Sustainable Packaging

 The origin of packaging were made from animal skins and coconut shell to protect food from molecular damaging effect.The early Egyptians for instance,preserved their precious substances in gold jars while Romans containers were made from clay.In Victorian times,vinegar was kept in barrels,tea in chests and grain in sacks.Nowadays,modern packaging has made it possible to eat food that is out of season and shipped instantly while displaying information content about it.The first can was invented by a french chef Nicholas Appert during the Emperor Napoleon who offered a prize to anyone who could find a way of keeping food safe for soldiers in battle,and the chef won the award.Further in time ,the space age brought new challenges and food for astronauts not only needed to be tasty,but also light which led to the discovery of freeze-drying foods such as meat and vegetables.Packaging design in the modern age has become one of the most powerful examples the way brands communicates the quality of their product from its original source,to the transportation costs, to stores and the legacy issues surrounding its reuse or disposal.

Recently, there has been a marked shift in focus towards environmental issues and the role of packaging.Green packaging isn’t just about recycling. We live in the world of food miles where we measure the distance a product has to travel from source to point of purchase.Therefore truly green packaging needs to consider more issues such as design packaging to minimize the amount of air that is shipped during transportation.There are also a number of lifestyle trends that are influencing the way packaging is designed. Contemporary living is far more than a means of fulfilling functional needs, perhaps a greater need for emotional experiences, in which the goods and services play an essential role.Packaging create an environment and visual identity for a wide range of products which are memorable and fight for recognition in an extremely competitive market. While consumers want to see the product they are buying, brand managers and store planners want products that are capable of effective display to maximize the impact and make the product itself becomes the centre of the display.

Over the years, the color coding of the package was intrinsic in the cosmetic business ,Lauder was blue,Revlon was red, and Chanel was black.Nowadays companies are approaching packaging and color holistically and many use color as a disruption on the shelf.The position of adjacent packaging color on the shelf in relationship to another packaging color is very important. Cliniques packaging is that of pale green and silver which signals delicacy and quality. From plastics to multicoated papers to natural materials, packaging is redefining itself. Experts nowadays suggest that simplicity in packaging could also be good eco-design, for example by providing detachable labels or cutting out certain materials all together. Today, for production speed and efficiency, there is an increased focus on selecting the best single packaging material for the product and developing the ideal packaging solution from that one material.

Intelligent packaging is an emerging technology that uses the communication function of the package to facilitate decision making to achieve the benefits of enhanced food quality and safety.One force that drives smart packaging improvements is security. RFID technology embedded into the packaging helps to protect brands from counterfeiting and keep the products moving through authorized distribution channels.Many current products already feature two-dimensional bar codes that carry detailed information, down to a unique identification number for the item. Other future packaging is likely to include bio polymers.These packages will be more environmentally friendly, as they either decompose easily or may be fed to livestock.Which packages will be used more widely in the future may depend on future solid waste laws and environmental concerns, e-commerce initiatives,and above all consumer choice.

Coca-Cola's new PET (polyethylene terephthalate)contour bottle will be used for all of its brands and uses 5% less PET than their current bottle.The new 20-ounce bottle is designed to be easy to hold and offering on the go convenience to people looking for immediate refreshment.The company's new PET recycling facility will be the world's largest plastic bottle to bottle recycling plant and expected to be operational by 2009. The joint venture with United Resource Recovery Corporation will produce approximately 100 million pounds of food-grade recycled PET plastic each year or the equivalent of two billion 20-ounce Coca-Cola bottles.

Ford Motor Co.will put a new foam that is 40% soybean-based / 60% petroleum-based in the seats of its new Mustang.The automaker may expand usage of the new foam to more car model as well.The annual worldwide market for automotive foam is four billion kilograms, so a switch to a renewable material may have a significant environmental impact.Ford said the environmental advantages includes reduced carbon dioxide emissions in manufacturing compared to petroleum-based foam, lower energy use to produce the soy foam and reduced dependence on foreign oil.

360 Vodka is billed as the world's first environmentally-friendly vodka.The Missouri-based company uses locally grown grains for the production of 360 Vodka resulting in reduced fossil fuel consumption in transporting raw materials to the distillery.The company also uses a variety of advanced filtration and drying processes which they claim make their operation highly efficient reducing their overall carbon footprint.The packaging of 360 Vodka is highly impressive:their glass bottle is made from recycled glass and the shipping box is made of recycled cardboard designed with handles on the sides and can be used for storage.The company goes a step further, they have developed a return program for the bottle closures on the top of their bottles enabling infinite re-use of them by the company.In addition 360 Vodka will donate $1 for each closure returned to an environmental cause.

Adding an innovative element to packaging helps to capture the consumers’ eye especially during times when scrutiny rises and demands dictate.Currently part of the innovation lies in functional bottle design ,enhanced barrier properties in PET through multilayer technology ,changes in the bottle design shape (handles on a PET container or improved ergonomics designed into the mold, such as rough surfaces to help grip a wet bottle in the shower) and color (pearls, high chromatic colors like fluorescent or organic pigments).Vital in regards to sustainability, this innovative approach will take off rapidly bringing a new high-tech look to cosmetic counters where tech gadgetry will influence beauty products with packaging that looks like MP3 players and mobile phones.