Packaging design considerations for dairy products revolve around maintaining freshness, extending shelf life, and ensuring safety, sustainability and convenience. 

Finding innovative ways to address these concerns helps ensure dairy products arrive to the consumer while meeting those standards.

There is an increasing demand for eco-friendly packaging solutions. The dairy industry is moving toward recyclable, biodegradable or compostable materials, while also balancing the need for performance and durability. Reducing packaging waste through material minimization or more efficient designs is a key concern for both manufacturers and consumers. Part of the approach also includes making certain that packaging may be easily recycled.

Consumer considerations

Today’s food processing companies are poised to minimize plastic as a favored packaging material. In fact, in recent research from Tetra Pak, the food and beverage industry supplier discovered that three out of the top five commitments made by business leaders to address sustainability challenges include the reduction of plastic usage.

Half of the surveyed businesses pinpointed consumer demand as the main catalyst behind implementing new sustainable solutions within the manufacturing and processing arena. The research found the intention to buy among almost three out of four respondents (74%) would increase if a brand talked about environmental topics, while 42% think that an “environmentally sound package” justifies a higher price, providing the industry with a reassuring case for adopting a business model that reduces environmental impact.

“The food and beverage industry is at a critical moment, rethinking its way of doing business to help address the climate emergency, and dealing with the inevitable impact this has on their operations and solutions,” said Gilles Tisserand, vice president, climate and biodiversity, Tetra Pak. “They are looking to suppliers to help them thrive in an increasingly competitive market, and we remain committed to playing our part, keeping the innovation engine running to develop new research, collaborative ecosystems and product offering.”

More manufacturers and their suppliers today are engaging in sustainable business practices to combat climate change, and respond to growing pressure from consumers and regulations from governments.

Recyclable and biodegradable films are becoming more commonplace, and machines are being built to better handle these materials.

Christian Romualdi, group marketing communication manager, IMA Ilapak, noted that IMA Group’s OpenLab network of laboratories is dedicated to researching sustainable materials and technology.

“It can also help material producers to optimize new sustainable films by testing them on our own packaging machines,” he said. “We started this activity seven years ago, and this has allowed us to develop and patent new technical solutions to properly handle any new sustainable wrapping materials.”

Stanpac, a food and beverage packaging manufacturer based out of Smithville, Ontario, has always been quick to embrace the shift towards eco-friendly choices. That is especially noticeable in its latest product innovation, a completely paper-based lid designed for its existing single-serve cups, in serving sizes from 3 to 5.8 oz.

However, apart from its focus on sustainability, Stanpac also placed a high priority on innovation and finding creative solutions in response to the needs and feedback of its customer base.

Traditionally, plastic lids have been the preferred option for sealing. Although they fulfilled their function, Stanpac recognized the potential for improvement and an opportunity to shift lid manufacturing to a completely in-house solution.

“We investigated methods to make our lids out of the same raw materials as the cups”, said Murray Bain, vice president of marketing, Stanpac. “We believe the consumer will appreciate that they are like materials.”

Bain added: “At the same time, there is a growing number of consumers that want to decrease the amount of plastics in packaging. As our lids were plastic snap-on closures, it seemed fitting that we replace them with a paper alternative.”

The paper lids are crafted from the same Sustainable Forest Industry certified paperboard as the company’s paper cups and boast a reduction of 91% in plastic content compared to the existing plastic lids.

Graeter’s Ice Cream, a Cincinatti-based ice cream company that originated in the midwestern United States in 1870, was among the first customers of Stanpac’s to make the switch to the new paper lid.

Stanpac has been supplying Graeter’s with 56 oz and 5 oz packaging for more than 10 years, and this longstanding relationship fostered the ice cream maker’s trust in Stanpac to provide it with a suitable replacement for the plastic lids.

Andy Connolly, Graeter’s manager of manufacturing, stated he “could not be happier that we’ve made the switch to paper lids.”

“I think it speaks volumes to Stanpac as a company, because you could’ve kept fighting with the supply chain and challenges from the plastic lid supplier,” Connolly said. “But as the final consumer of these lids, I appreciate that [Stanpac] saw a problem and said, ‘no more.’”

Label innovations

Selecting the right packaging isn’t just about the vessel, but what is on the outside, as well.

Label manufacturer Brook + Whittle received a US patent for its GreenLabel BlackOut innovation, which it created as a recyclable light-blocking shrink sleeve solution for PET packaging.

Brook + Whittle said the light-blocking shrink sleeve (US Patent No.: 11,961,422) can help CPG brands looking for solutions tied to recyclability goals and adhering to the US Plastics Pact (USPP).

The Connecticut-based manufacturer, which makes pressure-sensitive shrink sleeves, flexible packaging and heat transfer labels, noted dairy is one of the markets in which protecting contents from light to prevent spoilage, nutrient loss and flavor change has made it a challenge to transition to recyclable clear PET packaging.

The company also pointed out many brands package products in white or colored PET, which the USPP lists as problematic and unnecessary. Clear PET packaging has a lower carbon footprint, can be recycled multiple times and is accepted in more recycling systems.

Brook + Whittle said its patented solution also allows companies to move away from using problematic plastics, and shared that the shrink sleeve was designed to be fully compatible with existing recycling processes.

Tyler Matusevich, the company’s director of sustainability, said the company is committed to packaging solutions that emphasize aesthetics, performance, cost and sustainability.

“After eight years of R&D, we have developed a patented solution that utilizes a crystallizable shrink sleeve, our GreenLabel de-inkable inks and a functional barrier coating,” Matusevich said. “We successfully conducted multiple commercial-scale trials to ensure the correct sortation and recyclability of this light-blocking shrink sleeve. Alongside the recyclability benefits of this solution, we expect our customers will benefit from switching to clear PET and lower their extended producer responsibility (EPR) eco-modulation fees in the future.”

Daryl Northcott, executive vice president at Brook + Whittle, said the patent marked a significant milestone.

“We are currently supplying commercial-scale orders and are working closely with multiple brands to ensure a smooth transition to this product,” Northcott said. “Being first to market with this patented solution is a testament to our ongoing commitment to leading the way in sustainable packaging and driving the industry forward.”