Task 6

productPACKAGING

Packaging is story telling in a compressed area - like posters in miniature. Packs must mark out and differentiate the product from competitors, which they attempt in the most demanding of circumstances, often sitting next to direct competitors, on shelves brimming with distractions.

Packaging is so abundant in the solid waste system because it impacts so many aspects of life, commercially as well as privately. In fact, modern society could not exist without a mature and advanced packaging system, and packaging coincides with society's wants and needs. We choose what packaging is used by what we purchase.

The package designs are planned to reflect the many changing social and economic trends in the world. Several of those trends and resulting examples include:
health consciousness (nutrient and additive contents)
family size/singles (different portions)
economy (various sizes, quality levels)
mobility (convenience items)
novelty (over 150 new food and drug items are introduced every month in the U.S.)
labeling requirements (contents and directions)
available equipment (products for the freezer or microwave)
time and convenience to purchase and use (various available sizes, complete meals in a package)
consumerism (consumer complaints have the highest influence on pharmaceutical and health-related products)
customs and social habits (beverage packaging)
environmental concerns (reduced, reusable, recyclable packaging and recovery as energy)


Although packaging seems to be so prevalent, most packages serve at least one purpose and can be categorized as to type.

Three Types of Packaging
There are three types of packaging, depending on use. The container that directly holds the product is

the primary package. That may be a can, bottle, jar, tube, carton, drum, etc.
Any outer wrappings that help to store, transport, inform, display and protect the product are

secondary packaging. The decorated carton or gift box are common examples.
Lastly, tertiary packaging is used to group products for storage and transportation. The corrugated, brown carton is the most familiar. Large pallets of shrink-wrapped boxes are a common warehouse
sight reflecting tertiary packaging.

For any product, from one to all three types of packaging may be necessary depending on the intended purpose.

Five Purposes of Packaging
Each package for any product basically serves up
to five of the following purposes:
CONTAIN -- To hold the product directly; this is PRIMARY packaging.
INFORM -- To identify the brand and any related companies, to explain how it should be used, to warn about the hazards for misuse, and to reveal product contents.
PROTECT -- To prevent spoilage, leakage, breakage, moisture changes, theft and tampering.
TRANSPORT -- To easily and safely move the product from the manufacturer, perhaps to a
warehouse, then to the retailer and finally, to the consumer.
DISPLAY -- To attractively display, to sell (a marketing tool).