Can’t we just get rid of all of the packaging? Uh … no.

cant-we-just-get-rid-of-all-of-the-packaging-uh-no<p>You&#8217;ve heard of road rage &#8230; someone cuts you off, takes your parking space, or swerves maniacally on the road. You get mad and you proceed to run them off the road. This is road rage. Second in the list of the seven deadly sins of rage is Wrap Rage. This is manifested by people who chain themselves to landfill bulldozers, who hurl inanimate objects across the room because they can&#8217;t open it. There&#8217;s a lot of grief out there that things get over-packaged &#8230; and yes, in some cases this is true. But in many cases, packaging is ABSOLUTELY crucial to the survival of the human race.</p> <p>Ok, that might be a bit extreme.</p> <p>Packaging and labeling have several objectives:</p> <p>Physical protection &#8211; The product may require protection from shock, temperature, or compression. Bodyguards are not a cost effective way to go.</p> <p>Barrier protection &#8211; The product may require protection from oxygen, water vapor or dust. Some packages contain oxygen desiccants to extend shelf-life.</p> <p>Containment or agglomeration (isn&#8217;t that a great word?) &#8211; Small products are typically grouped together (think of those small army men figures, or marshmallows, or pencils). It is not cost-effective to individually package each item. Imagine trying to make Rice-Krispie ® treats with individually wrapped marshmallows.</p> <p>Information transmission &#8211; Packaging also communicates how the product should be used, transmitted, or disposed. Believe it or not, some people don&#8217;t know how to use a marshmallow. Step 1, unwrap your marshmallow. Step 2, raise marshmallow to your mouth. Step 3, open your mouth &#8230;</p> <p>Marketing &#8211; (My favorite part, and arguably the MOST important of all) Packaging is often the first part of the product a customer will see and is overwhelmingly influential in whether or not the product gets purchased. In the picture above, can you actually SEE the ramen in the pack, or the pineapple in the can, or the yogurt in the tub, or the Pringles ® chips in the &#8230; tall cardboard tube thingy with a tub lid? Not always &#8230; the packaging helps with that. Packaging is where you get to make your sales pitch.</p> <p>Security &#8211; Packaging can be made to be tamper-evident, or prevent pilferage. Some packaging can also show whether or not a product is counterfeit. Think of medicines, drugs and Microsoft products.</p> <p>Convenience &#8211; Packaging can be designed to make shipping, handling, stacking, use, and storage easier. Would you rather lug around a 50 pound bag of sugar on your shoulder at the grocery store, or carry 50 pounds of sugar with a nifty and &#8220;convenient&#8221; handle? (This is not a trick question).</p> <p>All of these purposes should be considered when developing a package for a product. Packaging dry pasta in a tin can (like you would package pineapple) would be overkill. Pasta doesn&#8217;t need the same kind of physical and barrier protection that pineapple does.</p> <p>So, how are you going to remember these 8 packaging purposes? Don&#8217;t worry, I made up a few mnemonics for it. Ahem &#8230;</p> <ol> <li>Peanut Butter Cracker Is My Susan&#8217;s Catastrophe.</li> <li>Please Beat Carpets In My Shoe Closet.</li> <li>Packages Bearing Countless Infants Make Serious Cacophony.</li> <li>Parakeets Bite Children In My Shopping Cart.</li> </ol>