Beverage Industry logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Beverage Industry logo
  • NEWS
    • R&D News
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Products
    • Reader's Choice Poll
  • CATEGORIES
    • Alternative Drinks
    • Beer
    • Bottled Water
    • Cannabis Beverages
    • Carbonated Soft Drinks
    • Energy Drinks & Shots
    • Juice & Juice Drinks
    • Plant-Based Beverages
    • Sports Drinks
    • Tea and Coffee
    • Wine & Spirits
  • R&D
    • Beverage R&D Features
    • Ingredient Spotlight
  • PACKAGING
    • New Packages
    • Packaging Equipment
    • Packaging Material
  • OPERATIONS
    • Distribution
    • Plant Focus
  • TOP LISTS
    • Beer Market Report
    • Executive of the Year
    • State of the Beverage Industry
    • Top 100 Beverage Companies
    • Truck Report
    • Wholesaler of the Year
  • MEDIA
    • eBook
    • Podcast
    • Polls
    • Videos
    • Webinars
  • DIRECTORIES
    • Annual Manual
    • Contract Packaging Guide
    • Take a Tour
  • MORE
    • Classifieds
    • Channel Strategies
    • eNewsletters
    • Events
      • Membrane Technology Forum
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Market Insights
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Store
    • White Papers
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archived Issues
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!

Innovations in beverages address cost, environment

January 19, 2010

The beverage packaging industry is experiencing a period of increasing innovation in design, materials and efficiency intended to meet cost and environmental concerns while enticing splintering consumer groups, according to “Beverage Packaging Market Assessment — A Benchmark Study.” The study was conducted by Proactive Worldwide Inc., on behalf of PMMI, Arlington, Va., a supply chain association for packaging and processing that also produces the Pack Expo trade show.
 
“Single-serve containers are particularly strong market drivers,” said Charles D. Yuska, president and chief executive officer of PMMI, in a release. “Consumers are seeking ‘grab and go’ convenience at retail, and they’re increasingly looking to packaging for portion control – even with beverages. Sustainability is also a market driver as consumers expect brands to play a role in helping the environment.”
 
Top beverage packaging trends PMMI expects to impact the market include:
• Eye-catching single serve packaging
• Cost-effective “green” packaging, driven by manufacturers’ cost and environmental concerns
• Plastics as “the material of choice” because of rapid innovations likely leading to lighter, more eco-friendly packaging
• New packaging machinery that is flexible and supports the latest container technologies
• Rapid growth for pouch containers as manufacturing technologies bring costs and speeds of pouch beverage production in line with high-speed glass bottle production
• Minimizing secondary packaging to cut costs and reduce overall carbon footprints.
 
“There are many changes occurring in the primary packaging of beverage products, which means that companies are also looking closely at their production operations and making sure they have the latest processing and packaging machinery they need to deliver these new formats to the market,” Yuska added. “At the end of the day, it’s all about innovation. Companies can’t expect to operate the way they used to if they want to continue to attract consumer buyers, and flexible packaging will lead the way.”
 
Plastics dominate
According to the report, the $22 billion U.S. beverage primary packaging market is dominated by plastics, with 40 percent of consumer goods companies using a variety of formats to attract consumers. Other materials used are aluminum (35 percent), glass (18 percent) and paper (5 percent), and today’s most popular primary packaging format for beverages is the bottle, which the report puts at 55 percent of the marketplace.
 
Researchers predict market growth will exceed $28 billion by 2020, with plastics and bottles driving innovations and sales in that time.
 
“The research we conducted clearly shows that plastic bottles will be the primary areas of focus for consumer goods companies looking to increase sales and gain brand awareness,” Yuska said.
 
Future is plastics, pouches
In addition to being the material of choice, beverage manufacturers expect plastics to drive a vast majority of incremental beverage container sales through 2020. Respondents to PMMI’s survey spoke of plastic as the medium in which green, eco-friendly/bio-degradable packaging technologies will flourish. Additionally, innovation efforts with plastics are expected to continue focusing on improved break resistance, light weighting and features that reduce spilling.
 
