In late 2023, some of our experts told us what they expected to see unfold in their industry in the coming year. Now, we’re checking back in with them – and including some new voices! – to see if those expectations lined up with reality.
Consumer Packaged Goods: Making strides toward sustainable packaging
Laurent Smadja, Business Value Consultant Director for CPG, told us last year how the consumer packaged goods industry had begun on a trend of exploring eco-conscious and sustainable packaging options following increasing consumer demands and expectations. This year, two of his colleagues, Raymond Wodar and Ken Chew Tan, chimed in to tell us what they thought of the industry’s developments over the previous 12 months.
“In 2024, consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies made strides in sustainable packaging as anticipated, largely driven by increasing consumer demand and regulatory pressure to reduce single-use plastics and carbon footprints,” explained Wodar, business value consultant director for the CPG industry. “There was a progressive shift toward compostable and biodegradable materials, and several major brands introduced fully compostable packaging for specific product lines, especially in the food and beverage sectors.”
Going forward, Wodar added, there’s the potential for the creation and deployment of new types of materials, like algae-based plastics and mycelium. Additionally, he added, we’ll see “advances in material science that may offer more durable, compostable options.”
“In terms of legislative and regulatory impacts, companies will likely have to accelerate sustainable packaging adoption in regions with stringent packaging regulations. This could drive further innovation in reducing plastic content and finding alternatives to hard-to-recycle components like film plastics,” Wodar said.
Wodar’s colleague, Ken Chew Tan, a business experience consultant, chimed in, highlighting how specific companies around the world have made the shift to sustainable packaging across the industry.
He added that some companies like Poland’s Hortex, France’s Agrilait, Switzerland’s Emmi and the United States’ Coca-Cola are among the earliest adopters of Tetra-Pak’s new plant-based packaging materials. These materials are made with 82% of plant-based components such as sugar cane and responsibly-sourced wood fibers. In India, Nestle has introduced a limited-edition plant-based fork made from wheat flour and salt that comes with their Maggi Cup Noodles product. In the US, Amazon has replaced 95% of single-use plastic pillows – nearly 15 billion a year – in their packaging with 100% recycled paper fillers.
All in all, the CPG industry made significant strides toward sustainable packaging in 2024 and shows no signs of slowing down in the coming year.
Aerospace & Defense: Loads of launches & New Space progress
In late 2023, Jason Roberson, aerospace & defense industry business value consultant, said he was looking forward to seeing what innovations would crop up in space sustainability and in heavy lunar launch activities. Safe to say, over the last year, there was a lot of activity in space.
Launches and missions:
There were plenty of launches and missions in 2024.
“There were exploration missions including NASA’s Europa Clipper and ESA’s Hera mission, as well as continued commercial space travel through SpaceX, Starliner, Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin,” he explained. Space Perspective, a “near earth” tourism company, also completed its first full, uncrewed test flight.
There were a few significant heavy launches in 2024, notably SpaceX’s successful launch of Starship Flight 5 and Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander Odysseus, which landed on the moon. There are many missions planned for 2025, including the launches of Artemis II, Blue Moon Pathfinder and Griffin Mission I, as well as crewed missions to the ISS, tourism and research missions by Virgin Galactic and the first flight of Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser.
New Space:
One trend Roberson noted is the continued evolution of the private space sector through increased investment and consolidation. New Space, which typically refers to the democratization of space, is a result of this, and the concept has taken off. Smaller and more efficient satellites are being developed and satellite constellations are being expanded. As of mid-2024, there were over 10,000 active satellites in orbit – the vast majority of which are in Low Earth Orbit – and the number is only growing.
In 2025, Roberson expects to see more New Space start-ups continuing to emerge from stealth mode as investments and consolidations continue, fueling exploration in this area. He also sees a growing role for AI.
“We need spacecraft to do more on their own, versus just being a data collection and transmission platform. There’s a lot of uncertainty in space flight and operations, and as we improve AI here on earth, the ability to send over-the-air updates to space systems will become even more important so that we can continue to improve system performance after deployment,” he explained.
Looking forward:
There’s a lot that could unfold in 2025. NASA signaled a new commitment to sustainability in 2024: at nearly every major space conference throughout the year, the agency put a focus on the topic, and in April, they released a space sustainability strategy. This year will see the beginning of how that strategy and the agency’s overall commitments begin to unfold.
Roberson also added there’s a great potential for shortened product development timelines next year, which take into account the increased rate of launches with the industry’s sustainability commitments.
“It’s a hot topic. We’re in a New Space race, driven by the commercial sector, and speed will be a major factor between winners and those who do not succeed. As digitalization fuels new space innovation, digital twins (and virtual twins) combined with simulation, will greatly accelerate product development, product fielding, operations, and the evolution of space products,” he said.
Home & Lifestyle: Rising popularity of modular design
Last year, Business Value Consultant Annabelle Grauer predicted that modular design would take off – and boy, did it.
The concept grew in popularity for several categories of home products in 2024, with modular furniture being the most obvious example. The global modular furniture market expanded significantly; in 2023, it was valued at $81.3 billion and is projected to grow another 5% between 2024 and 2032.
This growth is particularly pronounced in a few key markets:
- The United States, where space maximizing, flexible furniture demand increased by 15% over the past year and online modular furniture sales have grown by 20%
- Germany, where the modular furniture market is projected to grow at a rate of 5.6% by 2030
- China, where the modular furniture segment grew by 15% in 2023
The acceleration of modular furniture design is driven by changing consumer preferences along with a growing emphasis on sustainability and eco-friendliness in furniture choices. Urbanization and the trend toward smaller living spaces are also fueling the demand for flexible, space-saving furniture solutions. Consumers are increasingly prioritizing convenience and customization, both of which are hallmarks of modular furniture.
Business Services: Railway innovation is on track
In late 2023, VP of Business Services Taherah Kuhl said she was looking forward to seeing how Dassault Systèmes could contribute to making the railway industry a more sustainable and attractive one over the course of 2024 and beyond. It’s a long road to success, but here’s what’s happened so far:
“Rail is the most efficient form of transport whether for passengers or freight,” Kuhl explained. But the shift toward net zero carbon emissions and other sustainability aims won’t happen on their own.
“Rail has to become more attractive for businesses to make a modal shift or for passengers to choose rail over road. We have been instrumental in that aim and are helping rail operators to do this from making operations run more smoothly, providing a better service, and importantly looking after the workforce,” she added.
Dassault Systèmes provides integrated solutions that ensure staffing goes smoothly, bottlenecks in railyards dissipate, and end-to-end maintenance and engineering can go off without a hitch.
“Simulation software,” one of the company’s key offerings, “can provide the answer for different scenarios to be tested with the utmost level of detail and accuracy. These are some of the areas where we have been really excited to help keep rail on track for 2024 and beyond,” she said.
Marine & Offshore: Slow and steady sustainable progress
Last year, Industry Business Value Consultant Jean-Benoit Bensoussan noted that the marine industry was facing the challenge of transitioning to more sustainable methods. Commercial shipping was – and still is – a significant emitter, and to counter this, the International Maritime Organization set a revised greenhouse gas (GHG) strategy to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
The marine industry is slower to progress than others, he explained. While some sectors, like AI, experience rapid innovations, in Bensoussan’s industry, “changes don’t happen overnight.”
The shifts are smaller and gradual, particularly when it comes to sustainability efforts, which require significant overhauls. One such change came as the result of the summit of the Marine Environment Protection Committee, which met for its 82nd session in October.
The meeting resulted in a new net-zero framework addressing GHG emissions. It also led to a significant measure on the negotiation of greenhouse gas fuel intensity requirements, potentially in combination with a GHG pricing mechanism that aims to reduce reliance on the fuel. One other important decision made in the meeting included the adoption of regulations designating the Canadian Arctic and Norwegian Sea as Emission Control Areas. This designation aims to limit the emissions of these harmful pollutants, and it represents a tangible step toward sustainable progress in the industry.
Check back in late 2025 to see how many of our experts’ predictions for the year came true!
Shoshana is a Senior Communications Manager on the Corporate Publishing team here at Dassault Systèmes. With experience in journalism, marketing, and PR, her work has been published around the world and across the internet.