The power of packaging

Product packaging is like the entrance to a beautiful building. It is the first impression you give the visitor. Packaging and selling go hand in hand. Selling means encouraging to buy and beautiful packaging does exactly that.

A fantastic product in packaging that looks like old newspaper ... that's just not good enough. Making something out of nothing, however, is possible. Think of the candy store chain that puts two scoops of candy into beautifully coloured wrapping and then decorates the bag with ribbons and bows. Cost of the candy and the wrapping: € 3. Retail price € 10. That is the power of packaging. This strength can also be a weakness. Because we are now drowning in plastic and are outraged that there is so much waste. Even when you walk out of the delicious Amsterdam organic hipster-supermarket, your bag is effectively filled with 10% product and 90% packaging.

In the past, the environmentally friendly milkman sold fresh milk from a truck: zero packaging. But then the environment wasn't an issue and the milkman earned the same either way. He lived on the interest of the losses and suffered from a hernia. Of course the packaging must protect the product and be nicely presented, but that no longer should, or can, be the only criteria.

I'm not sure what comes next. I do know that we have to start using reusable and compostable packaging materials. Packing tomorrow's fish in yesterday's newspaper.

There are great opportunities for the packaging industry to respond to current trends. Customers will buy nonetheless, if it looks beautiful and it's also responsible, then they pay with pleasure. That much is clear.

www.bessels.com

Herman Bessels is architect BNA at Bessels architekten & ingenieurs B.V.