Economic downturns and recessions invariably prompt shifts in consumer behavior, where judicious suppliers have to respond to tighter budgets by adjusting their prices and lines accordingly. Sometimes such periods deliver unexpected jolts that shake things up permanently: no going back. While the COVID era has brought a short-term collapse for some, at the same time, it has changed the way people shop in one of the most unexpected chapters in recent consumer history. Recent research outcomes from DS Smith and McKinsey consistently demonstrate that the lockdown experience of the COVID era is adding a new layer of challenges for the packaging sector as companies battle to retain loyal customers and need to rethink the efficiency of their designs. Different factors are coming into play now that will become more important as the decade moves into the “next normal.” All of this, on top of the usual demands made on packaging in terms of cost, communication and performance