27 feb 2015survey reveals the crucial role corrugated packaging plays in the food and drinks industrycorrugated packaging is maintaining its popularity in the uk food industry as the preferred choice for protecting and promoting goods, according to a recent survey commissioned by the confederation of paper industries cpi.the research involved contacting 1,000 senior decision makers in multiple retailers and food and beverage companies in the uk, seeking their views of corrugated and its role in the packaging industry.the majority of those who responded recognised corrugated&39s strong environmental credentials, with 80 either strongly agreeing or agreeing that corrugated is a sustainable, functional and effective packaging solution.companies also acknowledged the importance of corrugated packaging in the battle against food waste nearly threequarters thought that effective use of corrugated protects food items while less than five percent disagreed with the statement that the material is important to the future of their business.this latest survey confirms corrugated packaging&39s continuing importance in supply chains following research by smithers pira 1, which says that demand for the material worldwide is expected to increase by an average of more than four percent annually over the next five years, partially driven by innovative designs.it also follows a nationwide poll by yougov for cpi last year, which revealed that over half of the uk&39s consumers visiting their local supermarket or food retailer would prefer their groceries and fresh produce packaged in paperbased material.adopting vibrant, innovative packaging will sway the purchase decisions that many shoppers make, which is why the uk corrugated industry is making significant investment almost £500million in new technology and plant over the last two years to help brand owners boost sales.these findings, and the willingness of the industry to invest in its product, bear out that corrugated cardboard is still offering the complete solution for transit and point of sale packaging, making it the ideal and most sustainable material for fulfilling logistics expectations throughout the food and drinks supply chain.cpi director of packaging affairs, andy barnetson, said "this latest cpi survey demonstrates that businesses see the key advantages for using corrugated packaging. however, to remain at the forefront of the packaging industry we must continue to listen to our customers and meet their expectations for innovative products."the corrugated packaging sector in the uk is pioneering packaging solutions that bring both improved efficiency and increased sustainability to the supply chain. recent indicators suggest that the industry appears to be getting the balance right between functionality and product presentation."in addition to its high quality presentational characteristics and the protection corrugated offers for goods in transit, the industry is proud to use and promote a sustainable and renewable material, more than 80 of which is recycled.1 httpwww.smitherspira.comnews2014marchcorrugatedboardindustryforecastscontac… allisonallott & associates ltdtel 01423 867264email gary@allottandassociates.co.ukwebsite www.allottandassociates.co.ukandy barnetsondirector of packaging affairsconfederation of paper industriestel 01793 889602email abarnetson@paper.org.ukwebsite www.paper.org.uk 
