The Reedbut Group has been manufacturing corrugated boxes for over 40 years and each year, the packaging world sees several new trends take hold. There is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated a change in consumer behaviour which has had a consequential impact on the industry, particularly in eCommerce.
2022 will continue to be a year of innovation in a bid to respond to the key pressures facing the packaging industry:
- Tighter sustainability targets
- Increase in the price and, the availability of raw material
Tighter Sustainability Targets
The strongest trends in the packaging industry all revolve around the Circular Economy – get used to that phrase, it’s here to stay! In November 2021, we wrote a detailed article about the Circular Economy following learnings we picked up from COP26. And in the spirit of recycling, the same three words used in the 80’s and 90’s have been revived to define what is at its beating heart:
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Yes, it’s driven primarily by political pressure and consumer perception regarding packaging within Europe, but China (and now India) is closing its’ doors to waste. With environmental groups lobbying to stop plastic pollution in the oceans, the Circular Economy has become more than lip service and nations are showing positive actions to strengthen their resource protectionism.
Increase in the Price and, the Availability of Raw Material
The demand for packaging by individual global territories adds to supply issues with the largest markets securing the raw material with implications on supply and cost.
- Asia is the largest market accounting for 43% of world packaging sales in 2020
- North America is in second place accounting for 23% of world packaging sales, ahead of Western Europe with 19%
- The emerging and developing regions of Eastern Europe, South & Central America, the Middle East, and Africa each account for a relatively small share of packaging sales at present
Source: Smithers 2021
The Reedbut Group has an excellent relationship with our corrugated board sheet suppliers who in turn, have strong relationships with their suppliers who provide the raw material needed to produce and manufacturer the boards for all of our boxes. Therefore, despite the huge demand from Asia and North America for corrugated board, we will continue to ring fence supplies for a continuous service to you.
What about the Trends for 2022?
We like this info graphic from Smithers which succinctly shows the “Mega Trends” for 2022
Over 40 years of establishing great supplier relationships helps to mitigate disruption to our supply chain. What’s more, we have a brand new addition to the team to support retail changes and improve our services; an inline double-sided print & die-cut machine This addition (not a replacement) is massively welcomed as it improves both our capacity and volume output.
“Making you sure you’re ahead of the game and prepared for key dates which impact your business, or your own customer demand, is absolutely key.
Don’t let these dates creep up on you in 2022!”
Jason Jeffery Group Sales Director
We’ve compiled a number of key dates for 2022 to support your own planning, including the obvious and, not so obvious…
If we can help with any of your packaging requirements in 2022, please do get in touch.