1. The role of packaging

1. What is packaging

A straightforward and literal definition of packaging is “all products made of any materials of any nature to be used for the containment, protection, handling, delivery and preservation of goods from the producer to the user or consumer”.

This physical nature of packaging as the substance that surrounds the product which consumers ultimately consume, applies at the following levels:

• 'Primary' (or 'Sales') packaging is packaging which forms a sales unit for the user or final consumer, for example, a box containing soap powder

• 'Secondary' (or 'Grouped') packaging is that which contains a number of sales units, for example, a cardboard outer containing a number of boxes of soap powder.

• 'Tertiary' (or 'Transport') packaging is packaging that is used to group secondary packaging together to aid handling and transportation and prevent damage to the products, for example, the pallet and shrink wrap used to transport a number of cardboard outers containing boxes of soap powder.

Primary packaging is identified by consumers as being an intrinsic part of the product even if it is not consumed along with the contents of the package. Packaging does not merely surround the contents, but gives those contents a shape and identity, i.e. whether in a box, can, tin, bag, wrapping, bottle, carton or other form of container. The identity of a product is often synonymous with its packaging through the instant recognition of the packaging material, shape, size, colour and design (including colours, pictures, logos, slogans and other wording). This identity feature of packaging is crucial to understanding its economic role beyond its contribution as a physical medium for containment, protection, handling, delivery and preservation.

Changing lifestyles and consumption trends, especially where products are stored before consumption, have made packaging essential and mostly inevitable. The obvious role of packaging is to contain a product and display information about what is contained therein. Its most immediate benefit is to prevent goods being damaged and maintain freshness. Yet, despite its obvious preservation and convenience benefits, packaging is often viewed negatively and seen as an unnecessary cost; a perspective reinforced by a concern over its environmental impact as a discarded element of a consumed product.

This functional perspective on packaging ignores the importance of packaging in the marketing of products, promoting the characteristics, values and image of the product through the on-pack communication, which is designed to both attract consumer attention and provide information to support purchase decisions.

This functional perspective on packaging ignores the importance of packaging in the marketing of products, promoting the characteristics, values and image of the product through the on-pack communication, which is designed to both attract consumer attention and provide information to support purchase decisions.