The recent Carton Conference, held in April, was very illuminating. The carton sector seems to be recovering and the key message from the day was that environmental pressures placed on packaging are being addressed, leading to opportunities for the sector. Cartonboard is both sustainable and recyclable and new and interesting technologies are in the pipeline that manufacturers could offer to retailers and brand owners. According to a poll in Yours magazine, 99% of UK consumers are dissatisfied with today's packaging. This dissatisfaction provides opportunities for suppliers to improve their offer and develop new products and features.

Stora Enso has announced several novel concepts and demonstrations. One is for automatic opening and reclosing packaging systems, with the carton and plastic formed to mimic the mechanism of a flower opening. This action depends on using shape memory, where materials revert to previous shapes under the influence of heat, light or electricity. One application would be to create seals for goods that only open under certain conditions; for example, when a microwaveable meal reaches the correct cooking temperature or a drinks container is suitably chilled. Linking this with reversible glue systems, which use electricity to reverse the polarity of surfaces and effectively switch the glue on or off, makes for easy opening and re-closing of a pack, increasing the life of a perishable item.

The power for these applications can be obtained in a number of ways. Breaking seals can liberate a certain amount of energy, or there is technology to print batteries that would incorporate power into the pack invisibly. When power is available, plastic electronics can be printed. An embedded message using electro- activated ink or smart display could then be powered by the action of opening the pack.

Eye-catching technology

This means a warning could be triggered using printed electronics, reminding you to take your medicine or throw out old food. Or, the pack could sparkle and change design as a consumer passes, so drawing the eye and the purchase. In addition, security and validation can be incorporated into a pack as a self-contained closed system, letting retailers and buyers know it is genuine and fit for use.

So, in future, instead of wrestling with a cap or seal, you just touch a printed button. Such developments will provide dramatic improvements in the openability/closeability of packs, an issue that is of growing concern to older people. 'Senior friendly' packaging will be easy to open, but must still take child safety into account. Other uses could be passwords that can be sent to or entered onto the packaging for medical applications. Beyond this, voice and other biometric features could be incorporated into storage containers, such as medicine cabinets or fridges. These passwords might trigger an electrical impulse that could release a memory-material cap, locking the device.

The pack functionality can be broadened to show the ambient conditions it has been stored at since filling. Bioett has time temperature tags that can be interrogated to ensure products, such as a vaccine, have been stored correctly, so the 'use-by' date is replaced by a 'still active' message - very important in developing regions. With the UK's ageing population and a stretched health service it will be more important to ensure the right medication is taken by the right person at the right time. Manufacturers can supply devices that remind patients when to take their medication and to check that they do.

Med-ic, for example, has an electronic compliance monitoring device that tracks medication use from any standard blister packaging, without active patient input. As the patient takes a tablet from the pack, the Med-ic ECM solution uses sensor-grid technology and a proprietary process of printed conductive inks that detects when the grid has been broken. When the pack is finished, a radio-frequency reader and monitoring software can retrieve and display patient compliance, medication diaries and pill counts vital in bringing new drugs to the population.

So, for those carton and packaging suppliers that remain, there is still a lot of life in the future.

"Carton board is sustainable and recyclable and new and interesting technologies are in the pipeline to attract buyers"