New Packaging Innovations

Any brand manager worth his or her salt knows that packaging can be the make-it-or-break-it element when it comes to getting products off shelves and into shoppers’ carts. To that end, new packaging innovations aiming to make products eye-catching, easier to use, and just cool are being introduced, and here are 7 new products that you might see on shelves very soon.

1. inVENT, flexibility in a bottle. inVENT is a new hybrid bottle that has two opening options—either from a cap at the bottle end, or a tab on the can end. The container also has a vent which, once pressed, allows chugging.

2. Bud Light Vented Can, adds air for a smooth pour. Brewer Bud Light debuted this new can design this summer. It looks like a standard-issue beer can, but the trick is the extra vent under the tab—just push it in, the vent opens, which adds air and eliminates the splashy pour.

3. Superfresh, keeping fish…well, super fresh. Scandinavians love their fish and now they’ve come up with a way to keep it for weeks. Nofima, a food research institute in Norway, has created packaging that aims to keep salmon fresh for up to 20 days. This is how it works: once the packaging is sealed, a CO2 emitter of baking soda and citric acid kicks in without disturbing the fish’s pH value, and isn’t released until the package is opened. Of course, it works with other fish and meat as well.

4.Zipbox, a combo box-pouch. Take a carton, add a zipper closure on top—that’s basically what the Zipbox is, an innovation designed to keep the advantages of both packaging types. It’s got the sturdiness and stackability of a carton, and the easy-close-and-open zipper closure that keeps contents fresh. No more torn carton lids or pouches that fall over on the shelf.

5. Wood veneer labels, a new pressure sensitive label. Multi Packaging Solutions spent a whole year developing a wood labels, and it was first used with the release of Jim Beam’s Limited Edition American Stillhouse Clermont Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey this summer. The labels are made from hardwood cherry veneer, which is backed by a film, and digitally printed. For that rustic, artisinal look that’s so popular right now.

6. Med-ic smart blisters, keeping track of dosages. A blister pack for medications that has a invisible electronic module and printed sensor grid in the packaging, which tracks dosing data, including time, date, and location, and then can wirelessly transmit this data.

7. Coca-Cola’s ice bottle. A bottle that’s always cold—because it’s made from ice. The mechanics are this: a mold is made with silicone, which is then filled micro-filtered water, and which is then frozen to -13 F. Coke then goes in and the bottle actually melts and is edible. Very beach and eco-friendly.