100 Packaging Facts

100 facts about packaging

1. Packaging protects – ten times more energy goes into the production of the food and goods it contains than into the packaging itself.
2. The packaging industry spans many markets and so is regulated by many different forms of legislation and voluntary codes
3. The packaging industry has been vilified over the years, not least on the subject of plastic bags. Yet, brands have always been looking for ways to reduce materials and maximise packaging for both environmental and financial reasons.
4. The packaging industry continues to rise to the challenge of being responsible and innovative – glass containers are on average 30% lighter than in 1980, the weight of cans has fallen by a similar figure in the last twenty years and carrier bags are 45% lighter than in 1990. 
5. Packaging attracts a lot of media attention disproportionately so given its relatively small environmental I'mpact. For example, packaging uses only a fraction of the energy that is expended in driving a car. Just 3% of a household’s annual energy use is taken up by packaging.
6. If you were to drive one less mile a day – or to turn your thermostat down by two degrees - you’d save as much energy as is used to make the packaging for an average household’s whole year’s supply of packaged goods. 
7. The first packages used the natural materials available at the time: Baskets of reeds, wineskins (Bota bags), wooden boxes, pottery vases, ceramic amphorae, wooden barrels, woven bags, etc
8. Processed materials were used to form packages as they were developed: for example, early glass and bronze vessels. The study of old packages is an important aspect ofarchaeology.
9. Packaging plays a valuable role in protecting goods. Packaging is what gets the pea from the farm onto your plate, the TV from the factory into your living room. Industry has an interest in keeping packaging to a minimum – to reduce costs as well as to comply with the packaging laws.
10. Convenience culture – half of us now claim to eat ‘on-the-go’ with no prior thought given as to where our next meal is coming from.
11.  The facts don’t bear that out. While cigarettes and gum account for nearly 85% of litter, all packaging-related items combined make up 4%. Plastic carrier bags make up just 0.06%. Under the European Packaging Directive, the industry has to meet strict requirements to prevent the use of excessive packaging.
12. Packaging contains, protects, preserves, transports, informs, and sells
13. In many countries it is fully integrated into government, business, institutional, industrial, and personal use
14. Under the European Packaging Directive, the industry has to meet strict requirements to prevent the use of excessive packaging.
15. Traditionally certain materials have been associated with certain markets. But as markets change and consumer attitudes adjust it is unsurprising that material choice has also changed in the packaging sector accordingly
16. If you were to drive one less mile a day – or to turn your thermostat down by two degrees - you’d save as much energy as is used to make the packaging for an average household’s whole year’s supply of packaged goods.
17. The main purpose of packaging isto protect goods whilst in transit, storage and distribution. It prevents waste through breakage, spoilage and contamination. 
18. A secondary purpose is to provide information about the product, and with the opportunities for branding, corrugated really comes into its own.
19. The genesis of packaging was in damage prevention, and this remains one of its primary purposes. 
20. Fragile foods such as eggs or baked goods come in protective cases made of plastic or stiff cardboard. Breakable consumer goods such as sensitive electronics are encased in boxes and protected by custom formed Styrofoam blocks that hold fragile parts in place and prevent them from damage. 
21. All of this packaging is necessary largely because of a global economy that ships many items for thousands of miles before they reach the consumer
22. Packaging is a good investment. As a result of efficient packaging, product damage in transit remains below 5% in the developed world. In the developing world, damage can be as high as 30%.
23. Packaging comes in all shapes and sizes. The structure of a pack can serve to create shelf standout and sell the product, to prolong the life of the product and to facilitate the use of the product.
24. Corrugated remains the most commonly used packaging material in the UK.
25. Almost all manufactured or farmed items have been packaged in a corrugated container at some point during its lifetime. 
26. It is a versatile material used for a very wide range of food, grocery and manufactured products
27. Corrugated packaging meets the demands of flexibility and efficiency. It is reliable and simple, and suppliers can provide as few or as many boxes as needed. It can be readily tailored to suit the rapidly changing demands of the supply chain.
28. Opportunities for branding reach beyond the conventional brown box intendedfor behind-the-scenes transit packaging,into a high quality customer focussed pack that provides the brand image central to today’s shopping experience.
29. For the packaging of fresh produce, hygiene standards are of the utmost importance to the consumer. Corrugated board, being used once and then recycled, offers confidence to both the retailer and its customers.
30. The energy used to make the packaging for food is just 11% of the energy in the total supply chain (including growing, transport, retail, freezing & cooking). In other words, the energy for all of these other parts of the supply chain combined is 9 times as significant as that of the packaging.
31. If a household turned down its room heating thermostat by 2 degrees or drove one less mile a day, it would save as much energy as is used to make the packaging for its whole year’s supply of goods.
