A DHL report says issues such as sustainability and automation will be high on the agenda for the packaging industry in the coming years

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A survey conducted by DHL showed that nine out of 10 companies believe packaging will play an important role over the next three to five years (Credit: Pixabay)

Demand for more sustainable materials by companies and customers will see packaging pushed into the spotlight over the next five years, according to a new study conducted by courier, parcel and express mail service DHL.

The company has called on its customers and partners to collaborate on rethinking packaging to drive innovation in logistics operations.

DHL’s survey of customers and partners showed that nine out of 10 companies believe packaging will play an important role over the next three to five years.

The firm commissioned its Rethinking Packaging trends report to look at the future of packaging in the logistics industry.

DHL global head of innovation and commercial development Matthias Heutger said: “The Trend Report and our customer survey illustrate just how important easy, recyclable, and robust packaging is to an overall positive customer experience.

“The acceleration of changing needs of companies, consumers, and the wider environment, however, increase costs and reduce effectiveness.

“We believe that the adoption of new packaging optimisation tools, materials, and handling technologies will significantly boost efficiency and productivity.

“That, in turn, will drive changes in the operation of supply chains and logistics processes.”

 

Next step in packaging performance requires close collaboration, according to the DHL report

The report found that one area driving efforts towards minimising waste is a growing demand for more sustainable shipping.

This mindset by consumers is seeing a move towards promoting more green materials and the implementation of more convenient recovery systems.

Retailers are answering these expectations by providing recyclable materials.

To reduce costs, inconvenience and the environmental impact of packaging, DHL’s report believes the logistics industry will play a key role.

The move towards automation in unloading processes, end-of-line packing, and labelling systems could be one key trend in years to come.

The DHL report found that one area driving efforts towards minimising waste is a growing demand for more sustainable shipping (Credit: Flickr/Graham Richardson/https://www.flickr.com/photos/13232346@N00/359769550/)

Another change in the marketplace predicted by the DHL study is the growth in reusable packaging schemes, with consumers and retailers buying into these areas in recent months.

The company did find, however, that some challenges in this marketplace remain — mainly being that industries need to think about the required size of the packaging, and designing systems for maintaining containers.

Alongside this, smart packaging technologies are a growing market, such as smart labels or tags and last-mile product protection measures, strengthening the connection between the customer, supply chain and the package.

The DHL report outlines that, to reach the next step in packaging performance, close collaboration between supply chain experts, packaging specialists and customers is needed.