corrugated use is going up &mdash except where it&rsquos going down. regular slotted containers rscs are doubling as shelfready packaging &mdash except where they&rsquore not. sound contradictory here it is in a nutshell the big trends in secondary packaging are &mdash well, it depends.that&rsquos the message of pmmi&rsquos 2014 secondary packaging market research study, a followup to its 2008 examination of the market. the new study underscores the individual nature of any packaging decision and the changes that characterize the secondary packaging market. chief among those changes are end users&rsquo goals for secondary packaging.while the respondents to the 2008 study said their goals for secondary packaging were costreduction and sustainability optimization, 45 of this year&rsquos respondents reported meeting those goals and striving to maintain that success. slightly more than half 55 continue to seek out the secondary packaging sweet spots.in terms of materials, the report notes overall decreases in rsc usage and corrugated fiberboard materials, but overall increases in recycled material content and the use of overwrapped trays and shrink wrapped pads. in other words, these are overarching observations, not universal goals.secondary packaging is decided casebycase. pmmi sees 23 of respondents looking for rsc replacements &mdash less than half of the 51 response in 2008. moving to formats such as overwrap trays, bliss boxes, halfslotted displayready containers, and slip sheets and stretchwrapped pallets is not always practical.in the food industry, where 45 of companies report increasing use of flexible pouches, rscs and corrugate will get more use. for online merchants of all stripes, rscs are the goto for shipping purchases to consumers. primary packaging choices, driven by customer demand, will shape the secondary packaging decisions.retailers are the manufacturers&rsquo customers, and for stores like walmart, the goal is sustainability &mdash as measured by points on its sustainability score card. the retail giant wants lighter weight packaging, which reduces fuel use and other transportation costs. because of advances in materials and machinery, recycled content can and does play a larger role in corrugated fiberboard, with fewer production problems, than it did in 2008.other retail giants in the grocery arena and dollar stores are seeking to reduce instore labor, and for that, shelfready secondary packaging fits the bill. formats like perforated rscs protect primary packages and provide a backdrop for eyecatching graphics.at leading warehouse stores, there&rsquos a strong call to get more product on the shelf and to make products stand out more. they demand multipacks, product security, greater product visibility and even smaller packages. and when items can go directly from pallet to shelf, that saves time, labor and cost.finally, the cost and availability of raw materials &mdash including corrugated boxes and fiberboard &mdash will influence packaging choices. printing breakthroughs, rising oil prices, and more costeffective printing on heavyweight and glossy materials will lead package graphics in a new direction.for a better idea of the developments in secondary packaging, make plans to attend pack expo east, which runs feb. 16&ndash18, 2015, at the pennsylvania convention center, philadelphia.located within a third of the country&rsquos largest consumer packaged goods companies, the newest pack expo trade show will keep attendees on the leading edge of industry trends, with more than 300 toptier exhibitors.to learn more and register 30 through jan. 21, then 60 visit www.packexpoeast.com. 
