What are SIG’s key focus areas?
SIG is a specialist in packaging systems for aseptic applications, offering flexible and equally high-speed solutions. With our unique portfolio of aseptic carton, bag-in-box, and spouted pouch, our aim is to provide comprehensive liquid food and beverage packaging solutions tailored to various consumption occasions: Whether in-home with one-liter cartons, on-the-go with smaller cartons or spouted pouches, or food service with bag-in-box options.
We focus on two key trends that are transforming the food and beverage as well as the packaging industry: sustainability and aseptic technology. Sustainability is delivered across three dimensions: renewable or recycled content, low CO2 impact, and design for recycling. SIG is an industry leader in bringing innovative, sustainable packaging solutions to market. Aseptic technology is central to our approach, as it allows products to have a long shelf life without requiring preservatives or a cold chain, thus reducing CO2 emissions, preserving nutrients, and cutting food waste.
What makes aseptic technology unique and valuable, especially for wellness products?
Aseptic technology offers a significant advantage by extending the shelf life of products without the need for refrigeration or food preservatives, making it ideal for health & wellness products. Low-temperature pasteurization only delivers short shelf-life and therefore results in high food waste. Retort, an alternative high-temperature method, involves prolonged cooking and destroy many heat-sensitive nutrients, aseptic processing smartly uses high-temperature treatment for just a few seconds followed by an immediate and efficient cooling processing step. The short and precise exposure to heat preserves essential nutrients like vitamins A, B, and C, while eliminating harmful microorganisms, creating high quality, nutrient-rich products enabling SIG customers to deliver clean-label products.
Aseptic technology is particularly valuable for functional and nutraceutical products, which often require a high level of nutrient retention. By combining aseptic processing with our advanced packaging solutions that provide light and oxygen barriers, we ensure that products remain shelf-stable for six to twelve months, minimizing food waste and reducing the carbon footprint associated with refrigeration.
How is SIG leveraging technology to innovate in the packaging industry?
SIG continuously innovates to meet evolving consumer and market demands. A notable example is our aseptic spouted pouch: Aseptic filling technology was previously unavailable for spouted pouch packaging. Our breakthrough technology now allows products like baby food or nutrient-dense purees in spouted pouches to maintain their nutritional value while being easy to consume and distribute globally without cold chain. For instance, our collaboration with Cerebelly enabled the launch of a sweet potato-based baby food in spouted pouches that retains its nutrients while offering long shelf life.
SIG also drives innovation beyond the packaging domain. A great example of that are heat-resistant probiotics. Traditional probiotic products required refrigeration to keep the live cultures intact.
The encapsulated probiotics remain dormant until consumed, delivering their benefits directly to the digestive system. This approach opens a world of new possibilities for probiotic functional beverages by unlocking distribution beyond the cold chain.
What trends are driving growth in SIG’s packaging solutions?
Sustainability and consumer preferences are major growth drivers. First, there is a strong demand for plastic alternatives. Our “carton bottle” SIG Dome, for example, made primarily from renewable paperboard, offers a sustainable option with a significantly lower CO2 footprint compared to plastic bottles. At the same time its bottle-like shape makes it look and pour like a bottle. For products where flexible packaging is required, such as highly viscous items, we focus on lightweighted plastic packaging solutions designed for recycling like our aseptic spouted pouch.
The second trend is the shift toward functional and wellness-focused beverage products. Consumers increasingly seek healthy, nutrient-dense, ready-to-drink options. Our aseptic packaging ensures these products maintain their nutritional integrity and clean-label appeal by eliminating the need for extended heat treatment or preservatives. The unique capability of our packaging systems to fill particulates enables beverage concepts with natural fruit or fiber inclusions. We also support sugar reduction initiatives by collaborating with food tech companies on aseptically filled beverage concepts with natural sweeteners and sugar replacements, addressing both wellness and public health concerns.
What does SIG envision for 2025 and beyond?
Our vision for 2025 is to continue leading the industry in sustainable and innovative packaging solutions. We aim to expand our aseptic technology applications, enabling the development of more nutrient-rich, shelf-stable products that cater to global wellness trends. We will also deepen collaborations with food tech companies to help our customers launch novel beverage concepts in our packaging solutions that are high in nutrients and low in sugar .
Additionally, we are focused on making our packaging even more sustainable. Creating a circular economy for packaging is not just about incorporating more renewable or recycled content into our packaging but also about ensuring our packaging gets recycled. In 2025 we plan a market test of the world’s first aseptic beverage carton that is designed for the paper recycling stream. Such solutions are critical to increase recycling rates especially in regions with a limited recycling infrastructure. Ultimately, we will continue to provide solutions that are not only good for the consumer but also for the planet.
