Packaging

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

    Abstract

    The practice of packaging goods dates back to pre-industrial society, where packaging was commonly used for cereals, teas, and oils, although arguably the origins of packaging date back further than this. Around 300B.C the Phonencians invented the glass blowpipe, which was used to inflate glass into a hollow shape. The glass bottles that were produced using these blowpipes were some of the earliest forms of packaging, and critical to the containment of fluids, which otherwise obviously could not be transported or handled. Today many different types of packaging exist, including paperboard cartons and boxes, metal cans, and plastic and glass bottles and jars, to name a few. Whatever type of packaging is used for a particular product, it must be effective in performing three key functions for the product and consumer, these are protection, containment, and identification. In some respects protection and containment are the most basic functions of packaging, and those that originally made packaging necessary to handle and transport goods, however today it is perhaps the identification and communication aspects of packaging that are of greatest importance to consumer culture.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationEncyclopedia of consumer culture
    EditorsD. Southerton
    Place of PublicationLos Angeles
    PublisherSAGE Publications Inc.
    Number of pages1664
    ISBN (Print)9780872896017
    Publication statusPublished - 2011

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