Packaging professionals need to understand characteristics of packed product, packaging, distribution, sales and consumer expectations as well as legislation and environmental issues. Cost-effective and productive packing requires that all parties of the supply chain – from manufacturing of packaging to recycling waste – collaborate. Nearly three million tonnes of packaging used in Finland every year, so packages have great importance from an environmental perspective.
Introduction: Introductory presentation of this section (Google Slides).
Packagings have many functions. Good packaging is informative, practical and economically the most optimal solution. Packaging is not only important because it protects products and goods. Good packaging enables products economic handling, transportation and storage. Packages serve, because they provide product information such as information about packaging characteristics and purpose of use. With the packaging one can also market products. In addition, packaging prevents theft and helps to identify authenticity of products. There are many parties in packaging life cycle: raw material suppliers, packaging manufacturers, packers, trade, consumers and disposal site for packages. Over packaging is not a benefit for businesses nor for consumers.
Communication is one of the main tasks of packaging. Information on packages are utilized, for example, in logistics and in product identification. Mode of transportation, distance and processing steps determine among other things packaging and packaging material. Packaging must be able to withstand liftings, transfers and often also pressing.
Packaging design can be called science, art and technology. In accordance to that, in design work are taken into account amongst other things graphic design, appearance, structure, material requirements, packaging designs and legislation. Packaging material must be selected according to the toughest handling step. Every packaging designer must be aware of the transport stress and also storage and environmental factors must be taken into account in packaging. Well-designed, recyclable packaging and packaging materials are environmentally friendly. Ecology nowadays is a significant value in the packaging industry.
In a nutshell, good packaging:
- protects product and product’s environment
- provides information about the product and its use
- enables cost-effective logistics
- ensures safety
- functions as a sales promoter
- facilitates handling of a product
- can be utilized after use