Mar 05 2010
People Against Packaging
Whether you know it or not there is a war against packaging: people who perceive that it’s too much or wasteful and the people who actually package the product.and the people who manufacture the packaging.
There are two sides to every packaging story and what’s going on behind the manufacturing and distribution scene that no one ever considers. Packaging is under attack and in most cases unjustly so. Plus there is a big contingent against any type of packaging. Simply put, no packaging is n impossibility unless you want to regress your lifestyle about 100 years.
Packaging had evolved from simple vessels that stored and protected food and beverages to the sophisticated packaging we see today. Depending upon the culture the packaging needs change. The more sophisticated and affluent the society the more packaging that is consumed. As income grows so does discretionary spending. Increasing demand for goods and services requires more products and packaging.
The media loves to criticize packaging. Phrases like the great “garbage patch” and “wrap rage” incite consumers into frenzy against packaging. As we move forward in the coming years packaging needs to be reconsidered from all aspects. Yes, it does contribute to 1/3 of the garbage in the landfills. Yes, many products are over packaged and the packaging can and should be reduced. Yes, the packaging industry needs to do a better job in resolving packaging problems and creating waste.
We need to look at packaging from a different perspective. Keeping all the primary functions in place: transporting, protecting, containing, securing, educating and informing the consumer about what’s inside. Yet, at the same time keeping awareness about what we can do to lessen the societal impact of packaging.
People want goods and products convenience isn’t going away, so how do we marry the two? Let’s consider the issue: consumers still want convenience yet at the same time less packaging an products packaged in more eco friendly materials. It’s up to the manufacturers and GPG companies now to solve the issue.
I’ve written before about the 6 R’s of more environmentally friendly packaging: Reduce, refill, reuse, repurpose, renew and recycle @ http://packaginguniversity.com/blog/2010/02/12/packaging-%e2%80%9cgreen%e2%80%9d-for-valentine%e2%80%99s-day/.
But this is just the beginning of rethinking the packaging paradigm.
What would you like to see or suggest that packaging companies consider?
More eco friendly materials;
Less over all product packaging;
Goods and services produced closer to home;
More paper less plastic;
More bio plastics and less of other materials;
Packaging that solves more problems?
This is just the beginning and with consumer support the packaging industry can solve these problems. So before you put on the gorilla suit for people against packaging give us your thoughts, ideas and suggestions about what you would like the packaging industry to implement to marry consumers wants and needs with today’s contemporary packaging.
6 responses so far
6 Responses to “People Against Packaging”
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Packaging make to product more safe and fresh especially food packaging. However, packaging must be recyclable and biodegradable. Packaging industry enhance the quality day by day using by high quality machinery.
Best Regards,
Hi JoAnn, Thank you for taking a courageous stand on this issue. To be sure, the media loves to sensationalize any story in their quest for ratings, subscriptions, and clicks. The real surprise would be if packaging were treated any differently.
For most of the time I’ve been in the industry, people by and large took packaging for granted. Even today, if people stopped to think what would happen if packaging ceased to exist, they would think twice about blanket criticisms of the industry. Environmental awareness put packaging in the spotlight, seemingly overnight. Perhaps packaging manufacturers, unaccustomed to being in the spotlight, have been slow in getting their stories out.
As a social media marketer, I continually encourage packaging companies to engage consumers openly, honestly, and proactively. You have certainly done that, and I think it helps enormously. I hope that others in the industry follow your example and my advice, and start connecting! The industry has great stories to share, stories that need to be shared.
I totally agree, JoAnn! Yes, excess packaging is a problem. What these anti-packagists (is that a word?) forget is that the first and primary purpose of packaging is protection, both during transport and from liability. What if we had to all dip our own containers into a common vat of ketchup at the grocery store? A mess for sure and the possibility for contamination is unthinkable.
There is no doubt that the packaging industry is evolving into its ecofriendly self. Thanks for being on the vanguard of it!
JoAnn,
You said “Simply put, no packaging is an impossibility unless you want to regress your lifestyle about 100 years.” That is absolutely true. Packaging is essential to our way of life, and you will find much backlash from consumers if product appears to be unclean or damaged due to the elimination of packaging. Can we get smarter about the way we package? Absolutely! It’s happening right now – more innovative packaging is being produced daily.
Thank you for encouraging us to rethink “the packaging paradigm”.
Interesting topic. There’s a very popular company that I won’t single out, but I am constantly disgusted by their packaging practices. For example, they shipped a steering wheel cover in a box big enough for an entire computer system and I cannot BELIEVE they shipped floor mats in an equally large box instead of putting the 2 items in the SAME box. Might seem silly, but the other day, I shipped packages to my friends and felt so good that I crumbled old magazine pages to use as filler.
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