Ranging from the intriguing and interesting tech innovating to the marketing focus, the packaging industry’s future is shifting to a whole new paradigm with an intent to protect the environment. With the increasing notion of custom boxes, multiple technologies are being devised to advance the packaging industry, and well, it’s finally happening. In this article, we are sharing the futuristic notions that are shaping the packaging industry. So, have a look!

Fiber-Based Materials 

The rising environmental concerns have put the plastic packaging standards in jeopardy (for good). That’s the prime reason that packaging manufacturers are devising plant-based material, and MFC is one of the top choices. With micro-fibrillated cellulose, the plant fibers are broken down at the micro-level and are shaped into the packaging material. 

This process ought to make the lightweight yet sturdy packaging as compared to the carbon fiber or glass. Some manufacturers are utilizing and integrating MFC into other packaging material, which can enhance the strength levels. As for now, only a few grams of the packaging in the lab, but researchers are working on a way to produce thousands of tons of the packaging material. 

However, there is one complication involved; the ability of the material to act as the content degradation, given the factors like moisture, light, and oxygen. Similarly, the packaging lamination tends to resist natural recycling, which is pushing the industry to design water-based lamination or coating that doesn’t act as a barrier and promises environment-friendly packaging.

Robotics 

Like other industries, robotics is playing an integral role in the field of packaging, including e-commerce. For instance, the robotic arms can be utilized for sorting small items, package them into boxes, and optimize quick and accurate delivery to the retailers. It’s pretty clear that robots offer flexibility because they can be reprogrammed after a certain task, making them a versatile choice. 

Secondly, mobile robotic platforms have the capacity to move around the warehouses, which promises improvements in the efficiency rate. These mobile robots can intelligently teach themselves the new routers that are deployable for new surroundings, speaking volumes about flexibility and programming.

It’s pretty clear that robotics is speeding up the products and goods’ shelf organization without compromising on consistency or precision. There is an evident development of sensors and computer vision that specifically caters to the monitoring needs for optimizing the high-end performance of the robotic packaging. 

For instance, Ocado is already using robots with human pickers to deliver products and goods according to customer orders. It’s predicted that co-biotics are in the works, given the development of automated packaging. With this new notion, robots will be used alongside the human workforce to optimize better performance rates. 

Smart Packaging

With the development of the Internet of Things, packaging became a thing and has played an integral role in the customer journey in a positive manner. This technology has transformed the entire impact of packaging. First of all, it has reduced food waste at a global level. Secondly, the doctors are able to keep track of the patients given the connected medical packaging. 

This is important because brands have been struggling with product piracy for a long time, which hasn’t only led to potential health risks but financial loss as well. These issues were more prevalent in the medication industry. 

3D Printing

This is the literal game-changer since it has the ability to help test the packaging before moving on to the full-scale packaging. At this point, it’s important to understand that 3D printing has played an integral role in upscaling the packaging to a new level through creativity and customization. For 3D printing, the molten plastic is attached to the base and is built up through layers. 

This is the prime reason that it’s called additive manufacturing, and the operations are controlled by software. The companies have recently been experimenting with the production of food products and packaging in the 3D form. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that 3D packaging improves the manufacturing process by initiating the prototyping.

On the other hand, it’s undergone some challenges, and it’s the higher packaging costs as compared to standard formats.