NZ A$90 ASIA A$105 ROW A$140
PUBLISHER
Lindy Hughson
MARKETING MANAGER
Lucy Yaffa
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
Matthew Gunn
STUDIO MANAGER
Lauren Esdaile
DESIGNER
Lauren Esdaile
ISSN 0048-2676.
Member Circulations Audit Board.
PACKAGING NEWS
is published by Yaffa Media Pty. Ltd. ABN 54 002 699 354
17-21 Bellevue Street,
Surry Hills, NSW 2010.
Tel: (02) 9281 2333
Fax: (02) 9281 2750
All mail to:
GPO Box 606 Sydney 2001.
In the packaging industry,
what we know for certain plays out in the megatrends currently shaping our innovation, steering our investment, and informing our policies and strategies.”