Packaging innovation challenges

Carlo Rotunno, Group Head of R&D – Packaging, for Nomad Foods Europe, a market-leading frozen food company based in the U.K., shares his thoughts on the role of materials, design, and innovation in packaging development as well as those trends that will change the industry in the next decade.

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Packaging World:
What role do packaging material innovations play in driving business growth?

Carlo Rotunno:
They have a key role. My obsession is on addressing consumer needs—we have such tight margins that we can’t change our packaging without addressing consumer needs.

Where is the sweet spot between the design and technical elements of packaging? How should the two sides be working together to create a truly great product that speaks to the customer?
It’s a critical connection. Design should be used as a base for advertising and emphasizing the technical characteristics of packages.

As a packaging professional what is the biggest disaster you’ve witnessed, and what did it teach you?
Not a disaster per se, but one example I experienced concerned a product launch where we introduced a great product with an innovative packaging solution, but we underestimated the merchandising complexity in the local market. We therefore had a failure of the product because it was not standing out on the shelf. Great product, amazing packaging solution, but merchandising must play a key role in the process.

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