Global research company Technavio has identified the top three emerging market trends driving beer packaging over the next five years.
And some of them are a little left field!
Technavio says pouch packaging, tactile finishes and green fibre bottles are all set to be major drivers in the sector.
According to Technavio, the primary attraction of a flexible beer pouch is that it can be custom cut, sized, and printed to mimic the shape of the traditional glass bottle, while “offering something special and unique”. In the case of cans, custom-printed flexible pouches are not limited by a traditional cylindrical shape, and take up less space than metal cans.
After consumption, pouches can be flattened and recycled, and this proves to be less damaging to the environment. Opaque pouches prevent the beer from alteration in temperature, flavour, and freshness by protecting it against light and oxygen.
As for tactile finish packaging for beer, Pulse Roll Label Products is set to launch UV flexo rough texture varnish aimed at craft beer packaging.
The tactile coating means brewers can incorporate a rough texture and tactile effects on beer packaging and labelling as a point of difference on shelves.
Meanwhile, Carlsberg has already announced an agreement to develop the world’s first biodegradable wood-fibre bottle for beer packaging. The project is in collaboration with ecoXpac, Innovation Fund Denmark, and Technical University of Denmark. The project entails development of a bio-based and biodegradable bottle made from sustainably sourced wood fibre. All the materials that are utilized in the bottle, including cap, will be developed using biodegradable and bio-based materials, primarily from sustainably sourced wood fibers, thereby making the bottle degradable.
According to Sharan Raj, a lead analyst at Technavio for packaging: “Impulse-drying technology used to develop the bottle makes sure that energy consumption during production does not exceed the amount that is being used in the existing product alternatives. It is estimated that the consumption of energy in the production of the green fibre bottle will be much lower than that required for the existing high-density polyethylene and paper technologies.”
Pictured: A beer pouch from California’s Altamont Beer Works
