Packaging Gems

No Mere Peanuts

2008-08-27T12:25:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for an effective and intelligent alternative to foam peanuts, bubble wraps and the like for packaging and padding, head on over to ExpandOS (tm).ExpandOS (tm) packaging solution is completely recyclable. It is shipped to the user in bundles of flat sheet, making it easy to store. The sheets are fed into an expander machine (these can be leased, for little or no cost depending on usage), which turns them into small interlocking prism-shaped units. The units can then be poured into packaging containers just like foam peanuts. But unlike peanuts which are prone to shifting and slipping during shipping, these units efficiently lock in place around irregular surfaces, and provide consistent protection in transit. I don't know how the cost comparison is, but there is a calculator on the site that should help adopters figure that part out easily. ExpandOS(tm) is the best looking alternative I have seen to traditional packaging materials, and I am not sure why anyone would use anything else.

Exercise Bottles

2008-08-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a fine example of intelligent packaging. These guys have designed a drink bottle that has a second, long term use. I'll let the picture speak for itself. Details can be found at Yanko Designs web site.

Packaging Rats

2008-08-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

Modern packaging annoys me. Consumerism is wasteful enough, but this is just waste on top of waste. Walk into Costco or Trader Joe's, it seems like half of the space is gobbled up by containers rather than contents. From wasted space on shelves the packaging ends up wasting space in landfills. Much of it is neither reusable nor even recyclable. I constantly find myself asking, "Is that really necessary?"

Consumer level packaging isn't about the functional necessity of protecting the contents anymore. It is instead a critical weapon of mass seduction in the arsenals of marketing departments. Now I would love to talk about the whole culture of lies and deception that is modern marketing, and about the immorality of unbounded consumption, but that is not what this blog is about.

This blog will be about how, even within the conceivable self-assigned mission of modern marketing, packaging doesn't have to be the way it generally is. It doesn't have to be one-use. It doesn't have to be excessive. It doesn't have to be designed with complete disregard as to what happens to it after the sale. Packaging doesn't have to stupid.

Towards this we will show examples of manufacturers who have done things differently. We will also entertain new ideas of how things can be done differently. To the consumer we will show what can be done with intelligent and semi-intelligent packaging after it has served its primary purpose. We will highlight the ills of inappropriate packaging, the effect it has on the environment, our pockets and our time. We will be pointing fingers at the most egregious examples of careless manufacturers, bad packaging practices, suggesting alternatives to them. We will be flushing out the packaging rats.