Simeon Goldstein: Plus a change

On a recent trip to Montréal, I casually picked up the free Metro newspaper only to be greeted with the headline: Zero packaging, one hell of a challenge!

The article detailed attempts by consumers to live without packaging to convince retailers to use more refillable packaging formats. One lady, the campaign’s coordinator, told of her success in buying prawns in her own plastic bag, but said that dairy products were a problem.

“Some shops are concerned about what might happen if I fell ill because the container wasn’t properly cleaned,” she is reporting as saying.

And isn’t that the point? Packaging is more than just about making a product look good – although, marketing is a key element in defining the role packaging plays. And it’s funny how the preservation role is the one that is simply overlooked.

For all the research that is published about how packaging preserves products – Incpen’s famous cucumber is a personal favourite – and the work on food waste, people still seem to forget that food manufacturers put packaging for a purpose.

As we know, the industry continues to work hard to make sure packaging meets all the demands on it and more. Indeed, tonight’s UK Packaging Awards are testament to an industry that continues to push back the boundaries.

For all the ranting and raving, though, I’m not ready to give up on Joe Public. A couple of days later, there was a double-page spread talking about “eco-packaging”.

While the headline said there was “still a lot to do”, particularly, it seems for fruit and vegetable packaging, it did include a definition of “good” packaging, which seems a pretty balanced one.

Good packaging, the article said, should minimise material use and look at recyclability, ensure product integrity and support environmentally friendly product distribution.

I suspect this defines what the vast majority of packaging manufacturers are doing already.  Maybe there is hope of getting the message across.

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