Packaging News You Can Use

Whatever holiday you celebrate in the coming weeks with eating drinking and gift giving the Packaging Makes It Possible.

Most people take that for granted as they are too busy complaining about holiday overpackaging, wrap rage or how they were injured and had to go to the hospital. They forget that even the simplest thing they can do like getting up and brushing their teeth all comes about because of packaging.

Toothpaste from a tube being applied to a toothbrush

We never think about what it takes to be able to live our lives with modern conveniences. We are the most advanced society when it comes to having products readily available for our consumption. What goes on behind the scenes to make it happen never gets considered. Mainstays of our every day lives are accessible because of packaging. Its our third largest industry too, employing millions of people!

What about these products use any of them lately?

Recently people are starting to factor (in a negative way) all the variables that it takes to provide products for contemporary life styles. Terms like carbon footprint and food miles are being bandied about without a true understanding of the big picture. Yes, its important to understand how all this plays into the entirety of what we consume. There are many ways to reduce the amount of packaging we use but its not as simple as saying less packaging. We need rethink the entire packaging paradigm about how we package things.

Rethinking how it protects, conveys or transports the product so that it arrives undamaged or unbroken. How it educates or tells us what is inside and what to do with it and sells or persuades us to buy what’s inside. It makes it easy for us to buy, use or consume it.

But the simple fact is that from the time you get up to the time you end your day packaging is integral to your life. Every product you use or consume was brought to you by packaging. So this holiday think more the package with every product you enjoy and remember this message from your Secret Santa… Packaging Makes The World Go Round.

Happy Holidays From The Packaging Diva

Tags: carbon footprint, food miles, holidays, over packaging, packaging, Secret Santa, WrapRage

Despite all the hue and cry around the holidays about bad, bad packaging few of us would be celebrating anything without it. Packaging makes the world go round and impacts your lives in many ways you never considered.

I thought it was time to reiterate the positive role packaging plays in modern society. The role of the package has changed over the years from functioning as a simple container to becoming an integral part of our society. Yet most people aren’t aware of the package’s important aspects or don’t understand how it works. They just know that it exists especially when they perceive it as a problem.

Let’s take Thanksgiving for example whether U had turkey or Tofurkey for Thanksgiving the packaging made it possible! Innovative packaging technology allowed you to buy theses product at retail, uncontaminated, undamaged, ready to use and readily available.

Let’s digress even further, did you brush your teeth this morning? What is toothpaste without having a package to make it possible for you to use it. What did you have for breakfast? Eggs, bacon, toast, fast food? Packaging plays an integral role in all these products and making them available to consumers or even exist. Simply put packaging makes products happen!

I’m not going to expound in depth on all the “real” things packaging does, but think of the primary responsibilities of the package. On the “short” list: It protects, conveys or transports the product so that it arrives undamaged or unbroken. It educates or tells us what is inside and what to do with it. It sells or persuades us to buy what’s inside. It makes it easy for us to buy, use or consume it. Remember, that’s just the short list for the role packaging plays in your life.

Now let’s look at the issues that arise without packaging: Broken or damaged contents (smashed potato chips, broken crockery, no turkey or Tofurkey). Plus it educates you too. How many servings are there? What temperature do I cook it? Where and how do I plug it in? How do I put it together? Will it color my gray, help me lose weight quickly, or attract (think about cosmetics)? Can it be cooked in the microwave? What’s for dinner, Ipod anyone? The list goes on and on.

Now what’s real? Sorry to say but there are some real idiots out there lambasting packaging without understanding why. Sure packaging contributes to the waste stream, and yes some things are overpackaged or hard to open. Yes, the packaging industry can do a better job in reducing the amount of packaging.

WrapRage is now the “in” buzz word from now to after Christmas. How hard it is too open or how dangerous it is when you do. But, seriously think through your day from the time you get up to your last bedtime snack. How many of those things could you use, do or accomplish without packaging?

So think before you rant. Understand before you condemn, product packaging as the bane of your or society’s existence. Remember this for the most part you can’t have a product without a package. Most importantly, packaging is our friend. And I’m thankful every day for packaging!

Tags: consumer, food, holidays, packaging, retail, supermarket, Thanksgiving, WrapRage