Add My Company
Key Trends & Takeaways For 2024/25
As 2024 draws to a close and 2025 approaches, the Cambrian team has been thinking about key takeaways for 2024 and what we believe will be disrupting the industry in the year ahead.
There’s no doubt that 2024 has been a year packed full of exceptional product design and innovation and that the development of eco-conscious packaging (so crucial for compliance with new sustainability legislation) has come on leaps and bounds. And as we look to 2025, consumer and business demand for greener packaging shows no sign of slowing down.
As a company, Cambrian has also spent a lot of time this year expanding our services offering, striving as ever to help our customers find top quality, cost effective and sustainable packaging solutions that are tailor made for their sector and business operations.
Here, our R&D Director, Tyler Simpson, and our Sales Manager Callum Baker, give their take on 2024’s key developments and what they expect to be disrupting the industry in 2025.
Key Takeaways From 2024
The main product innovation in the plastic packaging world in 2024 was undoubtedly the advent of monopolymer pumps, specifically our exceptional Monolite range. Launching the range was a huge highlight for us in August of this year, not least because it allowed us to cater much more substantially for the personal care market.
Being monopolymer means that the product is made from just one type of plastic, so it’s recyclable in its entirety using standard facilities – unlike other all-plastic pumps which still require specialist facilities to be properly recycled.
Obviously, this is a game changer in terms of developing sustainable packaging for the good of our planet, but it’s also meant that our clients have been able to meet the increasing consumer demand for sustainable packaging and have been able to position their brands as environmentally and socially responsible, which is key to commercial success.
Also key to commercial success is the ability to drastically reduce EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) and PPT (Plastic Packaging Tax) liability. At Cambrian, a particular focus for us this year has been sourcing excellent products that help reduce our customers’ end-of-year EPR report and their PPT liability, thereby reducing their business costs. (You can read everything you need to know about EPR and your compliance responsibilities on our recent blog).
In 2024, we’ve also been focused on process efficiencies for our clients – and call-off orders have been the buzzword! Limited space means that many companies are now running a tighter ship and can be left short on stock for last-minute orders. Our call-off offering – where the client requests or ‘calls off’ smaller quantities of product over time rather than putting in one big order – provides stock assurance without the worry of having to manage warehouse space.
Other process efficiencies include moving to products which pack more efficiently, to reduce storage and logistics costs. For example, our 5Ltr White PP Stacker Pail is ingeniously designed to allow for optimal stacking and pallet utilisation, meaning our clients can save money on transport, storage and handling.
Key Trends For 2025
In 2025, a continued focus on monopolymer products looks set to be a key trend. We know that one of our key manufacturing partners is working on a monopolymer trigger spray head – and if this comes to market next year, it’ll cause a real stir across the industry. And if all goes to plan, we’ll definitely be supplying it, so watch this space!
As a business, we will continue to educate our customers and end users on the advantages of monopolymer products, not just from the point of view of reducing EPR liability and costs but also the huge benefits they offer for recycling and the ability to do much more to reduce the carbon footprint of packaging manufacturers and suppliers – and indeed society as a whole.
Another product that we believe will be a key disruptor in the industry in 2025 – and which we have in our product pipeline! – is barrier peel/liner buckets. These buckets will be game changers for sectors such as food production, chemical manufacturing and pharmaceutical, whose products are sensitive to humidity and air, because they will boast an extra EVOH barrier, which will offer outstanding protection for products against spoilage, contamination or degradation.
A big development that we’ll be getting behind in 2025 is glass and tin products. We can’t give away too much but we’ll be introducing glass dropper bottles and jars, with a primary focus on the personal care and aromatherapy industries to start with! Stay tuned to our website and social channels to make sure you don’t miss any exciting new product launches!
For more information on Key Trends & Takeaways For 2024/25 talk to Cambrian Packaging