Purpose of Packaging
Today almost everything comes in a package. Whether you think about food, mail, furniture or clothes, they are all packed in some way. Despite the fact that recycling companies struggle to gather and destroy the packaging waste that damages our planet, packaging is still used in great amounts and variations, as it is the only way to maintain goods safe for usage.
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Main Purpose
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The main purpose of packaging is to protect goods. The more protection a product requires, the more complex the packaging is. Packaging is supposed to protect against any type of damage (like contamination, weather damage, scratches, deformation, corrosion and breaking). Packaging also protects goods from theft. Some packaging is a few times larger than the valuable products it contains to make it hard for thieves to hide the product and remove it from the store. Also, an envelope protects a letter from being read by others.
Food Protection
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Food needs to be very well protected to be safe for us to eat it. Most commonly used types of packaging for food are carton boxes, plastic bags, plastic containers, metal cans, foam boxes and glass bottles and jars. Inside packaging, food is protected from insects, contamination, handling damages, deformation and environmental influences that might change its properties. Sealed metal cans preserve food and keep it edible for a longer period of time. Foam containers are good insulators and help maintain a certain temperature.
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Protection During Transportation
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During transportation, products might break, scratch or deform, but packaging makes sure they reach their destination intact. Without packaging, it would be hard to transport fragile objects without breaking them. Multiple types of packaging protect goods during transportation, depending on how valuable and fragile the products are. The most common system used is cushioning, using film, foam and paper cushions like bubble wrap, inflated bags, instant foam, styrofoam and inflated paper (the system is similar to the one used to make film cushions, but the material used is paper; for additional information see PackTiger).
Protection During Storage
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Packaging helps protect goods during storage. While stored, products might be influenced by weather and dust. Also, to save storage room, you can stack them on top of each other. The pressure might deform the goods, but in a suitable packaging, this won't happen. You can stack special reusable storage boxes or fold them while empty to save storage room. Also, to prevent rust, metal goods are wrapped in anticorrosive material during storage.
Other purposes
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Most types of packaging can be printed. This allows companies to advertise and helps consumers find out details about the content.
You also use packaging for gifts. A beautiful colorful wrapping paper and a ribbon bow makes anyone curious about what's inside.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit zen: Flickr.com
