According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO), food waste has become a massive worldwide issue clearly illustrated by the following statistics:

When designing packaging that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing, packaging engineers often look to end users for important feedback. Consumer opinions can be challenging for manufacturers to access, however, since the retail industry functions as a middleman.

Retailers have excellent insight into consumers’ preferences, so it’s important for engineers in the custom retail packaging industry to pay attention to retailer decisions and developments, like Walmart’s influential Sustainable Packaging Playbook.