There are three steps to packaging nirvana: 1) minimise it and associated wasted space, 2) reuse it 3) totally eliminate it. Forcing the need to consider all three are environmental legislation and cost reduction. How to achieve this is no easy task because if it is to be done most effectively then every business in the global supply chain must think not only about maximising its own internal packaging efficiency but also avoid fouling their supply chain partners packaging up stream and down that could arise through changes to one’s own packaging set-ups.

The last of these three steps, admittedly, cannot be achieved in the final, retail consumer, except in certain circumstances, but nevertheless there is plenty to go for at the B2B level, where both elimination and re-usability are feasible along with recyclability. Some rethinks may involve new investments but not all, and to achieve best results it could pay to bring in packaging technologist/consultants because ticking all the right boxes to achieve global supply chain synergy is fiendishly complex, made more so by any move over to semi or full warehouse automation because this poses its own unique packaging issues.

Packaging goes hand in hand with handling products into their protective receptacles and given the political uncertainties surrounding Brexit and its possible impact on labour availability from EU countries, particularly for the food processing industries, where the UK meat trade employs almost half its workforce from EU countries, some companies, for example, are seriously considering automated case loading systems, like the P160 Omron the Delta robots able to place 100 packs a minute into cases.

Product fragility obviously needs careful attention and will affect the types of void fill used to fill cartons. One cheap but effective void fill solution could be just a plastic bag spot glued to the inner base of a carton which when tied off can be effective enough and saves the end consumer having to dispose of the numerous polystyrene chips. At the other end of the fragility scale it may be necessary to choose a more bespoke fill like FOAMplus polyurethane foam from Storopack that can be shaped around a product to give excellent protection. FOAMplus is an ‘ondemand’ solution that mixes two components together so that they expand up to 200 times their liquid volume. It can be quickly adapted to new product lines or product design changes without the need to carry a large range of bespoke cartons or fabricated packaging.

The packaging industry can certainly not be accused of holding back innovations especially in product protection, but can the same be said of the retail industry? Evidently not, given that two thirds of all plastic packaging used for consumer products in the UK ends up in landfill or for burning.

Obvious examples of unnecessary use of plastic film or recycled paper trays for fruit and vegetables, which have no protective function and only a dubious, cosmetic value, show a certain disregard for the environment. And is there really any need to film wrap single vegetables? These are good examples of where total packaging elimination is possible, but the will, alas, remains lacking.

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