Asia’s Packaging Revolution: Top Trends Shaping the Industry
Today’s Asian packaging market is a hotbed of change. From shifting consumer behaviours to tightening legislation, the landscape looks very different than it did just five years ago.
Our Asian site, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, gives us a first-hand experience of working at the heart of the Asian packaging sector. We’ve used that expertise to identify the five key trends that will shape the future of this fast-paced market.
Convenience and quality – the priorities
A recent Innova Market Insights report on Asian packaging found that nearly half of Asian consumers are prioritising packaging quality in their purchasing decisions. This has been driven in part by the food industry and the post-pandemic trends towards at-home cooking and dining. A combination of increased hygiene awareness and some of the most severe lockdown restrictions on the planet means that many Asian consumers have picked up new home cooking habits they are sticking with today.
This means packaging has to be highly functional and convenient. Easy-open-and-reclose solutions, ovenable and microwavable packs, and light weight, easy-to-store flexible packaging are all becoming increasingly important solutions that meet this trend.
Single-serve solutions for shrinking households
Another trend taking place across Asia is the shrinking of family households. According to Euromonitor International, the last five years have seen a marked increase in the number of single-person households across the region.
This is driven by a complex combination of factors including falling birth rates, delayed marriage, and urbanisation leading to an increase in younger people leaving family homes for affordable housing. Using formats that are well-suited to single-serve applications like stick packs, sachets, and pouches will be the best way to meet the needs of these independent consumers.
Shelf life becomes more important
Even as the concerns around COVID fade into increasingly distant memory, consumers remain more focused on their own health and wellbeing than they were pre-pandemic. This is manifesting in their purchasing behaviour, with 62% of APAC consumers considering the impact of a purchase on their health before they buy.
This proactive approach to wellness means that many shoppers are gravitating towards functional or organic products, as well as additive-free options that they perceive to be healthier. These products may require extra protection from packaging to prolong their expiry dates, meaning the barrier performance of packaging materials is crucial.
The need to balance strong barrier performance with recyclability and sustainability inspired our team at Parkside to create our Recoflex™ range of flexible packaging laminates. Available in both paper and monopolymer film configurations, Recoflex can be tailored to suit almost any demanding packaging application, from dried foods to fresh produce and beyond.
Catching up on sustainability
In the packaging industry, Asia has never been seen as a particularly sustainability-focused region. However, there are signs that this could be changing. Governments across Asia have taken an increasingly hard line on the packaging waste that often ends up polluting beaches and forests. In 2017, China sent shockwaves through the global waste stream by banning imports of many categories of plastic waste. This position has since been followed by several other states in the ASEAN region.
Businesses are beginning to innovate in response to these gradually tightening regulations. In 2023, the Chinese University of Hong Kong made headlines when it announced it had developed an edible food packaging material made from bacterial cellulose.
Buyers of sustainable packaging fall into two camps – those who want to buy, and those who have to. Traditionally, many in Asia have fallen into the former camp, as not all businesses could justify making the switch from a commercial standpoint. As a result, it remains the preserve of high value items – but, as tightening regulations mean more companies fall into the latter camp, this will likely change in future.
As consumers continue to respond positively to sustainable packaging, the stage is set for sustainability – and particularly plastic reduction – to become as important in Asia as it is in Europe, if not more so given that many developing Asian nations are disproportionately affected by plastic waste. Businesses can respond with innovations that reduce or replace the amount of single-use plastic used in packaging by adopting high-performance paper-based or compostable solutions. In addition to their sustainability benefits, our technical expertise enables us to enhance these materials to provide consumers with the best possible packaging experience.
Ink innovation
As part of the drive towards a more circular packaging industry, businesses are looking at every element of the packaging supply chain in detail. This means the use of inks is also under the microscope – and, as a result, vegetable-based inks are enjoying a surge in popularity.
Advances in ink technology have made solvent-free solutions a much more viable alternative over the course of the last decade. These inks have proven to be particularly popular as they help businesses reduce their environmental footprint without compromising on performance, and they can easily be used as part of food-safe formulations.
At Parkside, we pride ourselves on our robust supply chains and expert customer service, which give us the flexibility and agility to meet our customers’ needs in Asia and beyond. To learn more about how we can help you meet your packaging goals in the fast-paced Asian market, get in touch today
