Flexible packaging presents a unique opportunity for members of the dairy food industry to address e-commerce, innovation and sustainability trends.

The use of flexible packaging continues to grow, thanks to the format's light weight, shelf impact and more. And with that growth come advances that are bringing new benefits to dairy processors.

Although bottles, cartons and tubs are widely used, flexible plastic packaging dominates in the global dairy industry. With a market share of more than 27%, it owns a larger share than rigid plastic, paper/paperboard, glass or metal packaging, according to Global Dairy Packaging Market 2016-2020, a report from London-based Technavio.

As demand for dairy snacks, single servings and customized products grows, pouch packaging captures a greater share of the dairy case.

Sustainable packaging materials reduce package weight, contain content from renewable or recycled sources and/or recycle easily.

It’s not surprising many dairy products launch in flexible packaging. It’s one of the fastest growing packaging formats in the United States, according to the Flexible Packaging Association, Annapolis, Md.

With unit volume sales of dairy packaging projected to grow 6% by 2019, the industry’s manufacturers embrace packaging innovations that convey product benefits while providing convenience and freshness.