Value Adding Services in Packaging – A Value for all Supply Chain Actors?

Consumer packaging has become increasingly important as a value adding product service system, since packages shape the consumer’s experience of product use as well as accelerating and affecting the first purchase decision. Recent research in food packaging has resulted in technological innovations that provide information on the real shelf life and expiration of food products as a service to users. These innovations present an added value to consumers and also a clear benefit from a sustainability perspective, but are they beneficial for all actors of the supply chain?
This paper presents a study with the purpose to elaborate the value different actors’ experience from the added service of one technical food packaging innovation. The paper starts by explaining the technological innovation and its potential service addition. The business opportunity of this integrated product service system is then elaborated, with a special focus on the service needs from the different supply chain actors