European packaging novelties – from Hungary

While companies try to cut packaging costs, most actors on the market decided to go forward: they invent cheaper, greener and more consumer-friendly solutions. – Annual average packaging material use is 167 kg/person in the European Union, but in Hungary it is 89 kg/person, which means that we use 0.9 million tons a year. Consumption is increasing all over Europe – says Miklós Nagy from the Hungarian Association of Packaging and Materials Handling (CSAOSZ), summarizing the essential data. Metal packaging is the only shrinking segment, due to a change in consumption habits, we eat less canned food than before. The economic crisis reshaped packaging trends, clients expect cheaper solutions. Despite the recession, many packaging producers decided to innovate. Dunapack invested HUF 50 billion in a cardboard production plant. Another CSAOSZ member will come out with a new aerosol packaging at the Budatranspack fair in autumn (22-25 September); this innovation is going to be unique in Europe. Iván Katona of Sz. Varians from Debrecen told us that quality base materials were gaining ground in the past five years; even with traditional boxes surface treatment and design have become more important. He added that by now the marketing message has become one of packaging’s most important roles. Environmental considerations often pose burden on packaging manufacturers, but sometimes environmental and economic aspects overlap. Economising material use means both lower cost and less harm to the environment. According to Miklós Nagy, these efforts become increasingly important at the time of crisis, pushing innovations forward. In the case of plastic bottles less material is needed to achieve the same level of solidity; however there are still clients who do not trust technology that uses less base material. – The domestic market is very conservative, some clients insist on using 50 micron foil, despite that a modern 25 micron foil performs just as well – points out András Hódossy, retail director at Cryovac, Sealed Air Magyarország Kft. His experience is that because of the economic crisis certain companies have changed their policies, they bought expensive equipment and new technology and by using these they can reduce costs in the long run. Not only for these can be operated cheaper, but also because they can be adapted to new products or packaging materials. – These days glass is the only material that can be 100 percent recycled, therefore it provides an added value to the product sold in glass packaging. It is a chemically neutral packaging material, it is clean and natural, just perfect for storing food or beverages – says Éva Gyenge, retail manager at O-I Manufacturing. Meeting the consumers’ demands as much as possible is also a driving force behind innovation. For instance protective gas packaging often hinders the maturing of meat. – Buying beef in Hungary is a bit like lottery, most of us do not win. We do not know how mature the meat is – András Hódossy, retail director of Cryovac, Sealed Air Magyarország Kft gives us a graphic example. This is the reason why the company began using DARFRESH® vacuum technology that guarantees a tender beef for consumers. Mirabella® technology is another novelty, by using it the meat’s colour does not change where it is in contact with the foil; what is more, the product’s volume is also reduced.