Important of Packaging for Product Safety: An Historical and Modern Overview of Packaging Materials

For millions of years, the concept of product packaging remained unknown as people produced and consumed everything locally. The need to protect a product and store it in unique packaging material was not in the limelight because ancient humans used to trade everything within their local communities. Research shows that people mainly relied on leaves and animal skins to help them store a product during the hunter-gatherer times. However, with the passage of time and advancement in global trade, the improvements in the shipping sector diversified across large communities.

Evolution of Product Protective Packaging in Medieval Times

Historians believe that the first-ever packaging material used to provide safety to an item was invented back in the medieval days in China. During the early second century, the Chinese communities traded paper a lot. To develop a reliable packaging raw material that provides safety to medicine and food items, they used Flexible paper. This is where the concept of product safety in the packaging industry began.

Besides paper, the ancient Egyptian communities used other materials to store the food and water contents over a long time. Since Egyptians used to travel a lot, they had to carry food that remained in its natural form even after days. Therefore, through Glass blowing technology, they discovered Glass that could store food and water and also helped them to ship the products across communities. However, the type of Glass used in those ancient times was not transparent enough as we see today in the 21st century. If we compare a transparent glass bottle used to store liquid content with the one used in early Egyptian times, then it is clear that the quality of today’s Glass is better in protecting the product.

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The Need for Revolutionary Packaging in Industrial Era

The industrial era brought revolution across the globe, and in some relevant contexts, it gave birth to the modern consumer culture. Today, the factories, small retailers, and multinational companies manufacture thousands of products and ship them to the far remote corner of the world by relying on the protection guaranteed by packaging material.

Back in the times of Napoleon, the first-ever Glass canned packaging was invented. The purpose of this packaging material was straightforward, i.e. to provide maximum protection to the product and keep it secure from unfavorable conditions. In those times, thousands of soldiers had to stay at borders for months with a limited food supply such as cereal, bread, and fruits. One of the significant issues kings faced was that their armies became weak because of eating rotten food. Therefore, the concept of glass canned food packaging was introduced. Today, we see dozens of products in Glass canned packaging, which is product productive and visually appealing.

The Hype of Tin Containers for Packaging

Metals have also been used throughout history as reliable packaging materials for food, drug, and general products. For example, in the early 18th century, the use of Tin containers for the packaging of cookies and tobacco-related products was every day. The primary benefit of using tin as a product protective packaging material is that it does not get rust quickly. Moreover, the metal layer on tin containers also contains aluminum durable enough to provide a product with excellent protection and safety.

Even today, this type of packaging material provides reliable protection to pharmaceutical and beverage products. But the downside of using tin packaging is that it has enormous environmental impacts, especially heavy metal pollution and water contamination.

How Plastic Packaging Changed the Overview of Product Safety?

During the 20th century, plastic packaging changed the overall perception of product safety. One of the reasons plastic gained high popularity was because people believed that plastic material keeps the product intact. Product manufacturing companies started using plastic to meet the packaging and product safety demands in masses. Above all, plastic provided retailers with a fantastic opportunity to sell and ship their products anywhere without caring about the elements of safety and storage. Due to its remarkable tendency to provide maximum protection to products, hotels, stores, and multinational companies relied on plastic to encase and ship their products anywhere in the world.

Major Disadvantage of Plastic

One of the significant downsides of plastic in the packaging industry remained largely ignored until the early 21st century. Just because a material is cheap and provides your product with exceptional protection does not ensure that it is eco-friendly. Plastic is a material that has persisted in the environment for a long time. It is highly toxic because it does not degrade quickly and takes thousands of years to degrade. Today, more than 80 countries have banned plastic for packaging any product and have shifted to many sustainable options such as Kraft and Cardboard.

Cardboard as an Ultimate Product Safety Packaging Material

Today, the global business is shifting towards safe and eco-friendly packaging options, and there truly is no better option other than Cardboard. A mixture of Kraft and Cardboard is enough to provide flexible protection to any product, whether from the grocery, bakery, cosmetics, or electronic industry. The concept of corrugated Cardboard in shipment is becoming popular as the overall durability of corrugated Cardboard is much higher. Moreover, corrugated Cardboard can withstand maximum pressure whether it is coming from shipping or environmental factors.

In a world where trade is global, even food products require a sturdy packaging material to retain their freshness. Kraft and cardboard-based packaging are essential for keeping the food products fresh and help companies to provide a positive experience to customers.

Recycled Cardboard Harmful for Packaging

One of the significant advantages of using Kraft and cardboard packaging is that you can recycle the packaging box for further use. However, a study revealed that recycled cardboard boxes for food packaging could indirectly pose severe health impacts. Therefore to meet the FDA standards for food safety and protection, it is recommended not to use recycled Cereal Boxes for food packaging. However, one can still reuse cardboard packaging boxes for other purposes.

Product Safety Standards and Regulation

Nowadays, the packaging material needs to ensure maximum safety. Above all, specific standards are essential to meet while preparing Candle Packaging Box material for food, drug, and other related products. According to the United States Federal Drug Administration, manufacturers must prevent the growth of fungus and bacterial colonies on packaging boxes. They can do so by using high-quality antimicrobial technologies while preparing a packaging box for any product

Other than the FDA regulation, companies also have to meet the environmental regulation issued by the NEPA. These regulations oblige companies to make Eco-friendly Soap Packaging so that the product remains secure from the interaction of any packaging. In the case of plastic material, the quality and safety of the product get compromised as plastic react with the product and change its chemical composition. Therefore cardboard-based packaging gained significant attention for its eco-friendly and product safety benefits.

Final Verdict- A Customer’s Perspective

It is essential to mention the importance of product safety to a customer and how companies can better provide them with that. First of all, we live in a global village where the demand for products skyrockets every day. No one wants a fragile or broken product shipped to their doorstep. Due to such reasons, people always prefer purchasing products that come in sturdy Custom Packaging Boxes. Companies and large-scale retailers can satisfy their customers by providing them with the fundamental guarantee that their product will remain secure and safe till the delivery stage. This is where the importance of a resilient packaging material comes into play.

For more reading visit these link:

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