• Are you looking to make your food packaging a feature, not an added complication?
• Are your marketeers telling you that they want something more from your packaging?
• Are your retailer customers demanding that you met THEIR Cortauld commitment?

Why don't you stay one step ahead of the marketplace, with my insights from what I have seen on the marketplace, compacted into a brief summary of the top 5 packaging trends for 2009:

1. Home compostable materials: to reduce packaging weight to landfill

2. Materials of % recycled content: to reduce content of virgin oil-based feedstock

3. Polypropylene reduction: there is limited opportunity to recycle PP at this moment in time

4. Pack weight reduction: to reduce tonnes of packaging to landfill

5. Convenience (reclosable, on-the-go packs, portion control): to add value whilst everyone else is downgauging

I have heard a few decisions be made in 2008 that I think will be reversed. For example, I struggle to find agree with a move to a "recyclable" flexible, when we are still using depletable resources and sending to landfill.

I think that carbon footprinting will become big in 2009 - so watch this space for advice on carbon footprinting your packaged product...