According to a recent Mondi/Dow Premium Pet Packaging survey, published in Packaging World last fall, pet-owning customers are beginning to pay more attention to the dog food bag itself, along with what’s inside it. In the same study, one in three pet owners claimed they would switch to a brand that offers more sustainable packaging. A more recent study by PMMI's Business Intelligence,Trends and Drivers Impacting the Pet Food Industry, also identified a trend on how people, particularly in mature markets like the U.S. and Europe, “humanize” our pets, and wish to give them the best, most luxurious food. More on that study here. This accompanies a continued shift of packaging towards pouches to prevent the deterioration of nutrients through oxidation.
With these trends in mind, German pet food maker Mera Tiernahrung GmbH partnered with Mondi to expand its product line to include a new type of dog food in the form of semi-moist croquettes. Mera realized that this type of pet food would require bespoke packaging to keep the chewable morsels fresh and moist for the duration of the product’s life span, since they tend to dry out and harden without barrier layers. But they also sought the competing necessity of sustainable design and recyclability.
