Smurfit Kappa has announced the opening of a new Experience Centre for Bag-in-Box in Épernay, France

The coronavirus pandemic’s demand-shock, brick-and-mortar store closures and stay-at-home orders have upended retail sales. As total spending declines, online spending is projected to surge by 18% in 2020, reflecting the impact of new buyers joining the online retail space as a result of the pandemic. With ecommerce expected to reach 14.5% of total retail sales this year – both an all-time high and the biggest ever share increase in a single year* – the findings of Two Sides’ recent U.S. Packaging Preferences Survey provide brand owners with valuable insights into consumers’ current thinking on packaging materials, online shopping and related behavior. *More than half of consumers (57%) prefer products ordered online to be delivered in paper/cardboard packaging, and two-thirds (66%) believe paper/cardboard packaging is better for the environment than other types of packaging. *70% of consumers prefer products ordered online to be delivered in appropriate fitting packaging, i.e., not too big for the size of the product inside. click read more below for additional insights

ePac is excited to announce the creation of their newest location in Ghana. ePac Ghana is now taking orders and will have all orders fulfilled by ePac UK Silverstone while the Ghana location is being built. “We are fortunate to have a partner in Ghana with all the qualifications we look for when opening a new ePac location. Victor brings a multitude of talents to ePac, cares deeply about the community, and is committed to helping local brands grow. This is precisely ePac’s mission across the globe”, commented Jack Knott, ePac’s CEO.

One of the leading renewable biomaterials suppliers, UPM, has unveiled the latest findings from a highly targeted survey of some of the world’s leading packaging designers. The survey, conducted in collaboration with the Pentawards, has revealed unique insights into sustainable packaging design, including some of the key challenges faced by designers, with UPM highlighting how these can be overcome. The survey results show that while the majority (47%) of the designer respondents feel extremely comfortable handling briefs that include sustainability requirements, 43% of packaging designers would prefer more direction or information to feel fully comfortable when dealing with these briefs. This highlights a need for further education on how to incorporate sustainability into packaging design, with most respondents (35%) suggesting material guides would be the most beneficial. Further findings reveal that 57% of the designer respondents believe they always or often have the opportunity to impact the material choice of a product. However, 20% say they seldom do, and 17% almost never, which suggests some clients may not have yet realised the value of exploring alternative and more sustainable packaging solutions.