The Process

Faculty Guides

Amaranta Nehru

Kuntal De

The Missing Link (?)

Trying to Join the Dots (?)

Great innovations are happening in packaging design around the world. A little experimentation  and risk taking capacity is essential for something revolutionary to happen. The thing is that a lot of these designs and ideas cannot be seen on the shelves in India. The reason behind this is a mystery yet to be solved.

What is it that the manufacturers fear?
Loss of the identity of the brand leading to loss in customers or is it just mere reluctance in changing what has been going on for a while. It could also be the fear of experimentation and the consequent loss of money.

This is the missing link. Why isn't packaging in India taking that big leap?
To figure this part out, I am trying to get in touch with some people from the industry. Will find out what they have to say about this.

Mentors

Amaranta Nehru

Kuntal De

Just left with toothpaste

One of the Many Possible Solutions

To cut out the tertiary packaging of a product, some minor changes will have to be made in the secondary and tertiary packaging as well. These are usually trays, bins and boxes which are used for transportation. Minute changes in these might be help us get rid of the tertiary packaging.

For example-

Toothpaste used to be packed in metal tubes which were

packed in board cartons to prevent the sharp ends denting or puncturing other tubes during transit. The cartons were grouped together in large cardboard boxes. Technical innovations then led to tubes made from layers of plastic, metal foil and paper. The foil was still needed to retain the volatile

oils used in flavoring and to allow the tube to be rolled up as it was used. Further developments led to tubes made from a “sandwich” of different plastics. Their combined “barrier properties” can retain the flavoring.

Now that the sharp edges are gone, we don’t really need the individual cardboard box around each tube. Similar sized tubes can be placed on a notched tray on the shelf. The notched trays will be a part of the secondary packaging.

The Problem Is Not Packaging Design, It's Systems Design

INFERENCE

Start with all the different substrates for packaging, then add in the complexities of sustainable design, and you've got a nuanced study in systems thinking. Think of it like a computer keyboard. It's not a single button (everyone wants that "easy button"), it's a combination of keys, and how you press them. Companies hoping to make a change must renegotiate their product's appearance as part of an entire system overhaul, a process that most of them aren't willing to undertake.

Packaging is more than the wrapping or container we see on the supermarket shelf. It is also the box, tray or outer wrapping that protects and groups together products during distribution and the container or pallet that collates the groups into larger loads for transport. Most of the times, packaging is unavoidable. Moreover its wasteful after the product is consumed or is being used. There is a lot of excess packaging which is leading to increasing areas under landfills and oceans full of waste on the earth.

Misinformed decisions in changing packaging can lead to catastrophic results. For example- PLA (Polyactic acid) a plant based plastic that can be used instead of PET. When used in a place or on a product that doesn't have the proper recycling system set up, a PLA bottle can contaminate the otherwise-effective PET recycling system. It has become such an issue that some recyclers declared a moratorium on PLA until systems to collect the PLA properly

are in place.

Companies need to start with a radical idea: No packaging. Start with nothing as your goal, and just start adding on only what you really need. Just to say, Procter & Gamble sells

shampoo under their sub-brand Head & Shoulders. They sell shampoo, not shampoo bottles. Introducing re-fill stands or packets will save a lot of packaging.

Society has always needed and used packaging. We just need to find a solution which reduces packaging and is till functional. This may or may not be possible with all consumer

goods manufactured by FMCG companies, but if we really look at it up close, some products can have the packaging within it.

Revised problem statement
~ Excess tertiary packaging of consumer goods
(not necessarily in food packaging)

How to deal with This?

ANALYSING

  How to go about this.

From the data collected, it can safely be concluded that there is way more packaging than actually needed by the consumers.
More often than not, it ends up in landfills and pollutes the earth. New waste islands coming up on the oceans. Soon enough there will be more of those than the actual ones.
We will begin with the 3 R’s. But this time it will be backwards.
The key lies in REDUCTION.

Recycle is third in importance. Packaging should be designed to be recyclable and/or made with recycled content. A package or packaging material is considered to be "recyclable" if there is a widely available and economically viable collection, processing and marketing system for the product/material.

