Packaging Trends in International Transportation and Logistics

authors

  • Philipp Bernd
  • Fulconis François
  • Zeroual Thomas

keywords

  • Packaging
  • Packaging Design and Typology
  • International Supply Chains
  • Logistics Functions of Packaging LFP
  • New Packaging Trends
  • International Transportation
  • Global Supply Chain Management
  • Maritime Transportation

document type

COUV

abstract

Packaging is omnipresent in today’s international supply chains. Worldwide use of maritime vessel containers, for instance, has been multiplied by more than 16 between 1980 and 2016, representing a cargo increase from 102 million tons to 1687 million tons (CNUCED, 2016). In this chapter, the authors make an inventory of theoretical frameworks in order to understand and meet principal packaging trends in contemporary international supply chains. Research-side, packaging logistics, and its constitutive concept of logistics functions of packaging (or LFP) turn out to be particularly suitable for analysing and meeting two main change drivers that characterize contemporary supply chains: first, circular economy and closed-loop logistics requirements, and second, omnichannel trends, including e-commerce. Most managers and researchers dealing with international supply chains are familiar with these trends, but only some of them fully consider the related impacts on packaging. More precisely, this chapter analyzes how relevant and adequate traditional packaging designs and typologies still are with regards to these new market evolutions and proposes a new theory-based solution for matching the new challenges.

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