Rethink the market target
Improve packaging processability
Packaging innovation is often initiated from a simple and precise point of view. End users (brand owners) target a drastic change in their packaging. Packaging providers target particular applications and try to optimize the technology regarding this target. Unfortunately, these innovation approaches do not systematically lead to viable technical solutions from the point of view of all the constraints of Market Access. Therefore, it is necessary to question the market targets (for packaging providers) or (from the point of view of the brand owner) consider an innovation process with wider consequences than just changing the packaging.
It is sometimes much easier to design a packaging if its specifications are "negotiable", i.e. if the processes, technological routes, the packaged product, consumer targets (...) can be modified together with the optimization of the packaging itself. Rethinking product packaging innovation more generally makes it easier to find viable solutions with more flexible packaging processability.
Brand owner
Can my food process, conditioning equipment, shelf life target, and consumer profile (…) be changed to target less strict packaging specifications? What are the benefits of accessing better flexible packaging processability more easily? to a more simple packaging process?
Packaging provider
Can I change the applications/markets targeted initially for my new packaging technology? For each of these alternative markets, what constraints are lifted, what are the opportunities to use the technology with less technical adaptations, what are the consequences in terms of packaging process efficiency or flexibility?
Make a SWOT analysis for the comparison of all alternatives.