Wal-Mart Joins Amazon in Less-Wasteful Packing to Cool ‘Wrap Rage’

Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) are prodding more manufacturers to change their packaging to cut waste and alleviate “wrap rage,” the frustration felt when a product is difficult to open.

The nation’s largest online store and the world’s biggest retailer have been pushing vendors, including Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) and Bluetooth headset maker Plantronics Inc. (PLT), to eliminate excessive and cumbersome packing materials, such as hard plastic clamshell casings that enclose electronics and wire ties used to secure toys to cardboard backings.

Read more…

Gas Prices Trigger Switch From Plastic To Paper

Goodbye Clamshell: more companies are making the switch from clamshell to paperboard.

Oil Prices Force Manufacturers To Switch From Plastic To Cardboard Packaging

According to an article recently published in the New York Times, high oil prices have manufacturers and big retailers reconsidering the use of so much plastic, and some are aggressively looking for cheaper substitutes.

Target has removed the plastic lids from its Archer Farms yogurts, has redesigned packages for some light bulbs to eliminate plastic, and is selling socks held together by paper bands rather than in plastic bags.

Wal-Mart Stores, which has pledged to reduce its packaging by 5 percent between 2008 and 2013, has pushed suppliers to concentrate laundry detergent so it can be sold in smaller containers, and has made round hydrogen peroxide bottles into square ones to cut down on plastic use.

At Home Depot, Husky tools are going from clamshell to paperboard packaging, and EcoSmart LED bulbs are about to be sold in a corrugated box, rather than a larger plastic case.

Other firms, such as MeadWestvaco, are working on alternatives to still prevent theft, but use less plastic. Its Natralock product reduces plastic by 60 percent on average and is 30 percent lighter, cutting down transportation and fuel costs

Read More at New York Times

Packaging of the week: Evolv, an innovative initiative to eliminate PVC clamshells

Evolv was created to raise the bar on entry-level tools with better overall quality and durability and superior ergonomics. Evolv was created to appeal to today’s DIY handyman/handywoman. The corrugated packaging is a response to an internal initiative to eliminate PVC clamshells. We designed the packaging so that it was recyclable and could be easily produced by packaging vendors anywhere on the planet.

---
Source

Emballage en plastique rigide «clamshell» : Halte danger !

Aux Etats-Unis, on estime que prés 6000 personnes par an se blessent en tentant d’ouvrir les coquilles en plastiques rigides (clamshell).

Amazon, Sony, Microsoft et Best buy travaillent activement au développement d’alternatives aux impénétrables, polluantes, frustrantes, détestables et dangereuses clamshell, source principale de la fameuse «rage de l’emballage» (Wrap rage); Frustration ressentie par l’individu qui tente de libérer un produit d’un empaquetage pratiquement impénétrable.

---

Il s’agit ici d’une excellente opportunité pour les concepteurs ou designers d'emballage pour développer des coquilles plus éco-responsables, plus sécurisées et plus sécuritaires.

-

--

Redesigned environmentally-friendly packaging

To respond to the consumers’ interest in greener products, a large number of companies have taken the opportunity to associate new environmentally-friendly packaging with a new brand image. Here are two recent examples:

Gillette opts for blister packaging. The benefits of Gillette’s use of BlisterGuard include: 1) Packaging reduces the amount of plastic in the environment (by 50-70%); 2) Products are theft-resistant at the store and easy to open at home with scissors; 3) Package increases brand visibility and is more consumer-friendly; 4) Packaging was changed without changing equipment; 5) Assembly process was made more efficient, with minimal retooling.

KFC introduces eco-friendly packaging. Starting this month, KFC in the UK and Ireland will switch its burger packaging from cardboard "clamshells" to paper wrappers, and its individual-portion meals from cardboard boxes to paper bags. The new packaging is made from 100% renewable sources from European forests, which are 100% recyclable and biodegradable. The changes follow an initial measure taken to reduce cardboard waste in 2008, when the business stopped packing boxed meals for eat-in customers, saving approximately 554 tonnes in waste.

High Visibility Packaging Demand to Exceed 33 Billion Units in 2012

According to a new study from The Freedonia Group, US demand for high visibility packaging, including clamshell, blister and other types, is expected to increase four percent annually to $8.5 billion in 2012, representing nearly 34 billion units and creating a market for 1.1 billion pounds of plastic resins. Gains will be driven by favorable advances in consumer spending along with the growing influence of mass market retailers, which tend to favour blister packs, clamshells and other high visibility containers for their theft and tamper deterrence and ability to effectively showcase products. Further growth will be limited by the rising volume of offshore production and packaging of such products as toys, games, sporting goods, hardware and electronics.

Sony déclare la mort du Clamshell

L’initiative d’Amazon "Frustration-Free Packaging" fait des émules.

Sony Declares Death to the Clamshell: Sony Electronics will soon be changing its products packaging in order to make it more user-friendly as well as environmentally responsible.

"We've heard the voice of customers who are frustrated with the so-called "clamshell" packages used for many consumer electronics products like headphones and portable music players that hang on racks in the large discount stores and other retailers."

Coquilles en plastiques rigides « Clamshell » : et si leurs jours étaient comptés

L’initiative d’Amazon "Frustration-Free Packaging" fait des émules. D’après le New York Times (Packages You Won’t Need a Saw to Open), Sony, Microsoft et Best buy travaillent activement au développement de nouvelles alternatives aux impénétrables, polluantes, frustrantes, détestables et dangereuses clamshell (les coquilles en plastiques rigides), source de la «rage de l’emballage» (Wrap rage); Frustration ressentie par l’individu qui tente de libérer un produit d’un empaquetage pratiquement impénétrable.

Ironie du sort, cet équipement qui est supposé nous aider à ouvrir les emballages frustrants ! Vous aurez remarqué qu’il est lui-même emballé dans un clamshell impénétrable…les fabricants n’y ont sans doute pas pensé!!!!!

------