Any indicators to exhibit packaging design sources optimization?
- Filed in:
- Source reduction,
- Food
As from the consumer trends around the world is going towards more retail pack sizes due to the smaller family and fast going of the population, yet this consumer requirements trend would be opposite to the environmental and packaging waste concerns. Also, when dealing with retail pack sizes, the more packaging levels can be involved leading to higher packaging waste per net weight of product.
Learning from Waste and Resourses Action Program (WRAP) in the EU that they have gathered the Best-In-Class (BIC) of packaging systems related to various product types. The information of the packaging weight used per net weight of product available in the markets are grouped. However, it could not be found the detail packaging system to be compared.
How can we, as the packaging designers, optimize or balance out the said 2 opposite directions during the packaging development of a new product launch? Would there be any indicators to tell us if such packaging system is considered to be readily optimized upon its first launch?
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Any indicators to exhibit packaging design sources optimization?
Noer
I believe WRAP is doing a great job in trying to make us all understand how we can deal with these complex matters.
But I am reluctant to the thought of one common mindset among customers. Even though argued in the book "Creative Man" by the Danish Institute of Future studies, that the creative individuals actually share a lot common habits and are not that individual after all, I do not believe in a complete unified best-in-class roll out.
Consumers want to be treated individually. We learned that at the market place a long time ago, and now we want to get the same service in retail. That is a great challenge – also to the packaging designers.
So, even if we do not strive for a “one size fits all”, there is a lot to. Take a look at the shelves! A lot of products could go into more sustainable packaging without making great science of it. That is what they are finally working on in the UK. To get rid of all the excessive packaging and reduce complexity is a major task. And this at least is an area where the packaging designers and marketing departments have their great share!
Moreover it is not necessarily the packaging itself that is the problem. General food waste deriving from extended shelf life or damaged food is a major problem which also relates to the supply chain – the whole purchasing setup. And that is a hard nut to crack!
I believe that technology will allow us to create personalised, attractive & sustainable packaging solutions over time. And while waiting for the technology to arise, we can only do our best to let the packaging design help reduce the food waste.
Food Grade vs. Non Food Grade Printing Ink
kittw04
Could you advise what specific criteria is used to differentiate between food grade and non-food grade printing inks? For example, are there any heavy metal levels or any solvent limits? Is the criteria used a worldwide or global standard?
Also, for those toluene-based printing inks, are there any regulated residual solvent limits for food packaging? Many thanks.
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