There’s no denying that the US flexible packaging industry has seen tremendous growth in the last twenty years. And yet the market is not without shifts and challenges. We believe the following trends will prove to be real game-changers for flexible packaging designers in the coming years.
1. Big in Asia
While North America will likely continue to be the largest market (closely followed by Europe) for flexible packaging in terms of value, the industry is now marking Asia as the next ‘it’ region when it comes to volume. Packaging designers who like to stay ahead of the game, in other words, are wise to start exploring Asian consumer trends and packaging requirements today so that they can easily localize their design style accordingly.
2. Sustainability, what else?
Sustainability has been on many a flexible packaging company’s agenda for years now, yet most ideas and solutions never really seemed to make it past corporate statements. But things are about to change. If experts are to be believed, 2019 will be the year of solvent-free inks, water-based adhesives and significantly improved overall recyclability. 
3. Short, shorter, shortest
Up until now, the rising demand for short runs has been one of the flexible packaging industry’s major challenges. Automation solutions becoming more readily available on a larger scale, however, has made running short(er) runs much more economically feasible even for smaller companies.
4. Flexible packaging trends for all!
Today’s market trends are mostly driven by both an aging consumer population and millennials. That means that flexible packaging brands, in order to remain successful and differentiate themselves from their competitors, must give in to the single-serve trend and easy-open formats while also striving to reduce the amount of packaging materials and exploring innovative barrier technologies that extend shelf-life. Inspired by Packaging Digest