The food and beverage, retail pet food, and specialty coffee sectors are primed to evolve even more in 2025, driven by consumer desires for greater sustainability, technology adoption, and product transparency. Packaging continues to be a critical part of the product formula for market success—and should evolve and change alongside the product itself.
Here, we’ll explore the top five trends shaping these sectors in 2025, and explore how flexible packaging offers brands and retailers a cost-effective, convenient, and sustainable way to promote and package products.
Consumer demand for sustainable packaging is still on the rise—and it’s not just a passing trend. As the years pass, brands are under growing scrutiny from regulators and consumers to use more eco-friendly packaging. In some cases, not only can more sustainable packaging drive consumer interest and loyalty, but it can even contribute to a brand’s bottom line over the long haul.
High-barrier flexible packaging—like those we provide for the food and beverage, coffee, and retail pet food markets—is extremely efficient and can help contribute to sustainability initiatives. In fact, life cycle assessment tools have shown that single-use flexibles usually result in less fossil fuel usage, greenhouse gas emissions, and water use, all due its very lightweight and compact size, even when compared to recyclable options like glass and metal. Flexible packaging has also been proven to increase product protection, extend shelf life, and use less fuel in shipping and transportation.
Intelligent packaging, or smart packaging, represents a revolutionary shift in how products interact with both consumers and supply chains. This technology-driven system incorporates various elements like sensors, indicators, and data carriers such as QR codes, RFID tags, and NFC technology to monitor and communicate crucial information about product quality, safety, supply chain transparency, and more.
For brands, intelligent packaging provides valuable data analytics on consumer behavior and product usage patterns, enabling more targeted marketing campaigns and informed product development. These smart features also directly benefit consumers, providing real-time information about product freshness, optimal consumption timing, and authentication verification. As sustainability concerns grow, intelligent packaging is also being developed to monitor and reduce food waste by providing accurate shelf-life information and storage recommendations.
We live in an experience economy. With the proliferation of product SKUs and increased competition in the market, packaging design—whether delivered directly to a customer’s door or viewed on store shelves—needs to stand out. Interactive packaging, hyper contrast, and minimal designs are a few of the trends, but most important is printing quality.
At Fres-co, we offer three different printing methods, all of which are performed in-house, to help you design a bold and attractive package that meets your needs.
The demand for convenient, portable packaging continues to surge as consumers lead increasingly mobile lifestyles. Consumers are seeking products that fit their lifestyle and offer variety, while also offering practical functionality for on-the-go consumption.
Essential features like easy-opening mechanisms, resealability, and enhanced portability have made stand-up pouches, sachets, and resealable bags prominent solutions across flexible packaging. These packaging options, like the Fres-co EZHANDLE™, are ideal for a range of industries, from sweet and salty snack foods, trail mixes, and pet food to other sectors. Single-serve beverage formats have also gained traction, ranging from drink pouches with built-in spouts like our stand-up Barrel Pouches to single-serve stick packs, sachets, and more.
These flexible packaging options can be purchased as pre-formed bags or can be cost-effectively packaged using rollstock for a quicker lead-time. Regardless of how the bag is formed, these flexible solutions also help prevent spoilage, preserving shelf life for longer compared to rigid packaging.
Driven by an increasing focus on food safety, environmental sustainability, and consumer transparency, the regulatory landscape is evolving rapidly. Recent legislation worldwide has introduced stricter requirements for material safety, recycling declarations, and extended producer responsibility. Flexible packaging manufacturers are responding by investing in advanced technologies and processes that not only ensure compliance but also position them as leaders in sustainable packaging solutions.
Recycle-ready within the flexible packaging space is in high demand—but the technology is still emerging. While innovations in polyethylene-based structures that can be processed through traditional recycling streams are still in the works, other recycle-ready solutions are already here.
NEXTPAK™ by Fres-co is the first NexTrex® certified store drop-off recyclable high barrier coffee packaging on the market. Made of a recycle-ready polyethylene, NEXTPAK™ is a gusseted retail coffee package that has received the NexTrex® Certification, which allows the material to be used in the making of Trex’s high-performance composite decking.
Our innovative degassing valve, along with the NEXTPAK™ package, also received certification for recyclability in the NexTrex® Recycling Program.
If you’re considering moving from rigid to flexible packaging, our team of flexible packaging experts can help you make the switch, helping increase the efficacy, shelf appeal, durability, and sustainability of your product, while also meeting market trends.
As a flexible packaging innovator, we offer in-house R&D capabilities, technical service, and operational support. Contact us to learn more about how we help you achieve your packaging objectives.
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