| Consider this recent headline | | | | plain and simple: material reduction and more |
| "Tesco pledges to cut packaging by a quarter..." | | | | sustainable packaging materials. If you are not |
| Supermarket giant Tesco today pledged to | | | | considering this as part of your long term |
| reduce by a quarter the amount of packaging | | | | packaging plan, then you might have problems |
| used in both branded and own-label products | | | | down the road. "Green" is here to stay this time. |
| within the next three years. | | | | Besides the green movement what other factors |
| Uh-Oh! Are you worried? Well, you should be. | | | | can influence product packaging? What about |
| External influences can shape the face of | | | | product security and integrity? Given the rash of |
| packaging materials for now and in the future. | | | | recent product recalls (for a variety of reasons) |
| Many times this will be totally outside of your | | | | product security has become paramount. States |
| control. Legislation could be enacted; there could | | | | could enact legislation or at the very least |
| be a product security scare or another incident | | | | mandate that your product packaging has a |
| like 911. All of which could dramatically shape the | | | | tracking device. Now this is not the same as |
| success --and failure-- of your product and its | | | | RFID; similar but not the same. The latest devices |
| packaging. | | | | allow you to track products all the way back to |
| Each January I write a packaging trends piece. It's | | | | the field it was grown in and it provides a track |
| about where the packaging industry is going now | | | | back for every step along the way. |
| and in the future and what external influences will | | | | Some retailers may mandate that RFID be |
| drive that change. Trends are an important | | | | included on all product packaging. Will you be |
| predictor of where the market is moving. Trends | | | | prepared? RFID interestingly is a two edged |
| are more long lived than fads. Trends will influence | | | | sword. There are some watchdog groups the feel |
| product development for several years and | | | | that the RFID mandate is being taken too far. |
| sometimes they will become mainstream. | | | | That is tracking what you buy, how you use it |
| After reading the headline above, what's your gut | | | | and ultimately how you dispose of it. |
| reaction? It better be that this is a serious trend. | | | | Recently, a major outlet demanded that all their |
| Not only is the reduction of packaging materials | | | | vendors not only source their products but their |
| big news so is the use of environmentally friendly | | | | packaging not from China but from the US. |
| materials. What's driving this trend? It is big box | | | | Trends like this are hard to ignore. If you are |
| retailers like Wal-Mart and Tesco and more | | | | outsourcing your product and your packaging or |
| recently consumers. | | | | even just the packaging to another country, do |
| Read this headline too | | | | you have plan B in place should this happen to |
| BENTONVILLE, Ark., - Today at the second | | | | you? |
| annual Sustainable Packaging Exposition, Wal-Mart | | | | It's your product and you will need to package it |
| Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) released the initial results | | | | properly while being careful to keep all the |
| of its Packaging Scorecard. The scorecard, which | | | | external influences in mind. The warning signs are |
| was officially unveiled at the Clinton Global Initiative | | | | out there. Its up to you to look for them and |
| in September 2006 and launched on February 1, | | | | anticipate the possible influence on your product. |
| 2007, evaluates Wal-Mart and Sam's Club suppliers | | | | Want to know more about what impacts your |
| on the sustainability of their packaging and offers | | | | product packaging? Be sure and read my weekly |
| suggestions for improvement. The results from | | | | newsletter "Packaging News You Can Use." People |
| the first month of operation show active use of | | | | hire me to advise them on this stuff to so why |
| the scorecard and a strong interest from product | | | | not contact me the Packaging Diva one of the |
| suppliers to make their packaging more | | | | top consumer product packaging experts via |
| sustainable. The scorecard implementation is | | | | email or by phone at 1-678-594-6872. I can |
| Wal-Mart's next step in moving toward achieving a | | | | helpyou package your product to sell just like I |
| five percent reduction in packaging by 2013. | | | | have helped hundreds of happy clients. |
| Are you getting the message loud and clear? It is | | | | |