Webinar preview: Sustainable e-commerce packaging in the COVID-19 age

13 Sep 2021 --- Ahead of PackagingInsights’ webinar: Sustainable e-commerce packaging in the COVID-19 age, taking place this Thursday (September 16, 16:00 CEST/10:00 EDT), panelists Daniela Dorner, eCommerce director at Mondi Group, and Akhil Aiyar, senior market analyst at Innova Market Insights, preview the trends driving the rapidly evolving e-commerce packaging sector.

The webinar is set to explore the sector’s key themes, including COVID-19-induced market growth, the climate crisis, circular economy solutions, reusable packaging models and the unboxing experience.

If you haven’t already done so, you can register your attendance at the webinar here.

COVID-19 accelerates e-commerce growth
According to a recent survey by Innova Market Insights, 35 percent of global consumers have increased their use of home food delivery since the virus outbreak. Likewise, Mondi’s annual consumer research into packaging and shopping trends across Central and Eastern European (CEE) markets revealed a surge in online shopping in 2020.

“We would expect our study in 2021 to show similar results,” Dorner tells PackagingInsights. “The [2020] study revealed almost half of consumers (45%) are doing more shopping online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic than previously.”

“The increase in online shopping across CEE is here to stay, but it must be green. Therefore, we are consulting our customers to find innovative, sustainable packaging that fits their purpose – and at the same time fulfills consumer’s expectations.”

Mondi’s BCoolBox for temperature-sensitive food.Aiyar agrees that e-commerce’s long-term growth will continue to accelerate, especially with some parts of the world battling new waves of the virus.

“Accelerated growth in e-commerce driven by COVID-19 is likely to normalize, as consumers and manufacturers adjust to the new ‘normal,’ which includes new, more convenient purchasing habits, and the incentive for firms to capitalize on investments in new sales channels,” he explains.

Mondi’s “sustainable by design” solutions
Mondi’s e-commerce portfolio for the grocery segment consists of intelligent designs with different bottom and closure options, inserts, easy opening and carrying solutions, and shopper and eFood bags.

Meanwhile, the company addresses the issue of temperature-sensitive food with its fully recyclable insulated solution, the BCoolBox.

“Consumers expect sustainable, fit-for-purpose, limited material use, easy-to-open and return packaging with the added ‘lift’ of an unboxing moment. Certainly, the increase in online shopping during the pandemic meant there was a real opportunity for brand owners to think about how to meet customers' expectations,” notes Dorner.

“This is where our expertise in finding ideal innovative solutions which are sustainable by design can further support brand owners in reaching their sustainability goals, using paper where possible, plastic when useful.”

“We have a rich pool of in-house designers and experts on sustainability that can meet customers’ evolving needs and main consumer trends.”

Mondi recently expanded its e-commerce packaging portfolio with seven new solutions for online grocery delivery services in Central Europe. From perishable food to wine bottles, the new line addresses the diverse needs of grocery retailers in fit-for-purpose packaging.

Meanwhile, in the US, Mondi Consumer Flexibles in North America is gearing up to present three new “sustainability-driven” e-commerce packaging solutions for pet food at Pack Expo 2021 in Las Vegas, US, on September 27-29 (Booth N9405).Mondi’s new VinoBox for shipping different wine bottles.

Plastic-free premium product protection
Aiyar adds that product protection is one of the main purchasing drivers for e-commerce packaging, along with strong growth in the use of post-consumer recycled materials and recyclability.

Tapping into these trends, Mondi has released VinoBox, a new product line for wine shipping as part of its eBottle portfolio. VinoBox enables beverage retailers to ship a range of bottle types conveniently.

“The aversion to single-use plastics has affected the e-commerce sector significantly, with a slew of innovations focusing on replacing unrecyclable polystyrene, packaging peanuts and bubble wraps,” Aiyar continues.

For premium products, Mondi offers the EnvelopeMailer. The solution launched in 2019 and has sold around 200 million units.

“With the EnvelopeMailer, excessive packaging and plastics in the e-commerce supply chain can be avoided. We see packaging as part of the solution to make e-commerce more sustainable by the use of materials with a small environmental footprint from the cradle to the grave, appropriate sizing to avoid empty space in transportation, avoiding damage to goods in transit, and protecting precious resources,” explains Dorner.

The corrugated EnvelopeMailer offers highly effective protection and dispenses with the additional padding often used in plastic or paper shipping bags.

“The operational features of this new Mondi solution – small storage and packing space requirement, instant readiness for filling, self-sealing, reduction of claims – have persuaded even market-leading lean operators to adopt the EnvelopeMailer,” she adds.

E-commerce packaging testing methods
Amazon and ISTA have become key references for developing methods to test packaging for e-commerce channels. Aiyar believes these standards could become the industry norm for retailers.

Mondi’s 2020 research revealed 45% of CEE consumers are doing more shopping online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.“In 2018, Amazon reinforced its FFP (Frustration Free Packaging) program across Europe and North America. The broader aim was to reduce packaging waste, protect products and improve overall supply chain efficiency with financial incentives for compliance,” Aiyar explains.

“First enacted as a voluntary scheme, the FFP program is now imposed with financial penalties across the US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy.”

Besides ISTA standards, ASTM standards are also commonly adopted to test the robustness and resilience of packaging solutions throughout the supply chain. 

Meanwhile, DS Smith, an official participant in the Amazon Packaging Support and Supplier network, has also developed an in-house testing process called DISCS, which checks whether packaging can survive the average e-commerce supply chain.

Named after the types of testing (Drop, Impact, Shock, Crush, Shake), the patented system consists of five pieces of equipment, each replicating a part of the product journey for real-world testing.

Don’t forget to register
You can register your attendance at this week’s Sustainable e-commerce packaging in the COVID-19 age webinar here. During the event, Dorner and Aiyar will be giving exclusive presentations and taking your questions live.

We look forward to welcoming you on Thursday at 4 PM CEST/10 AM EDT.

By Joshua Poole