During recent decades, the importance of the packaging system and its different functions has been increasing. Traditionally, packaging is intended as a means of protecting and preserving goods, handling, transport, and storage of products1. Other packaging functions like sales promotion, customer attention and brand communication have consistently grown in importance2. It means that when a packaging developer makes a package, it needs to be designed in order to meet the demand from a sales and a marketing perspective, and not only from a manufacturing process and transportation network perspective3.
The European Federation defines packaging as all products made of any materials of any nature to be used for the containment, protection, delivery and presentation of goods, from raw materials to processed goods.
Packaging is built up as a system usually consisting of a primary, secondary, and tertiary level4. The primary package concerns the structural nature of the package; it is usually the smallest unit of distribution or use and is the package in direct contact with the contents. The secondary package relates to the issues of visual communication and it is used to group primary packages together. Finally, the tertiary package is used for warehouse storage and transport shipping5.
A graphical representation of packaging system is shown in Figure 8.4:
The packaging system is cross-functional, since it interacts with different industrial departments, with their specific requests of how packages should be designed, and these are often contradictory. Thus, packages have to satisfy several purposes, such as:
- Physical protection: the objects enclosed in the package may require protection from mechanical shock, vibration, electrostatic discharge, compression, temperature, etc.;
- Hygiene: a barrier from e.g. oxygen, water vapour, dust, etc. is often required. Keeping the contents clean, fresh, sterile and safe for the intended shelf life is a primary function;
- Containment or agglomeration: small objects have to be grouped together in one package for efficiency reasons;
- Information transmission: packages can communicate how to use, store, recycle, or dispose of the package or product;
- Marketing: packages can be used by marketers to encourage potential buyers to purchase the product;
- Security: packages can play an important role in reducing the risks associated with shipment. Organizations may install electronic devices like RFID tags on packages, to identify the products in real time, reducing the risk of thefts and increasing security.
- 10465 reads