Reuse is second in importance. Packaging should be designed to be reusable, refillable, returnable and durable to the greatest extent possible.

Reduce is the most important of the 3R's. Packaging should be reduced prior to the manufacturing stage. This means reducing the number of layers, materials and toxins at

source.

If the makers of packaging can go on reducing the amounts of materials used, why have they not done so before? And doesn’t it mean that in the past products have been over-packaged? It is true that many products are now packaged in less material but each reduction is only possible when a new development is made in materials and packaging technology.

Repackage it.

REPACKAGE IT

After analyzing the ever increasing waste due to packaging, I came up with this mind map.

In a nutshell it says that companies can come up with improved packaging for their products keeping sustainability and functionality of the product as key areas of focus. 

Waste Due to Packaging

Aside from the plastic and cardboard wrapping the products come in, there are the boxes, the labeling and the paper wrapping or foam packing meant to protect what is nestled inside. It’s not unusual to end up with far more packaging than stuff, and the sheer amount of waste that results is staggering.

The increase in the amount of packaging produced, consumed and disposed as waste is only expected to increase as developing nations industrialize and gain additional economic power and as their consumers increasingly demand packaged products. China in recent years has become the world’s largest market for disposable plastic and containers and South Korea and Japan have been overwhelmed with packaging wastes that have proliferated as their
economies have rapidly industrialized and their landfills have increasingly filled up more quickly. Consequently, in these developing countries drastic regulations have been implemented to curb non-biodegradable packaging materials and to enforce empty-space ratios in packaging.

Excess Packaging

PAY FOR THE PRODUCT, NOT FOR THE PACKAGING

Over packaging of consumer goods can primarily be seen in single serving food products. Single-serve and miniaturized packaging is hot and getting hotter, for food and beverage as well as health and beauty products. Consumer lifestyles are driving the trend toward smaller packs, with numerous factors playing a role. For food and drinks, issues like convenience, dietary awareness, freshness and reducing food waste are core drivers.

On the other hand, single serving consumer goods that come under toiletries could be tagged as the culprits. Not to forget many accessories for computers and phones (for example- pen drives, memory cards, etc) where the packaging is almost 5 times the size of the actual product.

Many supermarkets sell fresh fruits and vegetables that are singularly wrapped in a thin film of plastic. Sometimes along with a Styrofoam plate. This plastic is usually not recycled because of its light weight. When asked, the suppliers say that the extra layer of plastic increases the life of the organic product from about a week to 10 days. This in turn controls the quality of the product and delivers it fresh to the consumer. Also, it helps in controlling food waste. Since, this extra packaging has it’s own benefits, we need to find a way around it. This can be done by cutting out the single packaging. For transportation and stocking, the suppliers can vacuum wrap a huge quantity in better plastic. After the produce reaches the supermarket, the consumers can pick fresh produce without the outer packaging.

E-COMMERCE

Companies and private sellers that deliver product through the mail often over-package, putting a pre-boxed item in a second box, and sometimes even a third one. This practice, also called as the “Russian doll” approach, is exceedingly wasteful. The suppliers do this to ensure safe transportation of the product. The way out of this is to use sustainable packing materials, rather than the traditional Styrofoam. There are numerous sustainable options, including packing materials made from corn starch or sorghum, which can be composted.

A Pretty Picture Sells a Thousand and One Words

        IMPACT OF ATTRACTIVE PACKAGING

Every year, 95 percent of new products fail. The reason is simple and logical : Most customers don't have the time or energy to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the products in their shopping carts, so more often than not, packaging is the deciding factor. Packaging is powerful because it tells consumers why your product and brand are different. Great packaging is significant because it can have a direct impact on sales and a company's overall appeal. Poor packaging can have an even more dramatic effect. 

Australia recently instituted a plain packaging law for cigarettes. The government's removal of packaging branding rights aimed to discourage young people from smoking. Not only can Marlboro not use its logo, but it also can't use its typeface. The packages, covered with health warnings and graphic images that deter smoking, resulted in the biggest smoking decline Australia has seen in 20 years.

