Functional packaging tops needs of pet owners

In a recent white paper on pet treat packaging, Sonoco, a multi-billion dollar global provider of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective products, and display and packaging services, reported that consumers value the ability to reseal as much as three times more than many other packaging attributes, and yet indicate that the ability to reseal treat packaging is their biggest frustration.

Further, more than half of consumers taking part in a focus group said the ability to reseal is the most important feature in dog treat packaging, compared to colorful and neutral colored packaging (5.0 and 5. 5 percent respectively), fully and partially clear packaging (7.5 and 15.7 percent respectively) and informative packaging (9.5 percent).

‘The majority of dog owners – 80 percent – treat their pets less than twice each day, and 75 percent of consumers say they store treats in their original packaging after opening,’ states Sonoco in the white paper. ‘This means that treats need to stay fresh for extended periods of time in the container provided at point of sale.’

Sonoco has recently developed and tested 25 new packaging concepts for pet treats, which it said ‘take advantage of the full breadth of Sonoco’s offering’, including designs in plastics, flexibles and paper containers.

‘We’ve integrated functionalities that respond to some of the market’s most important trends – trends like on-the-go, transparent packaging, premiumization and interactivity,’ Sonoco continued.

‘Our solutions leverage concepts from proven packaging solutions in not only the pet market, but also others such as snacks, storage and even health and beauty.’

Download the Sonoco white paper on pet treat packaging here

Download and read more white papers from suppliers across the label and package printing supply chain here