Of the three 'P's' that describe the fundamental role of packaging, the functional elements - 'protection' and 'preservation' - often get side-lined in favour of 'presentation'. Given the intense pressure placed on packaging specifiers and marketing departments to sell their products, the emphasis on making something look great has made perfect sense - until now. Indeed, experts now believe that we could be on the cusp of a fundamental sea-change in attitudes towards packaging. The counterfeiting of products, from high-end spirits through to household goods such as washing powder, is thriving, costing businesses hundreds of millions of pounds per year; consumer confidence in brands and retailers is at an all-time low thanks to high-profile food scares such as horsegate in Europe and the infant formula scandal in China; plus there's growing pressure from consumers and government being placed on all parts of the supply chain to reduce food and packaging waste. As a result, protection and preservation is starting to move up the list of priorities for packaging specifiers.
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