What are the Functions of Packaging?
A good packaging process should serve the following functions:
- Protection of the Product:
The most important function of packaging is to protect the product from damage during handling or distribution, from extreme temperatures, contamination, loss of content properties and pilferage.
Examples are given as follows:
(a) Protection during handling – For example, glass items, electronic appliances and anything fragile and intricate are bubble wrapped before secondary or tertiary packaging.
(b) Protection from extreme temperatures – For example, perfumes are normally packaged in thick glass bottles to protect them from extreme temperatures.
(c) Contamination – For example, bottled water, juice boxes, wafers and chips packets are sealed from dust, dirt, duplicity and contamination.
(d) Loss of liquid or vapour – For example, aerated water (soda, soft drinks, etc.) bottles have sealed caps to avoid loss of liquid or fizz. These caps can be tightened multiple times during consumption of the aerated water at regular intervals.
(e) Pilferage – Pilferage means theft of part of contents of a package or spilling the contents but leaving the package through bogus resealing. A good package protects the product from pilferage. Continuing the milk example, pilferage of milk can be easily avoided in tetra pack rather than milk bags.
- Provide Easy Handling:
Packaging should provide easy handling during transit from the producer’s business to the customers. For example, medicinal tablets are packaged in a blister pack made from plastic and aluminium that maintains the tablet composition and shape when purchased from the chemist.
- Convenient to Display:
A package’s size and shape should be suitable for displaying and stacking the product in a retail store. For example, medicinal tablets are packaged in small sized rectangular boxes that can be easily stacked and displayed in the chemist shop. However, odd-shaped products like chairs, shoes, etc. will require a specialised space or section in a retail store.
- Perform Functionality:
The packaging should be functional that facilitates a practical and suitable way to dispense the ingredients inside a packaged product. For example, the small hard mints “Tic Tac” manufactured by the Italian confectioner Ferraro is packaged in small transparent plastic boxes with small rectangular open-close seal that lets out one tic-tac at a time when shaken lightly on the palm of one’s hand.