Customer Psychology

•  Know your demographic.Focus on the target audience. Know what will catch their eye. Don't be afraid to go bold.
• Make cheap packaging look chic and personalized. Good packaging doesn't have to be expensive.
• Make the package part of the experience. Part of the reason it's so fun to unbox a new Apple product is that its packaging reflects the sleek, user-friendly experience of the product inside.
• Let the product speak. If you have a quality product, let it speak for itself. Don’t feel the need to surround it with shiny, obnoxious wrappings if it doesn’t need it. Keep it transparent.
• Be compact. If you can make something work just as well smaller, try it. The more compact something is, the easier it is to store and transport.
• Consider eco-friendly options. Packaging that's recyclable or reusable is always a reason for a consumer to choose your brand over your competitor's. In fact, 52 percent of people around the world make purchase decisions partially due to packaging that shows a brand making a positive social and environmental impact.Puma has made great strides with its eco-friendly packaging that doubles as a reusable walking billboard for its brand. There are plenty of creative ways to go easy on the earth and differentiate your brand in the process.
  
  

Where to intervene?

Next we need where to intervene in the process of packaging. For that a little background for the types of packaging will be useful.

Primary Packaging

Packaging that contains the finished or final products, also called retail or consumer packaging. This packaging is used to contain, preserve, protect and inform the end user. It is the total packaging that the end-user will ultimately dispose of via reuse, recycling, landfill or other disposal routes. Primary packaging should include all packaging up to the point of sale,but does not include carrier bags (single use and bags for life) and delivery boxes.

Secondary packaging 

Packaging additional to the primary packaging and that is used for protection and collation of individual units during storage, transport and distribution. They can be used in some sectors to display primary packs on shelf. Sometimes called grouped or display packaging. This category also includes packaging purposely made to display multiple product units for sale, in order to speed restocking from storeroom to shelf. Also know as retail-ready packaging (RRP), shelf-ready packaging (SRP) or counter-top display units (CDUs).

Tertiary packaging

Outer packaging, including pallets, slip sheets, stretch wrap, strapping any labels, used for the shipment and distribution of goods. This packaging is also referred to as transport or transit packaging and is rarely seen by the final consumer. The final destination will often deal with this via its own internal reuse or recycle routes. 

Hence, its very clear that the maximum number of packages are involved in primary packaging where the product is finally reaching the end consumer. This, in turn, is creating the maximum waste. The only way to make a massive impact is to cut this out. We need to figure out How? 

Desk Research I

Scope of Problem

SCOPE OF PROBLEM

Packaging plays an innate and important role in the lives of almost every human on earth. All materials used for packaging good are derived from natural resources such as oil, metal ores, sand, and trees, which are processed and converted into plastic, aluminum, metal, glass, wood and paper for both our health and convenience. Wherever there is a packaged product, there is packaging waste. Once the products contained within packages are consumed, the packages themselves lose their protective, containment or transportation function, and are often discarded as packaging waste and is headed towards a future as reused or recycled packaging materials, or, in most cases, as landfill or incinerator fodder. No debate exists as to whether there are negative consequences to the environment caused by wastes from discarded packaging from consumer products. Packaging for consumer products is created by human society to cater to its own needs. 

In the book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, authors McDonough and Braungart note that “More than 90 percent of materials extracted to make durable goods in the US become waste almost immediately”. Problems arising from waste—landfill leachate and methane emissions, destructive materials sourcing, production, and transportation, and marine debris—has taken a toll on our environment.The more developed the society, the more packaging is manufactured and consequently disposed off. The solutions to reduction of packaging wastes, therefore, must burden human society and the companies in industrialized nation-states that manufacture most consumer products and accompanying packaging materials. 

Do we really need to pack everything?

Initial Mind Map

Overview

Very often we don't realize the importance of packaging. Almost everything we buy today is packaged in some way or the other. Mostly plastic. We might end up buying something which was not even on the list because of its captivating and appealing packaging; a pretty picture sells a million items.
What we don't know is that almost 60% of the household waste that goes in to the bin is packaging waste. Out of which maybe half of it is recycled and the rest of it ends up in landfills, in turn harming the environment on a very high scale. So how about trying to reduce the excess packaging there is and make packaging more sustainable, if avoiding it is not possible.  

Mentors

Amaranta Nehru

Kuntal De

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