32. With a recycling rate of over 80%,corrugated has the best UK recycling record of any packaging material.This superb recycling rate prevents an area of board the size of Greater London from going to landfill every four months.
33. On average, corrugated boxes made in the UK already contain 76% recycled material. Many boxes are made from 100% recycled material. 
34. It is estimated that 30 million tonsof containers and packaging were recycled in 2005.
35. The U.S. EPA estimates about 31 percent of all municipal solid waste in 2005 was generated from packaging-related material. This constitutes cardboard boxes, plastics and foam. This breaks down to about 39 million tons of paper/paperboard, 13.7 million tons of plastics and 10.9 million tons of glass.
36. The average growth rate of container and packaging waste through 2010 is estimated to be about 1.8 percent annually.
37. About 3 percent of all U.S. energy consumption comes from the production of packaging materials. Using recycled material for the production of packaging goods takes less energy than creating the product from the materials natural state.
38. Packaging and containers makes up about 56 percent of all plastic waste. About 75 percent of all of the waste comes from residential households.
39. Ten times more energy goes into the production of the food and goods it contains, than the packaging itself! If a household turned down its room heating thermostat by 2 degrees or drove one less mile a day, it would save as much energy as is used to make the packaging for its whole year's supply of goods.
40. The energy used to make the packaging for food is just 11% of the energy in the total supply chain (including growing, transport, retail, freezing & cooking). In other words, the energy for all of these other parts of the supply chain combined is 9 times as significant as that of the packaging.
41. The energy saved by recycling just 1 aluminium drink can, is enough to run a television for 3 hours!
42. The energy content of one day's packaging is equal to one and one quarter miles in the car source: (The Packaging Federation)Household packaging is accountable for only 3% of all waste that goes to landfill
43. Glass containers are on average 30% lighter than in 1980's 
44. In developing countries, a lack of packaging or inadequate packaging cause between 30-50% of foodstuffs to decay before they even reach consumers.
45. The first thing you remember about a brand may well be its colour. Think Cadbury's Dairy Milk purple, Coca-Cola's red or Guinness's black and cream. Colour makes your product recognisable and its important that any packaging designer's response to a brief conveys understanding on what the colours they use will convey
46. When designing pictures onto a piece of packaging, the feel and tone of illustration and photography should be clearly outlined in the brief from the brand.
47. Packaging can be described as a coordinated system of preparing goods for transport, warehousing, logistics, sale, and end use
48. Packaging design has the primary goal to attract customers’ attention. For this purpose, package designs can not simply inform the customers, but also provoke feelings and communicate emotions. An effective packaging looks attractive, impresses with its creativity and is just nice to have on the shelf
49. McDonald’s scope spans 58 million customers a day, 31,000 restaurants across 118 countries. Boxer was required to manage the redesign of the fast food chain’s packaging. Food photography was a key part of this process and so the agency had to clearly brief photographers as to the exact mood they were looking for in the shots. Boxer won bronze at the 2008 DBA awards in the design management category for its work with McDonald’s.Flexible packaging is a $26.4 billion industry in the United States.
50. Flexible packaging is the second largest packaging segment in the U.S., garnering 18 percent of the U.S. $143 billion packaging market.
51. Building a story into the packaging of a product is becoming increasingly popular way to convey provenance and brand essence. Doing so allows consumers to connect with the product on an emotional level.
52. Packaging is the science, art, and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of design, evaluation, and production of packages.
53. Iron and tin plated steel were used to make cans in the early 19th century. Paperboard cartons and corrugated fibreboard boxes were first introduced in the late 19th century.
54. The earliest recorded use of paper for packaging dates back to 1035, when a Persian traveler visiting markets in Cairo noted that vegetables, spices and hardware were wrapped in paper for the customers after they were sold.
55. Packaging advancements in the early 20th century included Bakelite closures on bottles, transparent cellophane overwraps and panels on cartons, increased processing efficiency and improved food safety.
56.  As additional materials such as aluminium and several types of plastic were developed, they were incorporated into packages to improve performance and functionality.
57.  In-plant recycling has long been common for production of packaging materials.
58.  Post-consumer recycling of aluminum and paper based products has been economical for many years: since the 1980s, post-consumer recycling has increased due to curbside recycling, consumer awareness, and regulatory pressure.
59. When designing for different cultures, language, colour, texture, and sensitivity to visual imagery have to be considered. For instance, in some countries picturse animals on packs are consider unlucky or disrespectful.
60. The flexible packaging industry directly employs a little over 79 thousand people. 
61. Flexible packaging converters range from small manufacturing companies operating a single facility to large integrated corporations with up to 34 individual plant locations.
62. The average flexible packaging company employs about 193 people and serves a wide array of markets. 
63. Exports account for about 5 percent of industry shipments.
64. Many of the most prominent innovations in the packaging industry were developed first for military uses. Some military supplies are packaged in the same commercial packaging used for general industry: Other military packaging must transport materiel, supplies, foods, etc. under the most severe distribution and storage conditions.  The packaging and labels can be used by marketers to encourage potential buyers to purchase the product. 
65. Packaging may be looked at as being of several different types. For example a transport package or distribution package can be the shipping container used to ship, store, and handle the product or inner packages. 
66. Many types of symbols for package labeling are nationally and internationally standardized. For consumer packaging, symbols exist for product certifications, trademarks, proof of purchase.
67.  Some requirements and symbols exist to communicate aspects of consumer use and safety, for example the estimated sign that notes conformance to EU weights and measures accuracy regulations. 
68. Examples of environmental and recycling symbols include the recycling symbol, the resin identification code and the "Green Dot".
69. Some identify a consumer package as one which is directed toward a consumer or household 
70. Packaging may be described in relation to the type of product being packaged: medical device packaging, bulk chemical packaging, over-the-counter drug packaging, retail food packaging, military materiel packaging, pharmaceutical packaging, etch olds it. This usually is the smallest unit of distribution or use and is the package which is in direct contact with the contents.
71. Secondary packaging is outside the primary packaging, perhaps used to group primary packages together
72. Tertiary packaging is used for bulk handling, warehouse storage and transport shipping. The most common form is a palletised unit load that packs tightly into containers
73. These broad categories can be somewhat arbitrary. For example, depending on the use, a shrink wrap can be primary packaging when applied directly to the product, secondary packaging when combining smaller packages, and tertiary packaging on some distribution packs.
74. The primary materials used in packaging are paper and plastic. 
75. Paper packaging may range from tissue paper and thin card to durable corrugated cardboard. 
76. Plastic applications are just as varied, ranging from thin plastic wraps around food to hard plastic cases for consumer durables. 
77. Glass and metal are also used extensively in the world of packaging, notably for the billions of cans and bottles of beverages that are consumed every year.
    
78. Packaging is a fact of life in modern society. Some praise it for its convenience and ability to protect products, and others condemn it as wasteful. 
79. Packaging is an ideal site for advertising, because it is physically connected to a product and is taken into the consumer's home. 
80. Marketers are very aware of this and use packaging to promote as well as to protect their product.
81.  Most packaging features images of the product inside it along with praise for its superior qualities.
82.  Food packaging often features the food presented in mouth-watering scenarios that entice consumers to buy. 
83. Packaging can serve as direct marketing that is related to advertising on television or in magazines. Consumers are alerted to the product through the media and then recognize it in the store through its packaging.
84. Packaging is involved with virtually every piece of merchandise in the modern world. Packaging is subject to an ongoing process of evolution as materials evolve and public priorities change.
85. Package graphic design, physical design have been important and constantly evolving phenomenon for several decades.
86. Packaging problems encountered in World War II led to Military Standard or "mil spec" regulations being applied to packaging, designating it "military specification packaging".
87.  On average a family of four throws away about two sacks of rubbish a week.
88.  Most of which could be recycled. 
89. The figures below show the main constituents of household waste
90. Paper and card 18%
91. Garden waste 21%
92. Kitchen waste 17%
93. Glass 7%
94. Metal and white goods 8%
95. Plastic 7%
96.  Each person in a year generates 10 times their own weight in household rubbish, throwing away an estimated 90 drink cans, 107 bottles and jars, two trees' worth of paper, 70 food cans and 45kg of plastic.
97. As a prominent concept in the military, mil spec packaging officially came into being around 1941, due to operations in Iceland experiencing critical losses due to what the military eventually attributed to bad packaging solutions. In most cases, mil spec packaging solutions (such as barrier materials, field rations, antistatic bags, and various shipping crates) are similar to commercial grade packaging materials, but subject to more stringent performance and quality requirement
98. As of 2003, the packaging sector accounted for about two percent of the gross national product in developed countries. 
99. About half of this market was related to food packaging.
100. The largest market for flexible packaging is food (retail and institutional), accounting for about 56 percent of shipments.
101. Packaging graphics must do more than simply look pretty. They must work to cut through the white noise that is the crowded supermarket shelf, and attract a potential buyer. Once they attract a buyer's attention, packs don't stop working. Designers have to make sure they convey information, about how much they and their contents cost to buy, the ingredients they contain, and whether or not they can be recycled.
102. Packaging on a supermarket shelf has less than three seconds to grab the attention of a consumer.Those three seconds are exceedingly important when you consider that more than 70% of purchasing decisions are made at the shelf. Add to this the fact that supermarkets can contain on average 40,000 packs to choose from, then that pack has got to work hard
103. Packaging graphics have more to do than simply look pretty. They must work to cut through the white noise that is the crowded supermarket shelf, and attract a potential buyer.