Food producers prioritize sustainable packaging

Pack Expo International exhibitors and speakers alike focus on sustainable and automated solutions and services.

The 2024 Pack Expo International event brought together 2,700 exhibitors to experience the latest in packaging, processing and automation innovations. This was the largest Pack Expo event to date, and the largest event hosted in Chicago’s McCormick Place for 2024. Filling all four exhibit halls at the convention center, this expansive trade show featured various opportunities to learn, connect, network and more.

A newly unveiled PMMI report has found that automation and sustainability are driving the U.S. packaging machinery market. These influences were apparent at the Pack Expo show, as exhibitors and speakers alike focused on sustainable and automated solutions and services.

At the show, PMMI’s VP of m Jorge Izquierdo sat down with The National Provisioner to go over the latest packaging trends for food producers. While automation and sustainability are driving the packaging machinery market, sustainability can be a confusing subject. What does sustainability mean for food producers?

Izquierdo noted that, while sustainability initiatives can often target issues like equipment energy consumption and production services, brand owners are primarily concerned about packaging materials. “Materials is the area of sustainability that has more impact, that is more in front of the consumers. In general, there is more concern about it.”

Within the protein industry, specifically for meat, poultry and seafood production, manufacturers are increasingly using films. "We expect that to keep growing," Izquierdo said "What we are finding is, there is a procession, an evolution in the type of materials they are using. They are moving from films that are multimaterial to films that are monomaterials, to films that have recycled content, biodegradable, compostable.”

To further understand packaging materials trends, Pack Expo asked attendees the following questions during show registration: What are the top three packaging materials that you are using? Out of those three materials, are you planning to continue using those three materials in the next three to five years? If you are looking to replace them, what are you replacing them with?

By gathering answers to these questions, the show is able to take a deep dive into materials trends, understanding the evolution of needs for the industry. “Right now, we have over 18,000 data points, so it’s providing significant direction on where the industry is going, and it’s very fluid,” Izquierdo said.

The data collected from these questions are available online through PMMI's Material Transitioning Dashboard.

Jorge Izquierdo. Courtesy of PMMI

While sustainable packaging initiatives are gaining traction, they are a compromise, Izquierdo said. “While consumers are demanding sustainable packaging, they are not necessarily willing to pay for compostable, sustainable packaging,” he said. “So brand owners need to find packaging materials that are economically viable, number one, and number two they are scalable.”

Switching packaging materials, though, can mean a shift in equipment.

“Not all materials perform the same way. Equipment is optimized for the material you currently run,” Izquierdo said. To accommodate this issue, producers are increasingly retrofitting their equipment to suit their evolving needs.

For smaller processors looking to invest in new packaging equipment, Izquierdo encourages them to examine digital technologies, as they are becoming increasingly accessible in both cost and usability. “I would really encourage the small manufacturers to consider embracing digital technologies early on," he said. "If they invest in digital technologies now, in a new piece of equipment, it won’t be significantly more, but will save them a lot of money down the road.”

Since the packaging industry is so dynamic and ever changing, Izquierdo recommends manufacturers prioritize flexibility when investing in packaging equipment.

Looking to the coming year, Izquierdo noted the increasing relevance of inspection equipment. Inspection equipment is becoming more and more popular in the packaging machinery market, especially in light of recent food recalls. When investing in inspection equipment, Izquierdo advises manufacturers look for equipment that: