Multi-portion pouch:
the next big thing in
wet pet food

Stand up pouches offer a wide variety of advantages but increasing environmental awareness among consumers leaves them uneasy about the accumulated waste produced with mono-dose packaging. More than ever before, pet owners are becoming worried about their role in the plastic problem.

As legislative directives and the pet care industry moves towards 100% recyclable materials, only a relatively small amount of packaging waste is currently recycled. In fact, the global economy is only 8.6% circular according to the Circularity Gap Report 2021.¹ How can brand owners avoid this customer pain point? The answer lies in a clever innovation, designed to enhance the entire customer journey – from on-shelf, to use and re-use, including an uplifting finish in the circular economy.

THE MONO-DOSE MYTH

Through our design-thinking approach, we conducted an extensive research with pet owners from around the world and found that single-serve wet pet foods are frequently split into two or even more portions. Portioning is a common practice among all pet owners for various reasons, from cost-consciousness to improving a pet’s dental health by mixing the meal with dry food. For cat owners, who prefer wet over dry pet foods, portioning is especially important since felines tend to neglect food that stands around for too long.

Brand owners should also never underestimate the power of pet humanisation and its role in packaging. Wet food is often used to strengthen the relationship between owner and pets during feeding time. By giving pet owners more autonomy and ease of portioning, the ideal packaging fosters bonding between humans and their furry friends at mealtimes.

Source: "Mondi & VanBerlo Pet Food Packaging Concepts EU & US". 2019

IS MULTIDOSE THE WAY TO GO?

To foster an innovation mindset to pet food packaging, Mondi collaborated with VanBerlo to envision new ways of packaging wet pet food. One concept in particular - multidose dispenser pouches - gained tremendous popularity amongst pet owners working on the project and in prototype testing. By striking a harmonious balance with the complex nature of end-of-use packaging waste, the future-forward design reduces the use of excess resources. It also enhances the customer experience by addressing other critical customer pain points.

Studies commissioned this project revealed that people do not like to touch wet pet food, or worse, have it drip or leak during any phase of the customer journey. Since mono-doses are frequently being split into portions, pet owners are often left feeling somewhat frustrated when storing the product for re-use. As a product owner who wants to ensure a pleasant customer experience, choosing a multidose solution with resealable closures can strengthen brand loyalty.

Thanks to its unique design, the prototype requires no extra tools to dispense or ensure food safety, which eases clean-up efforts for pet owners. Its resealable features and ability to standalone make for a fridge-friendly and odour-free storage. The iconic design not only stands apart from its single-serve competitors on the shelf, but it also offers more space for clear labelling. The lightweight and robust prototype is not only an environmentally and customer friendly packaging option but a cost-efficient choice as well – something for us all to consider for the fur-ture

References

(1) www.circularity-gap.world/2021