Study Examines Sustainable E-Commerce Packaging A new market study from Smithers Pira shows that the total volume of sustainable packaging materials in e-commerce will be $32.9 billion in 2018, up from $28.2 billion in 2017. E-commerce direct-to-con- sumer trade is expanding rapidly.This is yielding new options for packaging, with major firms like DS Smith and Mondi setting up new divisions and product lines for this sales channel. The Future of Sustainable E-commerce Packaging to 2023 charts how demand for sustainable materials worldwide will almost double in five years to reach $63.3 billion.This is creating opportunities for many material suppliers, in particular in corrugated board, which is around 80 percent of this market. Good News E-commerce is generally good news for packaging, as item-level shipments to the customer typically require more packaging material than bulk deliveries to retail sites. Furthermore, removed from a shop environment, the packaging a buyer receives can play a more impor- tant role in how they experience a brand.This means
e-retailers and brands setting up their own e-com- merce channels are willing to invest innovative pack- aging that creates an impression on the consumer. A Sustainable Century A central consideration in the 21st century is sus- tainability. E-commerce has been perceived negative- ly in the past for shipping small items in large pre-cut boxes, with an excess of protective elements that the customer then has to dispose of. This is not funda- mental. As the market matures, a new host of design options that minimize pack size, employ more sus- tainable materials, and are tailored to e-commerce sales channels are reaching the market. Smithers Pira identifies the following four design approaches that will be essential to furthering sus- tainability in e-commerce packaging across the next 5 years — delivering goods safely and transmitting the green credentials of brands and retailers. Box-On-Demand An estimated 98 percent of packs used in e-com- merce were originally designed for use in traditional bricks and mortar retail. When this transitions to e- commerce delivery in pre-cut corrugated boxes it
8 November 12, 2018 Flexo Market News
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