How can it be that although

• packaging and everything related to it is one of the biggest industries in the world;
• that thanks to packaging billions of tons of food and drinks are not wasted;
• that the packaging industry constantly improves the efficiency, be it in using less material, in recycling more and more, in having better logistics, etc.

and yet, the opinion about packaging  of the ‘man in the street’ is mostly negative? This is sad for us who constantly try to improve package design and communication and bring more convenience and pleasure to the consumer. Of course, some packages are still difficult to open, empty packs take a lot of space in the garbage bin and unfortunately, one still finds empty bottles and tins, etc. in the nature…

We who are in this industry know that the positive aspects of packaging outweigh by far the negative sides.

Now, how can we change people’s opinion? We can print ads in the newspapers, we can do TV advertising and we can, as we do, teach the “greatness of packaging” in the schools!

However, there is one thing we have forgotten to do and that is to inform on the package the virtues of packaging. In this respect, the best solution will obviously come from a teamwork between the industry, the consumer organisations and using common sense!

The progressive Tetra Pak company prints their slogan “protects what is good” at the bottom of their packages. My Norwegian friend, Ragnvald Johansen, has started a debate on this subject in his native Norway and has thus inspired me to take it up on a world level, as I hope this website is read from US to Japan, from Brazil to Russia!

Here is what I suggest: The industry should develop a quality seal which can be put anywhere on the back of packages. Now I can hear a distant cry: there are already too many signs, logotypes, bar codes, etc. Right you are! But should we not use a little common sense and ask ourselves what is of real importance to the consumer? Do we really need GDA on a bar of chocolate or, even worse, do we need nutritional information on a bottle of Tabasco? Do we have to repeat the brand on the back panel? Do we need a recycling symbol today in Europe when we all bring our bottles to the recycling station?

I am sure that if we analyze each pack and ask ourselves “do we really need this or that? we can delete quite a lot (at least in Europe) to make space for something like this:

Well, if we do not try new ideas, we do not advance.

Comments are most welcome!