Packaging is a process essential for the containment and protection of goods. Almost everything that is grown, manufactured, and sold is packaged at some time. Packaging also makes it easy for consumers, shop owners, and distributors to handle products. A package provides information about a product and identifies the product with a distinctive shape, color, and design.
Types of packages include bags, bottles, boxes, crates, drums, pallets, pouches, and sacks. The most commonly used packaging is made of paper and paperboard, such as corrugated boxes, folding cartons, and composite cans (paperboard tubes with metal bases). Other major types of packaging include metal packaging, such as aluminum and steel cans; flexible packaging, including aluminum foil and flexible plastic pouches; rigid plastics, which are used in bottles, trays, and caps; and glass.
Manufacturers and designers have developed packages with many convenient features, such as resealable zipper closures and easy-open caps. Lightweight stand-up pouches can take the place of cartons and bottles. Easy open/reseal and dosage indicator caps are used for over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Modified atmosphere packages maintain conditions that help prevent the deterioration of such products as premixed salads. Aseptic packages are filled in a sterile environment after both the packaging and the product have been sterilized. Such packages are used for medical supplies and such products as milk and fruit drinks. Some containers for use in microwave ovens are made from susceptor materials. Such materials help direct microwave energy inside the package to crisp and brown the crust of pizzas or french fries.
The packaging industry
is a multibillion-dollar industry worldwide. Suppliers sell finished packaging to industries or organizations, or directly to consumers.
More than half of all packaging is used for food and beverages. Most of the rest is used for other consumer products. Industrial products, such as chemicals and petroleum, use only a small portion of all packaging.
Packaging represents nearly a third of all solid waste production. Thinner, lighter packaging materials and reusable packages can reduce packaging wastes. Recycling also helps reduce wastes. Most packaging materials have some recycled content. Biodegradable materials break down in an environment where oxygen, light, and water are available, such as a compost pile (see Compost ). But most wastes end up in sanitary landfills, where these conditions generally do not exist. Incineration is another option for package disposal. Some plastics produce more energy than coal when burned.
Packaging regulations.
Many countries, including the United States, require that every package be accurately labeled to identify the product, the quantity of the contents, and the name and location of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor. The label must describe the nutritional content of any product portrayed as having special nutritional value.
In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulate the labeling of consumer products. The FDA approves new materials and additives for use with food packaging. It requires tamper-resistant, also called tamper-evident, packaging for nonprescription drugs and certain related products. The Consumer Product Safety Commission establishes guidelines for child-resistant packaging and labels for hazardous household products.
