Prospettive di innovazione del packaging tra marketing, logistica ed etica. Verso un approccio integrato

In the new competitive marketplace product packaging has become a strategic tool that need to be managed as a “project” on the basis of a strongly systemic approach. In the field of innovation projects, packaging could be defined as a multi-dimensional entity. Particularly, three main dimensions can influence packaging design: marketing, logistics and ethics. Starting from this point of view we assume packaging innovation projects (primary and secondary) as the unit of analysis, then the aim of this paper is to identify: a) the specific issues that are the basis of marketing, logistics and ethics packaging innovation management; b) the main trends in packaging design related to marketing, logistics and ethics. In particular, to understand: which one of these three dimensions dominates, which are the main areas of integration among these dimensions and which are the innovation drivers. In order to achieve these objectives, after a deeply literature review, we have undertaken a qualitative analysis of several worldwide packaging innovation projects (n=200). In addition, to consolidate and enrich the findings that emerged via desk research, we have interviewed some top professionals playing in the global market. Combining desk and field research, we finally delineate an integration trend in packaging innovation projects and we identify specific trends in packaging design. Moreover, the results suggest that marketing is the primary driver in the packaging innovation projects.