Packaging has traditionally been treated as the final step before a product reaches the customer. A product is developed, a package is selected, and manufacturing begins.

Today, that process is changing.

Packaging product development now involves much more than choosing a bag, film, pouch or other format. Businesses need to consider performance, materials, design, production, transportation, regulations, sustainability and customer expectations at the same time.

As these requirements continue to grow, packaging is becoming part of the product development process itself.

For brands, this creates a new question: How should packaging be designed when it needs to solve several problems at once?

 

Packaging Is No Longer an Afterthought

The basic purpose of packaging remains the same: protect the product.

However, modern packaging has many additional roles. It may need to protect products during transport, make storage easier, communicate a brand’s identity and improve the customer experience.

At the same time, businesses may need packaging that uses less material, meets market requirements and supports their environmental goals.

This creates a much more demanding design brief.

A package can look excellent but fail during transport. It can be strong but use more material than necessary. It can meet a sustainability goal but be difficult to manufacture at scale.

Good packaging development therefore requires balance.

The objective is not simply to create packaging that looks good. It is to create packaging that performs its intended job from production to end use.

 

The Packaging Decision Starts With the Application

One of the biggest changes in packaging development is the way companies approach material selection.

Instead of starting with a material and trying to make it work, businesses increasingly need to start with the application.

What does the packaging need to carry?

How will it be stored?

Will it be transported over long distances?

Does it need to resist tearing, moisture or punctures?

Will it require printing?

Does it need a specific type of closure or seal?

These questions help determine the most suitable packaging format and material.

For example, a grocery bag and an e-commerce mailer may both carry products, but their requirements are very different. A garment bag needs to protect clothing, while a food packaging film may have completely different performance needs.

In other words, there is no single packaging material that works for every application.

The right choice depends on what the packaging needs to achieve.

 

Material Selection Has Become More Complex

Once the application is clear, material selection becomes another important part of the development process.

Packaging manufacturers today work with a growing range of materials and structures. These can include conventional plastics, recycled materials, paper-based solutions, bio-based materials and certified compostable materials.

Each option has different characteristics.

Strength, flexibility, thickness, sealing, transparency, printing and end-of-life requirements can all influence the final choice.

Consequently, material selection cannot be based on one factor alone.

Cost matters. Performance matters. Manufacturing matters. Environmental considerations matter too.

The challenge is finding the right combination for the specific product and market.

 

Sustainability Has Entered the Design Brief

Sustainability is also changing how packaging is developed.

Businesses are under growing pressure to reduce waste, use resources more efficiently and support credible environmental claims. In addition, packaging regulations and market expectations continue to develop across different regions.

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition’s 2026 industry report highlights how packaging requirements and sustainability expectations are becoming more complex across markets.

Because of this, sustainability can no longer simply be added at the end of the design process.

Instead, it needs to be considered from the beginning.

A packaging team may need to look at material use, production, transportation, product protection and end-of-life before approving a final design.

The result is a shift from “making packaging sustainable” to designing packaging with sustainability in mind from the start.

 

Sustainable Does Not Mean Performance Can Be Ignored

There is an important point that should not get lost in the sustainability conversation:

Packaging still needs to work.

A bag that tears during use is not a successful packaging product. A mailer that fails during transport can damage the customer’s experience. A film that does not seal correctly can create production and product-protection problems.

Therefore, sustainable materials still need to meet the technical requirements of their intended application.

Depending on the product, manufacturers may need to evaluate:

• Tensile strength

• Tear resistance

• Seal strength

• Flexibility

• Thickness

• Puncture resistance

• Moisture resistance

• Print quality

The exact requirements will vary from one application to another.

That is why packaging development needs to consider both environmental goals and real-world performance.

 

From Packaging Concept to Commercial Product

A packaging concept may look simple on a screen.

Turning that concept into a reliable commercial product is a different challenge.

The development process can involve:

Concept → material selection → prototype → testing → refinement → production trials → quality control → commercial production

At each stage, changes may be necessary.

The thickness may need adjustment. A seal may need strengthening. The dimensions may need to change. Printing specifications may need refinement.

Furthermore, a package that performs well in a small trial must still work consistently when production increases.

This is where manufacturing knowledge becomes especially valuable.

An experienced manufacturer can identify potential production issues earlier and help develop a design that works at commercial scale.

 

Why Customisation Is Becoming More Important

Packaging is also becoming more specific to individual brands and applications.

Businesses may require a particular size, thickness, handle style, closure, print design or material specification.

