 | Torben NoerUsername: Noer |
Location
Taastrup, Denmark
Role
DesignerJob Title
Product Design ManagerCompany
SuperfosProfile
Torben Noer is Product Design Manager at Superfos, a manufacturer of rigid “open top” plastic packaging. Superfos is located in Copenhagen, Denmark and has production facilities around Europe and the US.
Torben is constantly working on future packaging design which will match the ever changing market trends. Some of the designs even won packaging awards like Worldstar, ScanStar & IF-Award.
He is heavily involved in R&D projects within end-user understanding, design methodology, material development and as some of the latest he has been deeply occupied by the matter of sustainability in product design. This has so far led to the development of a Carbon Footprint calculator. The tool calculates the carbon emissions from all Superfos products, no matter production site and even includes scenario building for transportation and end-of-life studies. The tool makes is very easy for us to compare the environmental impact of various design and the tool has even helped management to put the right focus on sustainability in the entire organisation.
Before joining Superfos, Torben was co-partner of a design studio for 6 years. He holds a degree as Industrial Designer from Aarhus School of Architecture.
Torben is a frequently used speaker at conferences and universities.
As an appetizer you could visit his blog: http://packagingdesign.wordpress.com/. The blog is a spare time project, so it is progressing a little slowly… But the intention is to write the good stories about packaging. Ideas and comments are welcomed!
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Any indicators to exhibit packaging design sources optimization?
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.