Top 5 Bottle Multipacking Trends to Watch in 2024

In the bottling industry in 2024, one thing’s for certain: Consumers continue to push for premium quality, sustainability and innovation. Leaders who want to future-proof their business and increase growth, efficiency and savings should keep an eye on these five bottle multipacking trends.

1. Sustainability in Multipacking

The long-standing trend toward sustainability in the bottled beverage industry has only continued to grow. Consumers of bottled beverages are turning to companies that reduce their impact on the environment by using eco-friendly packaging materials.

But as the demand for sustainability continues to climb, consumers are also growing wise to the unfortunate practice of greenwashing — when a business makes itself or its products seem more environmentally friendly than they actually are.

Some packaging isn’t as eco-friendly as it appears to be, even if it’s made from natural materials.












One example of this is paper handles for bottle multipacking, which are often coated with a layer of plastic for durability. In reality, this plastic film makes the paper handles difficult to recycle. Not to mention, they're often not strong enough to securely hold multiple bottles full of product, they can disintegrate in damp conditions and applicators built specifically for paper carriers do not yet exist. Some manufacturers are claiming paper handles can be applied using plastic handle applicators, but the margin for error is considerable.

To solve for the shortcomings of paper handles for bottle multipacking, Roberts PolyPro opts for biodegradable packaging, which can naturally decompose over time. Our entire line of bottle handle multipacks is 100% biodegradable*, able to fully break down in landfill conditions so end users can discard with peace of mind.

Bio Path


2. “Smart” Packaging

Smart packaging uses technology like interactive labels, QR codes, and other digital capabilities to boost consumer engagement and product safety.

Some uses of smart packaging include:

  • Provide real-time information on nutritional content and the state of a product, including freshness and the presence of spoilage agents like bacteria.

  • Recommend other company products based on an individual consumer’s preferences.

  • Let consumers track the entire production journey of their beverage to increase trust in the company and the product.

  • Help convince a potential customer to buy the product while they’re still in the aisle.

  • Authenticate premium beverages to cut down on knock-off products.

Additionally, smart packaging is a path for businesses to engage their customers through exclusive content, interactive games and more, boosting brand loyalty.


3. Premium Packaging

Premium drinks have recently made a splash in the bottled beverage industry. This is largely because customers have become more critical of the ingredients in their beverages, willing to pay more for products with healthier, ethically sourced and higher-quality ingredients.

And for any premium product, premium packaging is needed to differentiate, stand out and spark customer interest in an increasingly crowded industry.

Some companies stand out with unique branding or even with unique shapes for their bottles. But while dramatic design is trendy in many FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) brands, so is minimalism, which has long been associated with high quality. It also stands out in its own right among flashy colors vying for consumer attention.

Considering the importance of attention-grabbing packaging, bottle multipacking solutions should help showcase rather than obscure the bottle's design.

With nearly 30 years of experience creating bottle multipack carriers for all types of beverages, Roberts PolyPro delivers. Our multipacks are available in industry-standard colors with color matching available, and we can ship them already labeled with your UPC.


4. Optimize and Scale With Automation

Recent breakthroughs in robotics and AI technology have ushered in better packaging automation for product manufacturing. While industry giants like Amazon are leading the charge in this area, companies of all sizes in the beverage industry can take advantage of increased automation in 2024, especially when it comes to multipacking.

Applicator

Some of the benefits of multipacking automation for bottled beverage businesses include:

  • Increased speed and output

  • Improved accuracy and quality assurance

  • Reduced labor costs

  • Ability to scale

Roberts PolyPro offers a full range of manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic bottle carrier applicators designed to offer high throughput at a low cost. Our efficient machines work at high speeds to ensure maximum productivity and are versatile enough to handle a wide range of configurations.


5. Safety and Hygiene

The plastic bottle industry has refined many techniques like tamper-evident seals and air-tight caps to maximize the safety and hygiene of products like food, medications and nutritional supplements. As a result, the multipacking industry is paying more attention to creating sustainable and safe packaging.

Safe multipacking solutions ensure bottles remain secure in their handles, especially glass bottles and large bottles of soda or juice. When bottles slip free of their packaging, it’s not only costly and frustrating, potentially harming the brand name, but it may even pose a risk of injury.

This is where Roberts PolyPro bottle handles excel. Our bottle carriers are used to create a comfortable, sustainable and reliable handle for carrying large quantities of bottles and cans or large, heavy bottles. In addition, our applicators are designed to apply handles to containers quickly and precisely for maximum strength and durability.


Look to Multipacking Trends in 2024 to Strengthen Your Business

Consumers’ concern for the environment and demand for high-quality products are the main drivers behind the beverage bottling industry’s multipacking trends in 2024, which include more sustainable and premium packaging.

Advancements in technology are also pushing trends, which we’ve seen in the growing popularity of optimization through automation and smart packaging solutions. Creating safe and hygienic products has emerged as a timely challenge as well.

Businesses in the bottled beverage industry can take advantage of these trends by finding ways to start or build on some of the more enduring trends like eco-friendly packaging and automation, and by continuing to watch or experiment in small ways with more emerging trends such as smart packaging.

Beverage businesses must stay adaptive and innovative when it comes to their packaging strategies to keep their companies thriving long past 2024 — and Roberts PolyPro is here to help. We’ve invested in 100% biodegradable handle solutions and offer a wide range of bottle carrier and bottle handle solutions, backed by our customer-centric support.

Reach out to our team today to learn more about our bottle handle solutions.

*Following a rigorous 56-week scientific test, an independent agency demonstrated that our HDPE multipack handles completely biodegraded, without any false-positives or false-negatives. While all of our products, including our certified biodegradable products, are made of 100% recyclable materials, items accepted by recycling/composting centers can vary. Please check with your local facility to see what is accepted in your area.