Pet food packaging seesaws between convenience and environmental sustainability in COVID-19 age

17 Nov 2021 --- The pandemic has driven an unprecedented surge in pet adoptions, with lockdown restrictions resulting in more people spending time indoors and working from home. 

More pets translates into higher demand for pet food and treats, all of which need to be safely and hygienically packaged. However, ensuring pet food packaging is both convenient and environmentally considerate can have conflicting objectives. 

“When it comes to [bag] closures, different systems may be more or less easy to recycle or use,” says Aude Cellérier, packaging product manager at Aplix.

“Some brands may opt out of closures entirely to reduce plastic content, but this may be detrimental to the preservation of the kibble freshness over time, and to keeping the smell inside the packaging.” 

Still, consumer and regulatory demand puts packaging producers under increasing pressure to develop more recyclable pet food packaging solutions.

The Pet Sustainability Coalition estimates £300 million (US$404 million) of plastic pet food and treat bags are produced annually in the US. Crucially, 99% of this packaging does not currently have an end-of-life solution outside of landfill.

PackagingInsights speaks with experts from TC Transcontinental, Foxpak and Aplix about how their portfolios simultaneously cater to the freshness, convenience and environmental trends in the pet food packaging arena.

Pet food packaging is smell-sensitive, as dogs in particular have a sharper sense of smell than humans (Credit: Aplix).The convenience crown
Pet food packaging must adhere to specific organoleptic requirements considering dogs have up to 20 times more olfactory receptors than humans.

Here, retaining product freshness is key. “Because consumers prioritize their pets enjoying the taste of their food, packaging must have high-barrier properties to preserve pet food’s freshness and palatability,” says Rebecca Casey, senior vice president of strategy and marketing at TC Transcontinental Packaging.

Part of keeping food fresh is facilitating consumers’ use of the pet food packaging – making every interaction as convenient as possible.

“If you are buying a 2 kg bag of pet food, does it have a handle that makes it easy to carry? Does it have a resealable zipper to keep the food fresher for longer?” prompts Paul Young, managing director at Foxpak.

According to Innova Market Insights, 52% of global consumers are willing to sacrifice the environmental credentials of packaging for a more convenient solution. These figures are highest in Indonesia (76%), India (65%) and China (64%).

Consequently, consumers have shown they are willing to pay more for features like handles, resealability, and ease of opening, storage and dispensing.

Easylock is a fully recyclable mono-PE closure.A sealable solution
However, packaging’s environmental impact is an extremely important credential for brands and consumers – “arguably the most important aspect,” says Foxpak’s marketing manager Samantha Murphy. 

Cellérier at Aplix echoes the sustainable packaging subject has become “the cornerstone of most flexible packaging developments and discussions.”

“However, maintaining barrier properties and a high shelf life on a recyclable film can be a challenge, which explains the slower transition of pet food packaging to recyclable options.” 

Industry’s starting point to rethink material development begins with recyclable plastic materials (PE or PP), biodegradable options, reusable packaging or even paper, she adds. 

Murphy flags plastic is “still the best performing material” for flexible packaging. “It offers the highest barrier properties for oxygen, moisture, aroma and grease, which are all important in the pet food industry.”

Aplix, for example, provides Easylock, a fully polyethylene (PE) recyclable closure. “It keeps the flavor and smell locked in, protects against humidity intake and will close every time, even with fatty particulates in the hook area,” Cellérier explains. 

Within Easylock’s closures portfolio, Tribal Rewards pet treats are packaged in 125 g stand-up pouches with Easylock 973-16 mm closures, while Tribal Fresh Pressed dog food comes in a 2.5 kg up to 12 kg flat-bottom bag with Easylock 971-26 mm.

In other recyclability moves, Mondi recently equipped Finnish premium dog food brand Hau-Hau Champion with a recyclable PE bag in October, while ProAmpac launched the Quadflex Recyclable, a recyclable laminated mono-PE bag. Other mono-pouch examples hail from Bobst, Tyler Packaging and UFlex.

“For many pet food producers, sustainable packaging is no longer a choice but a vital part of their future growth strategy,” says Young.The demand is there
Despite consistent barrier property challenges, consumers still demand a similar level of environmental consideration in their pet food packaging as F&B packaging.

“The rising popularity of ethical and health-conscious pet care paired with a focus on the sustainability agenda has forced the pet industry to rethink its supply chain from packaging to ingredient sourcing,” highlights Young at Foxpak.

“Recent studies show 80% of retailers found their customers’ demand has grown for sustainable packaging across all product categories. For many pet food producers, sustainable packaging is no longer a choice but a vital part of their future growth strategy,” he adds.

Casey also shares that on average, 19% of Boomers, Gen X and GenY/Z consumers “strongly agree” buying pet foods with more environmentally sustainable packaging is important to them. Moreover, 23% of pet food shoppers strongly agree with the idea of a special program to recycle pet food packaging. 

COVID-19 peaks and troughs
Although market demand for pet food packaging has remained high throughout the past 18 months, companies in this sector have observed peaks and dips at different periods.

Nearly half of Aplix’s sales are oriented toward pet food packaging. “We did not see a dramatic increase in sales during the pandemic but have seen a sharp rise in activity and many new projects over the past quarters,” says Cellérier at Aplix.

“Indeed, many brands and producers had to put developments on hold during this period, making it more challenging to integrate new systems into packaging until now,” she adds.

Easylock closures are made of LDPE, meaning the entire packaging is recyclable it is made from a mono-PE film.Meanwhile, Foxpak reports demand for packaging was steady for the first 12-14 pandemic months. “But recently we have seen a slight dip due to a phenomenon referred to as ‘reverse-COVID-19,’” notes Murphy.

“Industries that thrived during the pandemic are now seeing a downturn as people are no longer confined to their homes and the hospitality sector is back to full capacity. Although pet food sales have not taken a hit, several brands stockpiled their packaging to avoid supply chain delays and are no longer ordering at the same rate as they were 18 months ago.”

Closing thoughts
Ultimately, consumers want to give their furry family members “the best they can afford,” says Casey. “More than three-quarters of pet owners agree that it’s worth paying more for higher quality pet food.”

“The market trends and the increase in pet importance are indicators that the demand will sustain in the coming years,” she concludes.

Last year, PackagingInsights spoke with experts from Amcor, Mondi and Nestle’s Purina about how premium demands also drive the pet food packaging segment.

By Anni Schleicher