While packaging has long played a role in a product’s marketing, it’s taken on deeper meaning as consumer expectations change. It’s now a key part of the brand promise.
“Packaging has transformed from a mere functional container to a tangible execution of the brand promise,” says Justin King, head of Design for agency TRG.
“Oversaturated markets make being memorable and fearless more important than ever, with brands like Liquid Death and Poppi visually aligning themselves with key markets rather than to everyone. Packaging that redefines its category rather than blending in attracts consumers and cultivates brand loyalty,” King says.
In addition to market oversaturation, Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) also is driving the incorporation of brand promise into packaging. Globally, Gen Z makes up approximately 25% of the world’s population – 20% in North America – and will have $12 trillion in spending power by the end of the decade, per Nielsen IQ.
“Many Gen Zers describe themselves as environmentally conscious, and the majority of Gen Z expects to see sustainability commitments from companies and organizations,” McKinsey & Company reports.
McKinsey also found that 90% of Gen Z say brands have a “responsibility to address environmental and social issues,” and can tell when brands are not being honest in their claims.
“Consumers expect the packaging to protect product quality and freshness, but they also increasingly assess whether a pack is convenient, easy to use, resource-efficient and aligned with their sustainability expectations,” says Martin Boutkan, Syntegon’s product manager, VFFS packaging technology
Sustainability: No longer a packaging niche
Beyond graphic design and messaging, material selection and other sustainability aspects also play into how packaging impacts the brand promise.
Nearly 8 out of 10 companies track their packaging source-reduction efforts, per a November 2025 study from Consumer Brands Association, AMERIPEN and the Consumer Technology Association. That same study showed that those efforts cut packaging volume by approximately 5 million metric tons.
“The report’s findings align with the industry’s ethos: consumers are at the heart of everything we do, and packaging is a critical piece of ensuring our industry’s products remain safe and accessible,” wrote Will Grassle, Consumer Brands’ policy manager for packaging and sustainability.
The global sustainable packaging market size is slated to grow, too, representing just under $400 billion this year, with projections to reach approximately $672 billion by 2034, says Jonathan Jakubowski, co-founder and CEO of SmartSolve, which creates bio-based, water-soluble packaging products, in citing a Fortune Business Insights report.
“Sustainable packaging has moved from a niche preference to a business essential,” Jakubowski says. “Food is the fastest-growing conversation [around sustainable packaging], but it isn’t the only one. Our pouch stock already serves home cleaning, agriculture, healthcare, feminine care and personal care. We hear the same question across every category: How do we keep the convenience of single-serve packaging without the plastic?”
Paper and paperboard lead by material, and bags and pouches lead by product type, Jakubowski adds.
Collaboration is key
Determining how to make sustainable packaging and which materials to use comes down to early collaboration.
“The most effective approach is collaborative: brand owner, material supplier and machinery partner should validate the material together before full-scale implementation,” Boutkan of Syntegon says. “This reduces risk, speeds up industrialization and helps ensure that a sustainability ambition translates into a package that performs reliably on the shelf and on the line.”
For example, some sustainable packaging materials have different properties than conventional laminates.
“Their sealing windows, stiffness, friction properties and response to tension or heat can vary significantly. What works in a laboratory or as a packaging sample does not automatically perform reliably in high-speed production,” Boutkan says.“That’s why testing under realistic production conditions is essential.”
Jakubowski of SmartSolve echoes Boutkan’s point about choosing the material to fit the application.
“That’s a sign of a maturing industry. No single material fits every application,” he says, adding that’s why SmartSolve offers two types of water-soluble pouch stock lines, both of which disperse in water and are readily biodegradable (under OECD 301B testing), but one is geared for food and the other for non-food applications.
Collaboration, from a materials viewpoint, Jakubowski says, starts with a question: “What does this product actually need from its package? A product meant to be used within weeks often sits in material that persists for decades after it’s thrown away. Defining the real requirements first opens the door to lighter, lower-impact options: moisture and oxygen barrier, shelf life and food-contact safety,” he says.
Some questions, Boutkan says, that food companies should ask of their packaging supply chain include:
- What level of barrier protection does the product require to safeguard freshness, shelf life and product quality?
- How will the material behave during forming, filling, sealing, transport and storage?
- What sealing technology and temperature range does it require, and is this compatible with the existing equipment?
- How sensitive is the material to tension, heat, humidity or small variations in the process?
The regulation question
With any industry’s growth, there is often more regulation, or at least greater regulatory scrutiny. The same is true for packaging, as consumers seek sustainability and the industry strives to deliver. This is where microplastics are top of mind.
Seven states now have packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws: Maine, Oregon, Colorado, California, Minnesota, Maryland and Washington, Jakubowski explains, adding that California’s SB 54 is the predominant one.
“By 2032, covered single-use packaging sold in California must be recyclable or compostable, and the final regulations that took effect in May tightened the exclusion for food and agricultural packaging,” Jakubowski says.“Food brands that once assumed they were exempt now need a real end-of-life answer.”
This shift also represents an opportunity for companies like his, Jakubowski added.
“As EPR programs increasingly tie producer fees to how materials perform at end of life, that difference becomes a cost advantage, not just an environmental one,” he says. “The common thread across these laws is that regulators want environmental claims that are specific, verified and honest.”
Brand promise really is the total package
Packaging choices ranging from materials and shape to color and typography all play a role in product and brand marketing. How much so is determined by the degree to which the design element is manipulated, TRG’s King says, offering an example of how a square waxed craft-paper box differentiates itself even further while conveying the perception of being natural and sustainable.
“Every packaging design choice impacts consumer perception,” King says. “Human culture has built in consumers’ ability to intuitively understand these visual cues. The success of packaging design depends on accurately reinforcing expectations but also, sometimes, shattering them altogether.”
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