This document provides an overview of packaging technology, including its history, key materials, purposes, benefits, and difficulties. It discusses how packaging has evolved from early uses of natural materials to modern incorporation of plastics, paper, metals, and other materials. The main purposes of packaging are outlined as physical and barrier protection, containment, information transmission, marketing, security, and convenience. While packaging provides many benefits, it also presents difficulties such as increased costs, environmental impacts, and production footprints.

1. LIBRARY REFERENCE ON
BENEFITS AND DIFFICULTIES OF PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY
For partial fulfillment of
Post Graduate Diploma in Packaging (PGDP- 2014-2016)
SEMESTER-I)
SUBMITTED TO : SUBMITTED BY :
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF PACKAGING MUKESH KHANDAITKAR
PLOT NO 21, FUNCTIONAL INDUSTRIAL PGDP/D/2014/32
ESTATE, PARPATGANJ, DELHI 110092 10th /11/ 2014 Batch-30th

2. INTRODUCTION
 Packaging defined as ensuring the safe delivery
of a products to ultimate consumer in a sound
condition at the minimum cost.
 Packaging is of great importance to both sellers
and buyers of products. It can prevent spoiling,
breakage, tampering, or theft; enhance
convenience in use or storage; and make
products easier to identify.

3. HISTORY
 Ancient era :- Use of leaves for wrapping of meat, animal skin for storage. first
packages used the natural materials available at the time: Baskets of reeds,
wooden boxes, ceramic amphorae, wooden barrels, woven bags, etc. Bronze
wine container from 9th century BC.
 Modern era :- The use of tinplate for packaging dates back to the 18th century.
The first corrugated box was produced commercially in 1817 in England. In
1952, Michigan State University became the first university in the world to offer a
degree in Packaging Engineering . As additional materials such as aluminum and
several types of plastic were developed, they were incorporated into packages to
improve performance and functionality.

4. KEY CONCERNS….PACKAGED PRODUCT
 Product Safety
 Specific Product-packaging requirements
 Consumer Acceptance
 Retailer Requirements
 Product Presentation
 Logistical Concerns
 Packaging Cost
 Other Criteria

5. THE PURPOSES OF PACKAGING AND
LABELING
 Physical protection :- Protection from mechanical shock,
vibration,electrostatic discharge,compression,temperature etc.
 Barrier protection – A barrier from oxygen,water vapor, dust, etc.
 Containment or agglomeration – Small objects are typically
grouped together in one package for reasons of efficiency.
 Information transmission – Packages and labels communicate
how to use, transport, recycle, or dispose of the package or
product.

6.  Marketing :-Good packaged designed product is ‘Silent salsmen’
 Security :- Packages can be engineered to help reduce the risks of package
pilferage or the theft and resale of products:
 Convenience – Packages can have features that add convenience in
distribution, handling, stacking, display, sale, opening, reclosing, use, dispensing,
reuse, recycling, and ease of disposal.
 PRODUCT LABELING :-The label is the text printed on a product package or, in
the case of items like clothing, attached to the product itself. Legally, labels
include all written, printed, or graphic material on the containers of products that
are involved in interstate commerce or held for sale. The main body of legislation
governing packaging and labeling is the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of
1966.

8. SOME BASIC PACKAGING MATERIALS
 Paper
 Paperboard
 Corrugated box
 Plastic
 Metal
 Textiles
 Wood
 Ink

9. PAPER AND PAPER BOARD
 Paper and paper-based packaging are essential
components of modern life. Communication, food, and
consumer products are just a few of the things that are
improved upon and more easily accessible as a result of
paper and paper-based packaging.
 Paperboard:-Paperboard (also known as boxboard) is a thick,
paper-based material that is generally thicker than regular
paper.
 Corrugated Boxes:-Corrugated is a durable, versatile, low and
lightweight paper-based material that is frequently used to
make boxes, containers, and displays.
 Paper bags:-A paper bag is a pre-formed container made
from paper.

10. METALS AND GLASS IN PACKAGING
 Metals in Packaging :-Metals employed for packaging
are iron, Tinplated steel , Electro coated chrome coated
steel, Aluminium alloy slugs and sheet, Aluminum foil etc.
 Glass in packaging :-Glass is the trusted and proven
packaging for health, taste and the environment. It is
also the only widely-used food packaging,
pharmaceuticals etc.

11. PLASTIC IN PACKAGING
 packaging in general is lightweight and strong—different plastics can be
molded, extruded, cast and blown into seemingly limitless shapes and
films or foams.
These identification codes indicate the type of polymer most common
plastics used in packaging: 1) polyethylene terephthalate, 2) high density
polyethylene, 3) polyvinyl chloride, 4) low density polyethylene, 5)
polypropylene, 6) polystyrene and 7) other.

12. PACKAGING BENEFITS
 Usability – convenience, simple steps
 Carries vital information on ingredients
 Keeps hazardous products away from children
 Nutritional Information – fit, healthy
 Ethical consumerism – ingredients, environment, processes, recyclable
 Safe handling and use
 Tracing manufacturing information – global preferences
 Protect from hazardous materials losses to environment.

13. DIFFICULTIES IN PACKAGING
TECHNOLOGY
Cost :-While packaging can do a lot to get customer attention, and may even
add value to a product, it also adds to the cost of production and the eventual
retail price.
Landfill Impact :-Packaging is responsible for significant portions of the waste
stream. Some waste can be recycled, but many material`s are not appropriate
for recycling. Much of the waste produced by packaging ends up in a landfill
Production Footprint :-Products with more packaging also use more resources in
production. Production also requires energy, usually sourced from burning fossil
fuels, and may produce air and water pollution.

14. CONCLUSION
While the package prevents the product to be contaminated, it also
prevents the environment to be polluted by the product. To
summaries , the packaging is an important tool of optimal resource
use. The overall negative image of packages derives from their
relatively high percentage in the household waste. This, however,
indicates rather the level of consumption than over packaging.
Packaging is not only a product: a package, but a system, and the
package itself cannot be separated from its content. Finally it can be
asserted that even if packaging plays an immense role in achieving a
sustained development, its most important factors are the consumers
themselves.