Packaging Is Our Friend

Packaging News You Can Use
Tip Of The Week
Issue #1279 - July 13, 2007
Publisher: JoAnn Hines
JoAnn@packagingdiva.com
http://packaginguniversity.com/
http://packagingdiva.com/
http://packagingbootcamp.com/
http://packagingcoach.com/
http://doityourselfpackaging.com

© Packaging News You Can Use
By JoAnn Hines The Packaging Diva

MESSAGE FROM THE PACKAGING DIVA:
I'm changing the format of the newsletter slightly. I want to know about your most pressing packaging question. I'll tell you too what projects I am working on so you can send me your thoughts and insights if it's related.

Lastly consider joining the Packaging Diva Dream Team.
I need you and your products and services on my Dream Team.
We are a coalition of resources and experts in the packaging industry.
AS part of the team you have access to the business leads and inquiries that come to Packaging University looking for help.

The team is all about networking, opportunity, WOM and referring business to one another. Joining is simple and affordable $100.

But before you decide take a moment to check out our members at
http://packaginguniversity.com/dream_team.htm

So join now at
http://packaginguniversity.com/pkgustorefront.htm
Select professional services, Join the Diva Dream Team and process your order.

If you have questions about the team why not email one of our members about their experiences? Or call me at 678-594-6872.

We need YOU as part of our team.


FEATURE ARTICLE:
Packaging Is Our Friend by JoAnn Hines Packaging Diva

Packaging: I looked the term it up in a couple of online dictionaries. In my opinion, none of the definitions truly represent what packaging is today nor did they address where we would be without it.

With all the flurry of activity around the plastic bag and water bottle bans at airports, I thought it was time to reiterate the positive role packaging plays in modern society. The role of the package has changed over the years from functioning as a simple container to becoming an integral part of our society. Yet most people aren't aware of the package’s important aspects or don't understand how it works. They just know that it exists especially when they perceive it as a problem.

I just participated in a discussion thread that came about from an article entitled "Common Ways to Waste Your Money." Surprise, surprise. Packaging was on the list (bottled water too) of wasted money ventures. I'm not sure who came up with the list but it contained 19 different items ranked in no particular order. I couldn't resist reading what people were saying about the "lowly" package.

The vast majority of the discussion thread on packaging revolved around all the bad things that packaging supposedly adds to the waste stream, over packaged and excess packaging materials, difficulty in opening and so on. One thing was clear; these people haven't a clue about what packaging really does for us. The responses were almost comical as if the very products we use appeared magically at the store ready to be purchased, free of all encumbrances (the packaging) and pristine and pure in every regard.

These people need to get real! One person was ranting and raving about bacon and why it is packaged the way it is. I'm not sure how she expects to have bacon available for purchase without the packaging. Perhaps she lives on a farm where they butcher hogs and she can line up at the slaughter house each morning. But what about the other 95% of us that don’t? We shop at the market and expect it to supply what we want, when we need it.

I'm not going to expound in depth on all the "real" things packaging does, but think of the primary responsibilities of the package. On the "short" list: It protects, conveys or transports the product so that it arrives undamaged or unbroken. It educates or tells us what is inside and what to do with it. It sells or persuades us to buy it. It makes it easy for us to use or consume it. Remember, that's just the short list.

Now let’s look at the issues that arise without the role the package has to play: Broken or damaged contents (smashed potato chips and broken crockery). How many servings are there? What temperature do I cook it? Where and how do I plug it in? How do I put it together? Will it color my gray, help me lose weight quickly, or attract the opposite sex (just kidding)? Can it be cooked in the microwave? What's for dinner, Ipod anyone?

Now who's real? Sorry to say but there are some real idiots out there. Sure packaging contributes to the waste stream, and yes some things are overpackaged or hard to open but think through your day from the time you get up to your last bedtime snack. How many of those things could you use, do or accomplish without packaging?

So think before you rant. Understand before you condemn product packaging as the bane of your existence. You can't have a product without a package. Most importantly, packaging is our friend.

For more ways to utilize packaging branding, innovation and marketing concepts to "connect" with your consumer contact JoAnn Hines the Packaging Diva at JoAnn@PackagingDiva.com. You can also subscribe to he complimentary newsletter "Packaging News You Can Use" at the same email address.


PACKAGING GREEN WATCH:
Sustainable Living: Trashy ways = greenhouse gases
Times Herald-Record - Middletown,NY,USA
Packaging is a huge expense in our culture. When you check out at the grocery store, $1 out of every $11 is for the packaging that you will have to discard ...

Wal-Mart throws its weight behind push to cut back on packaging
International Herald Tribune - France
"The consumer will see the same price; we'll just be getting some of our money at the back end," said Matt Kistler, a senior vice president of Sam's Club. ...
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/08/business/package.php?page=1

CONSUMERS CONFUSED BY BIODEGRADABLE PACKAGING
Plastics in Packaging - London,London,UK
Materials development manager Peter Skelton said, "What we found was public confusion with people wanting to put biodegradable packaging into the plastics ...

Wal-Mart's new packaging credo: Let's get small
Washington Post - Washington,DC,USA
BENTONVILLE, Arkansas (Reuters) - Matt Kistler, a Wal-Mart executive who previously worked at Oscar Mayer and Kraft Foods, knows very well the long-held ...

Duro Bag Introduces the 100% Recycled Paper Bag Exclusive to North ...
Earthtimes.org - USA
Call (866) 302-1215 to request a sample or to learn more about the 100% Recycled Paper Bag and other packaging products that Duro has to offer. ...
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,129013.shtml

Will consumers 'buy' less Tide?
Cincinnati Enquirer - Cincinnati,OH,USA
COM Environmentalists should love Tide 2X because it reduces plastic packaging and water usage by more than 40 percent. Retailers should love it because it ...

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070706/BIZ01/307060015/1076/BIZ


THE DIVA'S PICKS OF THE WEEK:

In recognition of the critical importance packaging plays in increasing the sales of fresh fruits and vegetables, the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) announces its new PMA Impact Award: Excellence in Produce Packaging. An award will be granted in five categories: food safety/traceability, functionality/technology, marketing design/messaging, sustainability, and merchandising/transportability.

“The pivotal role packaging plays in the produce marketplace cannot be over-emphasized, said Ronald G. McCormick, Chairman of the PMA Packaging Council and vice president, divisional merchandise manager, produce and floral, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. “This award was created to recognize those companies who best demonstrate the “out-of-the-box-thinking” that is fundamental to packaging excellence.”

Multiple submissions from one company will be accepted with the completion of a separate nomination form for each submission. All nominated packaged products must be currently commercially available. Awards will be presented October 13, 2007, during Fresh Summit’s Saturday Breakfast General Session that begins at 7:30 a.m. www.pma.com/freshsummit.

Broken arm? Wrap it in cardboard
Bangkok Post - Thailand
Thai medical research has made a step forward with lightweight disposable cardboard casts, the latest innovation for broken bones. ...

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=119789