All participants remain anonymous, but we are grateful for their generous decision to share insights with their peers. And we asked permission to share some of their comments with all our readers. Perhaps the most interesting finding is that a lot of critical packaging issues are pretty universal.
Sustainability top of list
Most of the interviewees mentioned that exploring sustainable packaging options are on their radar, and any information in case histories or innovation reports is valuable, even outside the pet food industry.
“We want to be sustainable for all of our packages by 2030. The majority of products we launch with currently are not sustainable,” said one pet food producer. “I see that as a challenge. I think we can always use better info on how you get a material approved as recyclable in the U.S.—it’s quite a confusing route. It’s difficult to navigate and it’s changing, too. Developing so fast and yet not fast enough and we need more clarity around that understanding maybe. It is always great (reading in a magazine) the way a company has taken a route to sustainability and how they’ve addressed some of these challenges and working to convert materials.”
Another pet food packager said, “Our biggest focus right now is sustainability with packaging. We’ve done a lot to be better about ingredients and management of raw materials through the years. And now it’s time to focus making things so they don’t go back in the landfill. You look at some of our products packaging … and it’s not really readily recyclable. That’s a real question now to be able to do something about that.”
While the hunt for sustainable materials is happening more and more with changing consumer demand, impact of this shift on packaging machinery and operations remains a key interest. With changes in materials sometimes comes need for modifications, adjustments or replacements of equipment. “Right now there is a big push to go to all recyclable plastics, so I’m always on the lookout for any type of new equipment or programs out there to help us with these things.”
 | Read this story about dog and cat food packaging market share. |
