TAKEAWAYS FROM ‘THE BUSINESS OF PACKAGING INNOVATION’:
THE 2009 SUMMIT MEETING OF THE PACKAGING INDUSTRY

In case you missed it, The Summit Meeting of the Packaging Industry shifted its focus in 2009 to become a mirror reflection of economic challenges and a crystal ball to help companies look toward a future of innovative package development. The event was held Feb. 25-27, 2009, in Clearwater Beach, FL.

Here are some of the top learning lessons from an event attended by more than two dozen consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies and top package development executives.

• Packaging innovation should never be considered separate from sustainability, but companies must act more assertively to change policies and behavior, said William Weber of DuPont Packaging and Industrial Polymers.

• Brand-owner companies show no fear of innovation even in cost-cutting times, but solutions must demonstrate measurable results or a strong investment return, according to a path-setting Packaging Strategies survey.

• Suppliers can reap the rewards of upfront collaboration and technology transfer but also must be willing to share the risks of package launches, said Nancy Eddy of Procter & Gamble.

• Packaging must be treated as a marketing vehicle for the product inside instead of brushed aside as a cost center separate from consumer needs, said a prominent CPG researcher.

• The “invented here” syndrome at brand owner companies has been replaced with a willingness by suppliers and CPGs to “open their kimonos” and share their best ideas, said Dave Carlstrom of Clorox.

• Procter & Gamble, Clorox, and Kraft Foods are among the top brand owners hungry to find packaging suppliers that can collaborate with them upfront in the innovation process.

• Proper supply chain approaches, constant networking, and a gate-stepping process are necessary to executive innovation, said key converters and suppliers with packaging innovation centers.

• Companies need to look everywhere for the “weak signals” from consumers that can spell the next big trends in packaging and allow them to thrive in the future, said Lisa Bodell of futurethink.