With the start of the new year, many people’s minds turn to making new year’s resolutions, as do many companies, including those in the industrial packaging industry. Now is the ideal time for businesses to look at how they operate and the changes they can make to become more effective, efficient and attractive to their customer base. Here are four new year’s resolutions that your packaging business can make to make sure you start the year off on the right foot. 

1. Be environmentally friendly

In recent years, consumers have become increasingly concerned about the use of plastic packaging. In 2017, for example, a survey by grassroots environmental group, A Plastic Planet, found that 81% of people were concerned about the amount of plastic packaging. This means there’s never been a better time to review your product lines and look for ways to make them more environmentally friendly. When it comes to industrial packaging, this could mean offering your customers compostable or biodegradable bulk bags or producing those bags from recycled (and recyclable) material. You could also consider ways to become a zero-waste company, something more and more businesses are committing to. 

2. Put function over form

While people want attractive products, they also want ones that are fit for purpose. If they aren’t, they probably won’t buy them from you again. Food packaging manufacturers, for example, could consider producing containers using PET as opposed to OPS plastics. The latter can only be used for cold foods, meaning it isn’t as versatile as a container made from PET, which can be used for both hot and cold food. Speak to your customers and consumers and find out what would make their lives easier and start from there, designing new product lines that meet their needs. 

3. Keep an eye on industry trends

It’s very easy when you have been operating for a while to continue doing things the way you have always done them. However, consumer tastes change, as we can see from their interest in more sustainable packaging, which means you need to change your packaging too. Take a look at what else is happening in the industry – are there technological advances, for example, that can make your products more durable or affordable, or are customers looking for more of one type of packaging over another? Once you identify the trends, make changes to your product lines to respond to them. 

4. Better branding

Industrial packaging needs to be practical, reliable, and affordable. It can also be branded. Branding your FIBC bags, for example, can help keep you front and centre of a customer’s mind, because they see your company’s name, logo and tagline whenever they use or wherever they store products. Take a look at how you brand your packaging at the moment and ask yourself if it’s distinctive and helps you stand out. If it doesn’t, consider carrying out a rebranding exercise, meaning you start the new year with a new look as well as a new approach to your business.