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It is
axiomatic that the job of packaging is to sell. But after
that banality has been voiced, what guides to management
judgment—what theories, if you will—influence the choice
of a package?
The
critical judgments that must be made on the packaging
choice concern the “mix” of packaging attributes best able
to perform, in different degrees, the particular functions
of the package that are believed to be important to sales.
The basic judgment in choice of packaging is, “What jobs
should package do, and how completely should it do each?”
The answers of the lesser decisions can fall into place
once the “mix” of desirable packaging attributes has been
determined, once the assignment of basic functions has
been made. Frequently, too much effort and time are
devoted to making lesser decisions, usually on questions
of graphic art, rather than this basic judgment.
RAYMUNDO: “We ensure that
whatever we take from nature we put it back.”
Today it
must be a rare package that reaches its market without
being rated objectively on its degrees of protection and
production-line adaptability. However, these ratings seem
to be applied too often without consideration of the
package’s ability to fulfill its other possible functions.
This
columnist strongly believes a more important range of
product-protection considerations occurs when there are
many environmental issues involved in packaging. It
follows, then, that the most successful package changes
are those whose impact in environmental credentials (that
they are paper-based, made from renewable resource and
that they can be recycled) is greatest at a level in the
product’s marketing, one step forward from the level
currently storing the channel’s largest share of the
product.
In an
interview with this columnist, communications and
environment manager of Tetra Pak (Philippines) Inc. Tess
Raymundo points out that Tetra Pak is committed to turning
its business in an environmentally sound and sustainable
manner. The company focuses on its sourcing of raw
materials, improving eco-efficiency, promoting recycling
and increasing employee involvement. By concentrating on
these themes, Tetra Pak was able to significantly improve
its environmental performance and, thus, raising consumer
awareness of the environmental and nutritional benefits of
its packaging.
According
to Raymundo, environment protection is a key component of
Tetra Pak’s motto, “Protect what’s good.” In fact, Tetra
Pak is a member of the World Wildlife Fund’s Climate Saver
program and has set a target to reduce CO2 emissions by 10
percent in 2010. Any new product launched by Tetra Pak has
to be approved by “Design for Environment” department,
which accesses the impact of new packaging material on the
environment throughout its life cycle. Life-cycle analysis
is recognized as the most effective tool worldwide for
determining the environment-friendliness of a packaging
material.
“But the
point is, Tetra Pak is a company, not a package,” Raymundo
stresses. This is, of course, another way of saying that
Tetra Pak has a lot of wonderful and innovative packages,
like Tetra Classic, Tetra Wedge, Tetra Rex, Tetra Top and
Tetra Brik. But not one is called “Tetra Pak.” No such
package exists anywhere in the world.
Most
recent packaging changes can be understood a little better
if viewed against the backdrop of the heritage of the
company. “Tetra Pak, as a brand, has a great heritage
dating back in 1952. Founder of Tetra Pak Dr. Ruben
Rausing started the company with a business philosophy: ‘A
package should save more than it costs.’ The company
continues to run its business on the same philosophy as it
has guided each and every business unit of our company
over the years,” Raymundo explains.
On May 1,
2007, Tetra Pak
Philippines
was officially merged with Tetra Pak
Malaysia and
Singapore. The integration is in line with Tetra Pak’s
strategy to strengthen its support and services to
customers. In a statement, Peter Jhaveri, managing
director of the combined Tetra Pak entity, comments: “The
market place will always be changing. In many markets in
Asia there is a strong move toward liquid dairy products
in a ready-to-drink format. Such change provides
opportunities for brand owners and manufacturers to be
part of, or even driving, the conversion from, e.g., loose
milk or powder milk into UHT or other forms of liquid milk
products. In the Philippines, in particular, this market
dynamic has to be managed, taking into account
affordability and availability of new products, in order
to reach the broader population.”
According
to Raymundo, Tetra Pak’s packaging is 100-percent
recyclable, explaining that Tetra Pak’s product is
composed of 74-percent paper, with the balance being made
up of aluminum foil and a thin plastic coating to help
keep the food contents fresh.
The choice
of a product’s package, no less than the choice of a total
selling effort brought to bear on the product, has to
represent a reconciliation of a variety of functions, each
of which has potential merit in furthering environment
protection. “We ensure that whatever we take from nature
we put it back,” Raymundo concludes. |
