By Shailesh Sheth, Chairman & Managing Director, Kris Flexipacks
For a long time, packaging decisions were largely viewed through an operational lens.
The conversation typically revolved around cost, production requirements, material specifications, and supply chain considerations. Packaging was often treated as a downstream decision, addressed once product development and marketing plans had already been established.
That approach is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.
Today, packaging influences a far broader set of business outcomes than it once did. It affects consumer perception, regulatory compliance, sustainability commitments, logistics efficiency, shelf visibility, and overall brand experience. As a result, packaging is steadily moving from the factory floor to the boardroom.
One reason is the growing complexity of consumer expectations.
Consumers are demanding more information, greater convenience, stronger sustainability credentials, and higher levels of product assurance. Meeting those expectations often requires decisions that extend beyond packaging teams and involve marketing, operations, procurement, sustainability, and leadership functions working together.
Sustainability has further elevated the conversation.
Environmental commitments are now part of corporate strategy for many organisations. Whether it is reducing material usage, improving recyclability, complying with EPR regulations, or meeting broader ESG goals, packaging plays a central role in achieving these objectives.
As sustainability becomes a board-level priority, packaging naturally becomes part of that discussion.
The financial implications are equally significant.
Packaging decisions influence transportation efficiency, warehousing requirements, material consumption, and product protection. A seemingly small packaging change can have a measurable impact across the supply chain. In an environment where businesses are constantly seeking efficiencies, packaging has become an important lever for operational performance.
The role of packaging in brand building has also expanded.
In many categories, packaging is one of the few marketing assets that consumers physically interact with. It influences first impressions, supports differentiation, communicates product benefits, and reinforces brand identity at the point of purchase.
For companies competing in crowded markets, packaging can directly affect how products are perceived and selected.
Regulation is another factor bringing packaging into strategic conversations.
Requirements related to food safety, labelling, traceability, sustainability, and waste management continue to evolve. Businesses must ensure that packaging decisions support both current compliance requirements and future regulatory expectations.
This requires a longer-term perspective than traditional procurement-driven decision-making often allows.
Perhaps most importantly, packaging today sits at the intersection of multiple business priorities. It affects consumer experience, operational efficiency, sustainability performance, regulatory compliance, and brand perception simultaneously.
Few business decisions influence such a wide range of outcomes.
This does not mean packaging should become more complicated than necessary. It simply means organisations are increasingly recognising its strategic value.
The companies that are likely to gain the greatest advantage are not necessarily those spending the most on packaging. They are the ones that view packaging as a business decision rather than a production decision.
That shift is already underway. And it is one of the reasons packaging conversations are increasingly finding their way into boardrooms across industries.
