Markets: Giving gadgets a clear headstart

June 03, 2009

Packaging News


In the high-tech world of electronics, a pack has to be as cutting-edge as the kit it holds, and smaller packaging leaving nothing to the imagination is at the forefront of innovation in the sector.


Thankfully, mobile phones are no longer the size of bricks. As their size has reduced, so has their packaging – so much so that Nokia’s senior design manager Ulla Uiomen was moved to question whether more can be done to optimise their packaging. The size of the package has reached its minimum, says Uiomen. Only by reducing the size of the accessories can the size of the package now be decreased.

There may be something in what Uiomen says, as Nokia managed to retain its top ranking in Greenpeace’s latest Guide to Greener Electronics, released in March this year. Greenpeace’s guide charts the environmental credentials of electronic companies. Nokia scored maximum points for its comprehensive voluntary take-back programme, which spans 84 countries, but lost points for not extending its use of recycled materials beyond its packaging.

Nokia already uses materials such as wood fibres and natural fibre-based flax in its packaging. The company is currently exploring the possibilities of using agricultural waste as a raw material and bioplastics. Efficiency usually means eco-efficiency as well, says Uiomen. Environmentally sound materials are also beautiful and feel comfortable.

Green machine
Sony Ericsson’s latest eco-friendly handset is a prime example of sustainable credentials taking centre stage. The GreenHeart, among other things, uses HTML-based e-manuals and environmentally conscious packaging. The impact this will have on transporting the product through the supply chain will be substantial in light of the volumes Sony Ericsson deals in.

Electronic goods are expensive items and so packaging must be robust enough to withstand the supply chain. Dutch firm PaperFoam manufactures 100% biodegradable starch-based packaging material, which can be colour-matched and embossed with a company’s logos, for everything from CD and DVD packaging through to mobile phone packs. It was reported to have supplied Apple with a custom-made cardboard box with a recyclable starch inlay for Apple’s iPhone 3G and has previously supplied packs for Apple’s iPod Nano and Video, as well as Motorola mobile phones.

PaperFoam sales and marketing manager Willem Derkman says manufacturers of mobile phones and MP3 players are looking for a greener way to pack their products. Carbon footprinting is becoming ever more important, driven by companies like Wal-Mart in the US, says Derkman. We receive more and more questions about life-cycle analysis and if we can estimate the carbon footprint of a product, he says.

PaperFoam has already calculated the carbon footprint of its DVD and Blu-ray products and can do the same for its mobile phone packaging. However, Derkman says: It’s a costly job and you need to know the logistics.

Calculating the carbon footprint of a mobile phone and its packaging is made more difficult by the fact that much of the packaging is manufactured in the Far East. The cost of shipping dictates that the size of the pack must be as small as possible, while being robust enough to withstand the supply chain. As Burgopak’s director Jeremy Light explains, logistics are part and parcel of briefs from mobile phone companies.

Burgopak got involved in the phone market in 2007 when it started working with Motorola. In the years since, Burgopak has produced more than 30 million units of its sliding packs for the company. It has even customised the packs around each phone to mimic the sliding action of the handsets themselves.

According to Light, mobile phone manufacturers catering for the European and Asian markets take a very different approach to packaging than companies catering for the US market. In the UK, for example, customers often get the opportunity to view the packaging before they purchase and it could have some impact on their decision. Packaging doesn’t have the same impact in the US because customers rarely see it, says Light.

 

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