New Materials and Packaging

The packaging sector occupies a pivotal position in the economy. Lying at the crossroads of production and consumption, packaging materials have to incorporate not only technical developments in products and processes, development constraints in the distribution and transport sectors and changes in consumer tastes, but also environmental constraints and the need to provide a vehicle for information about the nature and quality of products. Consequently, packaging is one of the most significant symbols of changes in production methods and lifestyles, and it is for this reason that the profound transformations now affecting production processes and consumer habits are bound to up-end structures and strategies in this sector. The principal feature of this upheaval is once again the phenomenon of growing variety in the production and utilization of packaging materials.