Disruptive Technologies Set to Transform the Consumer
Packaging Landscape
Simon Smith,
Senior Consultant Business Intelligence, Pira International, United
Kingdom
A disruptive technology is a new, emerging technology that has the
potential to eventually displace an existing technology. This process
can result in profound transformations in the industry. A key
characteristic of a disruptive technology is that it often produces
inferior product performance at higher cost than conventional
technologies – at least at first. However, disruptive technologies have
other features that are of value to a few fringe or new customers. The
technology normally cultivates slowly at first, and then at an
exponential pace. Once established and available at a reasonable
benefit–cost ratio, the technology may act like a virus that eradicates
more conventional technologies and eventually takes over the mainstream.
Disruptive technologies are revolutionary and thus differ from
sustaining or incremental technologies, which are evolutionary.
Sustaining technologies are those that improve the performance of
established products along the dimensions of performance that most
customers in major markets historically value. Most technological
advances in the consumer packaging industry have been and will continue
to be sustaining in character. However, disruptive technologies could
leapfrog sustaining development and have a much larger impact on the
future.
When disruptive technologies actually make a commercial appearance or
impact, they have several common traits. Many are developed in other,
non-related industries or provide unexpected value propositions by
integrating several unrelated technologies. This integration of multiple
technologies to achieve maximum value is especially evident in the early
products that have been introduced to the packaging industry. Often,
their full value is not realised until they are combined with another
technology. For these reasons, disruptive technologies are hard to
identify and their rate of advancement is difficult to predict.
Disruptive technologies in packaging
As part of a major research project undertaken by Pira, the worldwide
authority for the packaging, printing and paper industries, a team of
technical experts gave their opinions on the leading disruptive
technologies that were occurring in the consumer packaging industry.
Part of the project was to assess the perceptions of the ‘technologists’
and the ‘practitioners’ (i.e. end users or consumers) and how they
differed. The magnitude of this difference may affect how one considers
the importance of disruptive technologies and the rate at which they are
introduced.
The project also assessed the degree of ‘pull’ from the projected end
users. In this way, the project team could see a more balanced view of
what’s happening now and what’s ahead in the consumer packaging field.
To do this they looked at entry products associated with the disruptive
technologies and attempt to gauge their importance and commercial
success. Their integration into actual commercial products such as food,
beverage and pharmaceutical packaging was also examined. With the ‘pull’
component to this model identified, we should be able to predict more
accurately the impact of these technologies and their chances of an
early entrance into the mainstream packaging industry.
Trends
Recent trends impacting consumer packaging technology include material
and energy cost fluctuations due to volatile oil prices, growth of
sustainable packaging and new innovations in materials and packaging
formats (e.g. increased penetration of flexible packaging and rigid
plastic in food packaging).
The technologies analysed in the project have been grouped into
categories which include: active packaging, intelligent packaging, new
materials and other technologies which include coatings/surfaces, food
processing, design, and manufacturing.
Looking at intelligent packaging technologies, time–temperature
indicators (TTIs) are now being widely used in diverse commercial
applications. Biosensors are tipped to be a promising area for future
development. Pira predicts that over time, the integration of indicators
and data carriers will be an important step towards harnessing the full
potential of these technologies.
In the active packaging technology arena, chemical absorbers and
emitters are being currently used in niche applications to preserve
shelf life and the quality of foods and beverages. The development of
absorbers or emitters that can be suitably integrated into the packaging
material is expected to be a major opportunity for packagers worldwide.
RFID technology usage has increased significantly in recent times,
especially in the form of silicon chip devices with small batteries.
However, the future of RFID will require chipless devices (i.e. printed
electronics) without batteries. Barriers still remain for RFID,
particularly the multiplicity of available formats and the problems with
UHF interference.
Low-permeability (barrier) materials are now being developed and
commercialised, with new polymers also having been developed mainly for
their barrier properties or heat resistance. Additives to plastic
packaging have also been introduced to prevent UV attacks, provide
antistatic properties, improve biodegradability, and increase electrical
or thermal conductivity. Pira predicts that engineered polymers (blends,
additives, laminates, etc.) stand a good chance of being commercialised
in future.
Several new polymers based on renewable (non-petrochemical) feedstock
have also been recently developed. These may stabilise the price of
packaging, given that they are unaffected by oil price movements. The
most commercially successful polymer which is both biodegradable and
based on
renewable feedstock is polylactic acid (PLA). Pira points out that
packaging materials produced from blends containing starch or cellulose
materials are now being produced commercially.
In the field of nanomaterials, clay-based nanocomposites are highlighted
as those with the greatest and shortest-term commercial potential. These
provide very high strength and excellent barrier properties at
moderately low filler loadings. Moulded pulp and fibre are also becoming
commercialised on account of their eco-friendly features, low weight and
lower cost compared to polymeric materials. Products are now available
incorporating a moulded pulp body with a polymeric barrier film or
coating, which is generally biodegradable.
