Smithers 2028 Packaging Outlook: Four Directions and What the Shanghai Show Revealed

A Smithers report titled “The Future of Packaging: Long-Term Strategic Forecast to 2028” identifies four major directions for packaging through 2028: innovation, sustainability, convenience and intelligence. At the Shanghai International Luxury Packaging Exhibition, this writer also saw many packaging formats and solutions that blend sustainable thinking with smart concepts.

01 Sustainable Packaging: A Shared Direction

Sustainable packaging can be defined as packaging whose materials are assessed across production and disposal, including the energy used to make them and what happens when they are used or discarded. Easier recycling, reuse and recovery-based resource protection are also among its basic criteria.

The push for sustainability is raising the use of biodegradable or compostable materials, which break down into basic components over time. Marketing messaging, however, can create confusion: compostable materials are biodegradable, but biodegradable materials are not always compostable.

Biodegradable refers to any substance that microorganisms can break down and that can be absorbed into the natural environment; this is a naturally occurring process. When an object decomposes, its original components become simple substances such as water and carbon dioxide. Oxygen is not a requirement for the process, but its presence can shorten the time needed for biodegradation.

Compostable describes a product or material that can biodegrade under specific, human-managed conditions. Unlike fully natural biodegradation, composting depends on controlled intervention. Microorganisms break down organic matter with human help, while people supply and optimize water, oxygen and organic matter.

Shenzhen Dechangyu New Material Technology Co., Ltd. presented its eco-friendly packaging material process for plastic tubes. The tube head and the outer tube body that holds the contents can be separated and used in different quantity ratios based on product function. For instance, one roller-ball head can be paired with multiple tube bodies, or several replaceable sponge heads can share a single tube body. This allows packaging components to be replaced and reused, cutting scrap.

02 Anti-Counterfeiting Technology Diversifies and Advances

Stopping counterfeits and protecting genuine goods has long been a shared goal across the industry. Packaging anti-counterfeiting technology verifies product authenticity and makes imitation and copying harder, helping prevent forgery, protect brands, maintain market order and safeguard consumer rights.

At the exhibition, exhibitors’ anti-counterfeiting technologies showed clear diversification.

Keweibao Anti-Counterfeiting uses industry-leading equipment and systems, applying lithography to produce anti-counterfeiting labels. Numbers and other elements can be added to the anti-counterfeiting code to create an encrypted QR code that cannot be copied.

The person in charge of Quantum Cloud Code (Fujian) Technology Co., Ltd. said that quantum cloud codes offer more advantages than QR codes in tracing counterfeit goods.

Each code dot on a quantum cloud code anti-counterfeiting label is about 30–40 µm in diameter, roughly half the width of a human hair. The fine dots are densely arranged, making copying more difficult. Even if the label is damaged, instruments can still read and identify it efficiently as long as a 3*3 mm area remains. The code pattern can also be made into any graphic or shape as needed. Quantum cloud codes store richer information and can identify supply sources, better preventing counterfeit goods and product diversion.

In this way, quantum cloud codes address multiple application gaps of QR codes without hurting product appearance, and they are already providing anti-counterfeiting services for many well-known companies.

Wuhan Huagong Image Technology Development Co., Ltd. showcased new anti-counterfeiting technologies. Its image tracking technology gives packaging graphics strong dynamic effects and distinctive visual features. Its precision etching technology allows inspection by transmitted light with a point light source, revealing clear hidden encrypted information such as text, images or logos.

This shows that anti-counterfeiting and traceability technology can strengthen anti-counterfeiting capabilities and traceability systems and more effectively combat counterfeit and inferior products, while also pursuing environmental protection and creativity.

03 One-Stop Creative Services Gain Traction

At the venue, the writer found that most exhibitors focused mainly on packaging production, though some companies also provided one-stop packaging solution services.

Shenzhen Baixinglong is one example. It has created more than 30,000 products and provided full-case planning for more than 200 brands, delivering distinctive packaging design solutions. The company says it has been engaged in brand design for 23 years and has 20 brand specialists, 70 designers and sales staff, plus four production plants.

General Manager Ye Amin said: “From a brand’s early stage, we start planning, then design, then production, all completed one-stop on our side. Some brand owners worry that a designer’s concept cannot meet their needs, or they seek a third-party designer and still find the result mismatched. Our strength is designing according to the actual product, and the outcome often exceeds the design effect.”

With sustainable development driving continuous packaging innovation, consumers are also paying more attention to eco-friendly packaging. Ye Amin is positive about future packaging market demand. She believes consumers may not have focused so much on packaging in the past, but today appearance matters greatly, and young people want both effective products and high visual appeal.

In 2023, the International Luxury Packaging Exhibition brought together many industry professionals, along with exhibiting brands known for outstanding packaging creativity and professional technology. Through in-depth exchanges, participants generated more packaging inspiration and explored future packaging solutions, advancing sustainable development in the beauty industry while gaining insight into future consumer demand trends.

Source: China Packaging Network (pack.cn); original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-379372.html