🐾 Pet Brands, your packaging matters as much as your product! Here’s why.
Flexible packaging accounts for 38% of new pet food product launches globally. With all that growth we see many missteps. We’re here to help you before that happens. It’s not one-size, one-material, or one-style fits all. Flexible packaging materials, style, and finish needs to be selected based on two major considerations:
- The ingredients and formula that make up your product. Brands need to test compatibility, shelf life / stability, and effectiveness.
- Your contract manufacturers capabilities. We see brands spend months developing, strategizing, and falling in love with their new flexible packaging style only for their contract manufacturer to say, “that doesn’t work on our lines”.
As you’re ideating about your brand, here are the Flexible Packaging trends and innovations we see with Pet Food / Treat Brands:
The pet food and treat market is booming — outside of product, branding and packaging play a major role in a brand’s success. As competition intensifies, flexible packaging has emerged as the go-to choice for pet brands that want to combine freshness, convenience, ease of use, and strong branding.
Why Flexible Packaging Is Dominating Pet Food:
- Preserves freshness: High-barrier films protect against oxygen and moisture.
- Improves convenience: Resealable closures make it easy for pet owners.
- Enhances shelf appeal: Vibrant printing and customizable shapes stand out.
- Supports sustainability: Compostable and recyclable options meet eco-friendly expectations. It is now cheaper and more reliable than ever to use sustainable packaging.
SV Top Tip: Highlight reseal-ability and freshness features clearly on your packaging to attract buyers.
Key Pet Packaging Trends We Continue To See:
- Clear Windows: Transparency builds trust with consumers. There’s a movement towards pet food looking closer to human food / snacks.
• Portion Packs: Single-serve treats for on-the-go lifestyles and walkies!
• Eco-Friendly Materials: Biodegradable and recyclable films are becoming standard.
• Premiumization: High-end visual finishes for specialty pet products.
Innovations to Watch:
Some pet brands are integrating QR codes directly onto flexible pouches, linking to product origin stories, nutritional data, and customer reviews. This is not a new strategy, it’s been used all throughout CPG, but is finding more popularity in the pet space than ever before.
Tip: Adding a simple QR code can boost customer engagement, loyalty, and provide valuable customer data.
We leave you with this, flexible packaging offers pet brands the perfect combination of performance, marketing power, and sustainability. In a growing market, the right packaging can give your product the competitive edge it needs to thrive. That said, selecting the right material, finish, and style based on your formula and branding is where we see brands make mistakes. Stay ahead of costly mistakes and wasted time, connect with an expert at SV Packaging Solutions today to learn more. We’re here to support your brand no matter what stage it’s in.
Source: Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), as referenced by the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA)
https://www.flexpack.org/blog/why-flexible-packaging-is-growing-in-the-pet-food-sector