One of the things that makes Valpak unique is the abundance of packaging and product data the business holds.
Valpak has been collecting and storing this data for over 20 years, to help the membership comply with environmental legislation, and now the business can lay claim to owning the UK’s largest packaging and product weights database (EPIC).
Packaging data support
Having this data at our fingertips led us to realise we could help businesses with more than just environmental compliance, so we set about using the data, alongside our in-house experience and expertise, to create an Insight Platform.
This online tool has been designed, with input from Tesco and other customers, to help businesses report on and manage performance, make informed decisions and demonstrate due diligence regarding packaging / product compliance and sustainability.
Understanding packaging design
Last September, a group of staff (myself included) visited the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising in Notting Hill, London. The aim of the visit was to gain an improved understanding of how packaging has evolved and developed, as well as the fundamentals of packaging design.
We also wanted to investigate if we could implement some of the museum and PI Global’s packaging design knowledge into our Platform, with the aim of helping customers to make environmentally beneficial decisions.
A history of packaging – How it’s evolved
The day started with a tour of the museum, which was founded in 1984 by Robert Opie, to showcase the packaging he had collected for over 16 years. The museum now hosts the world’s largest packaging collection of its kind!
It was fascinating to find out how, over time, specific household names tried to shape their image though subtle changes to their packaging. And how the introduction of plastic packaging, post-World War II, completely changed how packaging was used, how it looked and how inventions, such as the washing machine, fridge and microwave impacted upon packaging and the type of food available. I was also surprised to find out that reuse models for glass and metals have been commonplace for a long time.
The tour highlighted how the abundance of plastic packaging arose and the resulting challenge that faces our generation to create improved and more specific uses for plastic, so that it does not have a negative impact on our environment.
It was a fantastic experience, which provided me with a deeper appreciation of the benefits of packaging and how it has changed over the years with regard to materials used, complexity and volume. It was a real trip through history and down memory lane!
How Valpak can help
We understand that the way products are consumed is changing and are passionate about making sure companies have the right data, at the right time, to help them make the right choices and ensure their products and packaging are sustainable.
With this in mind, we are developing our Insight Platform to enable users to quickly make informed decisions.
If you are interested in finding out more about all our Insight Platform can offer and how we can help your business to achieve compliance and sustainability targets, please do not hesitate to get in touch:
[email protected]
03450 682 572