Pira expects products
capable of three-dimensional moulding into complex shapes to show
commercial promise, especially for food trays and protective packaging
for non-food products.
Other disruptive technologies discussed in the study include conductive
coatings and ‘effect’ coatings used to enhance the aesthetic appeal of
consumer packaging. In food processing technology, there have been
notable advances in aseptic and retort packaging, self-cooling
technology, non-destructive quality control mechanisms for monitoring
contamination and bond strength of seals, etc; and adhesives based on
PLA polymers and nano-starch.
Several potentially disruptive technologies connected to manufacturing
have been observed in end products. These consist mainly of adhesives
(easy-opening sealants, steam- and microwave-resistant products, etc.)
and non-destructive testing systems (featuring contaminant detection,
burst strength, etc.). Commercial software allowing rapid design and
simulated testing of packaging products has also become available, with
current commercial design primarily focused on easy-opening devices
(spouts and lids, peelable films, zip closures, etc.).
Looking ahead, Pira predicts that the food, beverage and pharmaceutical
sectors have the greatest potential for adoption of disruptive
technologies, primarily due to their high technical requirements and
product volumes. Innovation in the personal care sector has been brought
about through the usage of eco-friendly, new materials and intelligent
packaging. Sensors and data carriers in the personal care sector are now
increasingly conforming to new directives involving use-by-date
labelling.
Food, beverage, and pharmaceutical/healthcare are the sectors where
disruptive technologies will meet the best reception. This is primarily
due to the high performance requirements in these sectors and to the
potential volume of packaging sold annually. However, disruptive
technologies are also applicable to the other sectors, and it is
possible that once the technology is developed in Sector A, it can be
transferred to Sector B abruptly and without much development
Technology mapping
Once the disruptive technology is identified, there are several methods
of assessing its technology activity importance from the view of the end
user of the technology. Collectively these methods
are generally referred to as roadmapping. The motivation for obtaining
such information is principally related to exploiting potential
opportunities and defending the firm against potential threats. This
requires a process that can enable organisations to comprehend
accessible data and deliver relevant and timely information.
The primary types of roadmapping are: patent mapping and recognition and
evaluation of new product introductions. These are only two of several
tools available, and the latter is mainly used in this analysis.
An excellent review of how roadmapping may be applied for knowledge
extrapolation and strategic planning specifically in the packaging
sector is given in several papers by David A. Beeton. This work was done
in partnership with the EPSRC, Pira and the Faraday Packaging
Partnership. The articles describe and support a wide variety of tools
and models that can be used in the roadmapping effort. Furthermore, they
are directed specifically to trend developments in the packaging
industry. Beeton broadly reviews technologies related to active and
intelligent packaging, on-pack electronics, nano-technology, materials,
etc. to explain the roadmapping methodology. This current report
supplements Beeton’s work in a sense, since it discusses specific
technologies and introductory products.
Various data and text-mining tools in the form of software have been
applied to patent analysis. However, there is a degree of scepticism
with regard to the use of these new text-mining technologies. This is
mainly due to a perceived ‘black box’ effect of the user not knowing
inherently what decision methodology is being used in the analysis, and
secondly by the cost and complexity of many software packages. Most
often, patent mapping is left to specialists who have the time and funds
required to interpret patent activity in the correct light.
Statistical data obtained from patent documents can be used to map key
trends across different fields of technology, different countries and
different industry sectors. This information is important to corporate
strategy developers in making decisions and formulating plans. Patent
mining is often used to identify trends associated with disruptive
technology. The literature-based discovery identifies the drivers of
technologies, the experts associated with diverse technologies, and the
pioneers that will introduce these concepts to the mainstream.
This article is based on research completed for a Pira International
market study Ten –Year Foorecasts of Disruptive Technologies in
Consumer Packaging to 2019. The study is available for £3,500. For
more information, please contact Stephen Hill on +44 (0) 1372 802 025,
stephen.hill@pira-international.com
Based on primary research and expert analysis, Forecasts of
Disruptive Technologies in Consumer Packaging to 2019 seeks to
identify and assess the various, exciting disruptive technologies that
are being commercialised in the consumer packaging sector. Classifying
technologies on the basis of components (e.g. RFID labels, bioplastics)
and end-use packaging products (e.g. beverage containers, blister
packs), the study examines the possible integration of these innovative
technologies into corporate business strategies and plans.
Significantly, it also seeks to provide roadmaps for each sector through
patent and text analysis, explaining where they stand in 2009, and also
forecasting short and long-term scenarios in each case. In addition, the
study discusses the new trends that are influencing the consumer
packaging sector.
Pira International
Pira International – the worldwide authority on packaging, paper and
print industry supply chains
Established in 1930, Pira provides strategic and technical consulting,
testing, intelligence and events to help clients gain market insights,
identify opportunities, evaluate product performance and manage
compliance