Pouches are expected to show the greatest percentage growth between 2010 and 2020, increasing as much as 105.9 percent, from $545 million to nearly $1.4 billion. New processing and packaging equipment has made pouches cost-effective for high volume operations, as companies can now run pouches as fast as other packaging formats.
 
Environmentally, pouches require much less landfill space than plastic bottles and some pouches are completely biodegradable. In addition, when compared to glass bottles, pouches require a small fraction of the space and shipping infrastructure. The beverage volume transported in a truckload of quart-sized pouches would require nine trucks of glass or plastic bottles.
 
Within the aluminum, glass and paper container markets, respondents see much less overall innovation but noted that new aluminum bottle designs are providing manufacturers new ways to present their products — premium images that maintain the benefits of aluminum’s thermally isolative properties.
 
About the Report
PMMI’s “Beverage Packaging Market Assessment — A Benchmark Study” is based on interviews with 71 leading beverage manufacturers and packaging supply chain solutions providers, as well as other secondary source research. PMMI released the full study to members earlier this month; members can download the report from PMMI.org at no charge. Non-members can purchase the report for $3,500, at PMMI.org.

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • top 100 beverage companies

    Top 100 Beverage Companies of 2024

    For the global beverage market, mergers and acquisitions...
    Carbonated Soft Drinks
  • Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla shakes

    Classic flavors provide reliable, consistent results for beverage-makers

    Classic flavors of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry...
    Ingredient Spotlight
    By: Chloe Alverson
  • Free Spirits Instant Bar Bundle

    Lifestyle trends drive growth for non-alcohol category

    As lifestyle trends continue to drive growth for the...
    Wine & Spirits
    By: Lauren Sabetta
Manage My Account
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Manage My Preferences

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Beverage Industry audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Beverage Industry or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Fourpeople toasting with cocktails made with low-sugar ingredients, celebrating healthier drink options.
    Sponsored byCargill

    What’s Hot in Sugar Reduction: Beverages

  • chocolate milk
    Sponsored byCargill

    Sweetening the Future for Dairy and Dairy-Alternative Beverages

  • woman pouring a drink
    Sponsored byFFP

    Building a Beverage System: Meeting Consumer Demand for Precision Wellness

Popular Stories

Celsius Fizz Free

CELSIUS launches new Fizz-Free flavors

PepsiCo.jpg

PepsiCo advances AI agenda

Bloom Pop

Bloom Nutrition launches Bloom Pop

Top 100 Beverage Companies of 2024

Events

April 16, 2025

2025 State of the Industry Series: Alcoholic Beverages

On Demand In Beverage Industry’s annual State of the Industry: The Alcohol Beverage Market, analysts at S&D Insights LLC delve into these trends and how they’re shaping the industry.

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Retail Coffee Segment

What retail coffee segments will fare well into the next year?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

Milk and Dairy Foods Nutrition, Processing and Healthy Aging

Milk and Dairy Foods Nutrition, Processing and Healthy Aging

See More Products

Related Articles

  • John Peter Koss

    How to address waste issues in beverage operations

    See More
  • Lubricant suppliers

    Lubricant suppliers address allergens, certifications in name of safety

    See More
  • Beverage News

    Evolution, innovation emphasized in WSWA State of the Industry Address

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • mycotoxins.jpg

    Mycotoxins in Food and Beverages: Innovations and Advances Part I

  • 9781032008370.jpg

    Mycotoxins in Food and Beverages Innovations and Advances, Part II

  • GlobalData_Consumer.jpg

    Consumer and Market Insights: Beer in the US; Trends and innovations in Beer

See More Products

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • February 13, 2025

    Beyond Hydration: What’s Next in Functional Beverages?

    On Demand In this webinar, Black Swan Data uses their cutting-edge AI and predictive trend intelligence to reveal what’s next in the functional beverages space.
View AllSubmit An Event
×

Elevate your expertise in the beverage marketplace with unparalleled insights and connections.

Join thousands of beverage professionals today. Shouldn’t you know what they know?

JOIN NOW!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing