單身生活越來越普遍。美國人口調(diào)查局的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，2018年單身族占美國家庭數(shù)量的28%，是1960年單人家庭占比的兩倍以上，當時核心家庭的比重達到了最高點。

近幾年，房地產(chǎn)、裝修和珠寶首飾公司一直在向這個日益壯大的單身群體推銷產(chǎn)品。包裝消費品行業(yè)也是如此。

舉例來說，寶潔旗下的衛(wèi)生紙品牌恰敏（Charmin）就在利用上述趨勢推廣自己新上市的“Forever Roll”長卷廁紙，有直徑8.7英寸（約22.1厘米）和12英寸（約30.5厘米）兩種型號。其思路是釋放儲物空間——這種想法正好迎合了單身族的需要，因為他們在人口稠密的城區(qū)尤其集中。

其他面向單身族的產(chǎn)品以盡量減少食品浪費為目標。面包品牌Arnold開始銷售10片裝“Simply Small”面包片，面對那些無法忍受去扔發(fā)霉面包片或者把面包凍起來以后再用的消費者。其他實例還包括Jimmy Dean Simple Scrambles的杯裝早餐和Betty Crocker Mug Treats的可微波加熱甜點。

市場研究機構(gòu)英敏特公司的高級趨勢分析師戴安娜·凱爾特說，這些產(chǎn)品的共同點是千禧一代展示出了“不愿意給任何東西打包票”的態(tài)度，“也許他們不知道自己是會出去吃飯，還是會自己做飯?！彼麄儾皇茏约旱娜粘碳s束，柜子或儲藏室里的東西也無法限制他們。我們還看到，零售商開始提供服裝租賃服務，化妝品品牌也推出了類似試用款的小包裝。

隨之而來的問題是單人包裝產(chǎn)品造成的包裝材料浪費迅速增加?，F(xiàn)在，怎樣讓必需品的包裝既有益于個人財富和我們的地球，又跟得上那種隨心所欲的生活節(jié)奏成了各個品牌面臨的新挑戰(zhàn)。（財富中文網(wǎng)）

本文另一版本登載于《財富》雜志2019年7月刊，標題為《小面包片和長卷廁紙》。

譯者：Charlie

審校：夏林

Living alone is increasingly common. In 2018, 28% of U.S. households were home to just one person, according to the Census Bureau. That’s more than double the proportion of single-person residences in 1960, when the nuclear family peaked.

For several years now, businesses in the real estate, home improvement, and jewelry sectors have been marketing to this growing solo demo. Enter the consumer packaged-goods industry.

Procter & Gamble’s Charmin brand, for example, is capitalizing on this paradigm shift with its newly marketed long-lasting Forever Roll of toilet paper—available in 8.7- or 12-inch diameter. The idea is to free up storage space, a concept that caters to single dwellers because they’re especially concentrated in dense urban areas.

Other products for singles aim to minimize food waste. Bread brand Arnold now sells 10-slice Simply Small loaves for consumers who can’t bear to throw away moldy slices—or freeze bread for later use. Other examples: Jimmy Dean Simple Scrambles breakfast cups and Betty Crocker Mug Treats microwaveable desserts for one.

A common thread here is the idea that millennials exhibit “a lack of wanting to commit to anything in general,” says Mintel senior trend analyst Diana Kelter. “Maybe they don’t know whether they’re going to go out to eat or end up cooking.” They aren’t tied down to what’s on their calendars, or in their cabinets and closets. See also: retailers offering clothing rentals and beauty brands embracing trial sizes.

One problem: Packaging waste from individually wrapped products quickly mounts. Now brands face a new challenge: how to bundle essentials in a way that’s good for pocketbooks, the planet, and spontaneous schedules.

A version of this article appears in the July 2019 issue of Fortune with the headline “Small Loaves and Forever Rolls.”