This is especially relevant for companies that want their packaging to perform a specific function while also supporting their brand identity.

At the same time, current packaging trends show growing interest in personalisation, convenience and packaging designed around specific customer needs.

As a result, manufacturers need to provide flexibility without losing consistency.

That requires careful production control and a clear understanding of the customer’s requirements.

 

Design and Manufacturing Need to Work Together

A packaging designer may create a visually strong concept.

However, the concept still needs to work with the selected material, machinery and production process.

This is why collaboration between designers, brands and manufacturers is becoming increasingly important.

Early technical input can answer practical questions such as:

• Can the design be manufactured consistently?

• Is the material suitable for the application?

• Can the required thickness be achieved?

• Will the package seal correctly?

• Can the artwork be printed accurately?

• Can the product be manufactured at the required volume?

By addressing these questions early, businesses can reduce costly changes later.

More importantly, they can turn a promising concept into a product that works in actual use.

 

The Role of the Packaging Manufacturer Is Changing

Packaging manufacturers are increasingly expected to contribute more than production capacity.

Their role can extend into material selection, product development, testing, customisation and production optimisation.

This is particularly relevant when businesses are developing newer packaging formats.

For compostable products, for example, choosing a compostable material is only one part of the process. The material still needs to be converted into a product that performs according to its intended use.

That requires knowledge of both materials and manufacturing.

 

How Bio-Plastobag® Approaches Packaging Development

Bio-Plastobag® brings together packaging manufacturing experience and material development to create certified compostable packaging for different applications.

The company’s roots go back to 1968 through Plastobag. Since then, its manufacturing journey has evolved toward a wider range of compostable packaging products and biopolymer-based solutions.

Today, the portfolio includes compostable grocery bags, garbage bags, mailers, apparel packaging, zipper bags, cling wrap, laminates and other packaging formats.

Each application has different requirements.

A mailer needs durability and a secure closure. A grocery bag needs suitable carrying strength. A cling wrap needs flexibility and film performance. A laminate needs to meet the requirements of its intended packaging structure.

Therefore, the fact that products share a compostable basis does not mean they can be developed in the same way.

The application always matters.

Bio-Plastobag® combines manufacturing, compounding and printing capabilities to develop products around these different requirements.

 

Certification Is Part of Development Too

Certification is another factor that needs to be considered early.

A product cannot simply be designed first and have a sustainability claim added later.

When packaging is intended to meet a recognised compostability standard, the materials and finished product need to be developed with the relevant requirements in mind.

This becomes particularly important for businesses selling across different markets.

Different regions can have different standards and certification requirements. Therefore, understanding the target market is an important part of packaging development.

For applicable products, Bio-Plastobag® works with recognised certifications and standards including CPCB, BPI and TÜV AUSTRIA.

 

What This Means for Brands

For brands, the changing role of packaging creates an opportunity to improve the development process.

Rather than treating packaging as something to solve at the end, businesses can involve packaging manufacturers earlier.

This can help them:

• Select suitable materials

• Improve product protection

• Test different packaging formats

• Reduce unnecessary material use

• Plan for commercial production

• Consider certification requirements

• Develop packaging around actual customer needs

Early collaboration can also reduce the risk of expensive changes later.

Instead of asking a manufacturer to produce a finished concept, brands can work with them to develop the concept itself.

 

The Future of Packaging Product Development

Packaging will continue to face new demands.

Sustainability, regulation, cost, convenience, supply chains and brand differentiation will all influence future packaging decisions.

However, the solution will not always be a new material.

Sometimes it may be a better design.

Sometimes it may be a lighter structure. In other cases, it may be a different format, closure or manufacturing process.

The future of packaging product development is therefore not about finding one perfect packaging material.

It is about finding the right combination of material, design, performance and manufacturing for each application.

 

Packaging Is Becoming Part of the Product

Packaging has changed from being something that simply surrounds a product.

Today, it can influence how that product is transported, stored, presented, used and experienced.

That makes packaging development an increasingly important part of the wider product development process.

For brands, the change means involving packaging expertise earlier.

For manufacturers, it means contributing more than production capacity.

And for the industry, it means moving toward packaging that is better designed, better engineered and better suited to the needs of each application.

At Bio-Plastobag®, we see this as an important part of the future of packaging: combining manufacturing experience, material innovation and product development to create packaging that performs in the real world.

Because the future of packaging will not be decided by the material alone. It will be decided by how well the solution is designed.