Wednesday, 1 October 2014

Why Packaging !






Packaging makes modern lifestyles possible, represent the values of brand.

 A distinctive, unmistakable and eye-catching appearance is a signal at the POS to which all consumers and particularly the younger ones respond positively. Whatever stands out clearly in the monotonous competitive environment, whatever is surprising, scores points with the consumer. Special effort makes a special impression and  costs more too.

Design, shape and color,  the purpose of well-considered design, creative printing and finishing is to entice the consumer to devote attention to the pack. Beautiful packaging design is of central importance in all product groups. Consumers like to buy agreeably designed and decorative products.

Innovation novelty has exceptionally strong appeal. An innovative pack can even make ‘new products’ out of familiar ones. Unusual solutions, functional new developments and originality, not only set design trends but also boost sales.

Value packaging is an excellent way to communicate sophistication, class and value. This makes it an ideal strategic option for expressing premium positioning.

Without packaging, the level of damaged and wasted products would greatly increase.

Packaging protects – ten times more energy goes into the production of the food and goods it contains, than into the packaging itself.

Appropriateness for the product packaging is considered to be an important indicator of quality. The quality of the product therefore has to be communicated by good packaging and not just by promises of quality made in the text on the packaging.


A credible ‘overall work of art’ is created as a result, in which the contents and the packaging are coherent and the consumer is convinced by their consistency.



     

Packaging & Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)






Packaging is an often-studied LCA topic, either as part of a larger product system or by itself to enable a manufacturer to understand design trade-offs or communicate environmental performance. Improved packaging designs can potentially reduce the environmental impact of packaging, and LCA provides a means to quantify that performance on certain metrics. Environmental impact is of particular concern, as packaging is often perceived as waste by consumers and retailers. Many brands have begun to differentiate themselves by adopting packaging materials and systems that are perceived to be ‘environmentally-responsible’.

The life of packaging is outlined in below picture to illustrate what an LCA seeks to evaluate about packaging. In brief, packaging raw materials, such as plastic granulate, are produced from non-renewable, renewable, or recycled resources. These materials are subsequently converted to bottles, boxes, and other packages that are filled by a food or beverage processor. The packaged product is then distributed to retailers, who reuse the shipment packaging (i.e. secondary and tertiary packaging such as pallets or corrugate boxes) or send it out for recovery or disposal. In the case of reusable packaging, a cleaning step may be necessary to prepare the package for its subsequent use; otherwise, the use stage is typically not associated with packaging.
Consumers purchase the food or beverage contained within the primary packaging; at home, they prepare and consume the food or beverage and dispose this packaging.

Depending on the objectives of a particular analysis, LCAs of packaging can be conducted on the packaging itself, for example, to evaluate alternative packaging designs for a particular product—or include packaging as a part of a larger product system to understand the impacts of a product overall. Whether the packaging is for food, beverages, personal care products, or building materials, the challenges are often the same: how to minimize its environmental impact without compromising the product it is meant to support.

Evaluating this balance should be informed by sound scientific thinking. LCA provides a framework to guide the development of environmentally preferable packaging in this industry and ensure that companies consider not just the impacts of raw materials or manufacturing, but the entire packaging life cycle and how packaging can influence product losses.

Applying life cycle-based practices can ensure that environmental burdens are not simply transferred from one stage or component of the life cycle to another and offers a method for considering the role packaging plays in protecting and marketing the product.

Optimize efficiency and effectiveness of packaging, keeping the product at the forefront. The nature of the packaging supply chain is such that there may be a separation between the raw material provider, packaging converter, and food or beverage processor, which can lead to missed opportunities in the optimization of the collective package and product system. Designers aiming to develop packaging with reduced environmental burdens in this value chain, however, must resist the temptation to optimize only for materials, distribution, or end-of-life and instead address the full cradle-to-grave package and product life cycle as a way to differentiate the more environmentally sound alternative. Regardless of the material choices in packaging design, the product packaging with the highest environmental burden is one that is either under packaged, enabling breakage or theft, or over packaged, requiring more material, and therefore burden, than is necessary.




     

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

Invest in packaging



Why invest in packaging?

68% purchase decision are not made by advertising but ‘in-store’ (source POPAI).

11 % shoppers change buying decisions by seeing or holding a product.

22 % shoppers buy by impulse and that to a category they had no idea of buying before 
entering the store.

82 % shoppers decide by pricing, packaging, display at store.

Therefore packaging plays a very important role in marketing.




     


Saturday, 20 September 2014

Science and art of packaging


A product requires protection at different levels due to its storage and transportation needs.

From production to consumers place product has to travel through several stages therefore it deserves optimal and efficient designing. 


Even after its use packaging material should comply with environmental protection norms.

Product packaging design needs in-depth knowledge or ingredients, raw material, environment (e.g temperature, humidity), distribution etc. 










For durability of the packing it is important to carry out damage inspection test such as; physical, mechanical (drop, impact, thickness, strength, pressure, tear resistance, peel adhesion), weather, aging, chemical (e.g thermal insulation), ISTA integrity, food contact, permeation, recycling, sustainability etc.

Systematic packaging development process accelerates product launch, supports cost cutting, improves reliability, reduces transit damage,  helps in providing guarantee and servicing, increases filling ratio, minimizes environmental impact and supports goodwill and brand image to the customer.