Smarter smart packaging

What does the sounding pizza box, the self-heated coffee bag, and the electrostatically treated cosmetics have in common? They are actually smart wrappers. According to Peter Harrop, an industry expert, so-called smart packaging is "not only the function of traditional packaging products, but also can guide customers to buy products and protect products."

Talking bottle

As chairman of IDTechEx, Harrop has been closely watching the development of smart packaging for the past six years and helped to organize the first seminar on smart packaging two years ago. Last month he was in Orlando, Florida. Another seminar was organized in this regard. He said that the concept of "smart packaging" has only gradually become known to the general public in the past two years.

Harrop says packaging is smart enough to use mechanical, chemical or electronic means to interact with humans. He called it a "human interface," and he believed there was a great deal of motivation to promote the interface between packaging and people through innovative technologies. The demand may be greatest in the pharmaceutical industry, but it can be extended to all other consumer packaging products.

The largest demand in the pharmaceutical industry is due to the increasing number of elderly consumers in the society. Due to physical limitations, they sometimes need help when they follow the medical instructions. "Smart packaging can be delivered automatically at the right time, or it will use increasingly louder sounds to alert people to take the correct dose," Harrop said. "In other words, it will do what people can do before. Many things."

MediVox Rx's talking bottle is a good example. Another example is Cerepak, an electronically enhanced smart blister pack that helps patients comply with clinical use requirements.

Bottles are not the only packaging that can interact with people. Pizza box is also available. Last fall, Mangia Media’s pizza box spoke for the first time. Eric Cohen, president of Mangia Media, said that when the corrugated carton is opened, a small, light-actuated sound-sensitive sound chip emits 12 to 15 seconds of sound. The chip is affixed to the lid close to the hinge, and costs $2 each. These costs are borne by the Turner Broadcast Service (TBS) to promote the company's rugby programming. Thousands of talking pizza boxes have been sold to 18 targeted markets nationwide.

"Although this may seem like a somewhat insignificant smart package, it is a sign of the times," Harrop said. "Also, some new things start with a little bit of entertainment before they can find more serious applications." ."

Brand strengthening

Harrop sees the great potential of smart packaging in strengthening the brand. What is the better way to distinguish a product from other similar products? A good example is “some gadgets,” such as the one used in beer cans, which can release nitrogen gas when the jar is opened, creating small bubbles. These small bubbles can create a lot of foam, similar to fresh draft beer just poured out. “This technology is very patentable, so it is very difficult for supermarkets to remove it,” explains Harrop. “Diageo’s Guinness Irish Dark Beer has increased its sales volume compared to other beer brands. Gadgets have previously been used on children's soda packages."

Another brand-enhancing package is a self-heating or self-cooling container. The latest product example is onTech Delaware's new self-heating single serving coffee pot.

Harrop said that several types of self-heating containers have long been successful, mainly because its basic technology is relatively simple. He added that the challenge of self-cooling containers is even greater, and the container is somewhat similar to a miniature, pressurized refrigerator. But if several technical hurdles can be overcome, self-cooling containers will be a huge market.

Although there were few specific product examples, we did find a self-cooled 5 litre bucket that was tested by the Japanese Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd. in mid-2003 and was originally planned for the market in 2004. This self-cooling bucket uses a double low pressure design. When opened, the water in the lower pressure outer chamber begins to evaporate, which produces a cooling effect. This barrel can be used to cool the beer in the cavity to 45 degrees Fahrenheit (about 7 degrees Celsius) in 90 minutes, and can maintain this temperature for 12 hours.

"For self-heating and self-cooling containers, the technical challenge is that they cannot be heated or cooled to the right temperature when the weather is very hot or very cold," Harrop said.

Brand protection

The benefits of smart packaging are not only to strengthen the brand, it can also protect the brand, especially in the need for anti-counterfeiting. "According to the FDA's report, the number of incidents of forgery has risen sharply since 2000," said Renard Jackson, deputy director of sales and business development at Cardinal Health Packaging Services. The company in Dublin, Ohio, has a market capitalization of $65 billion. The current anti-counterfeit weapons it uses include the following:

Explicit methods - no tools needed to identify;
â—† Recessive methods - need to be identified with the help of some helper methods/tools;
â—† Verification methods - need to conduct laboratory analysis in the laboratory;

"For example, explicit methods can be special fibers in paper that can be observed with the naked eye," Jackson said. "The recessive approach means that these fibers can only be seen through specific light sources or rapid chemical tests." Verification methods include "marks" that can only be detected by laboratory analysis.

Jackson divided the anti-counterfeiting methods into two types: proof method and traceability method. He said that the certification method includes a security paper base layer, security ink and optical change design (such as holographic image and thermal display pattern, the latter's color can change according to the temperature change). Nanotechnology is another method of proof. At the microscopic level, it is a recessive technology that can print nanotext on a predetermined location on a genuine package, and this text can be detected.

In tracking traceability, Cardinal introduced a continuous bar code using reduced space symbology (RSS) technology. Jackson sees RSS technology as a complement to RFID technology.

"It has the same true traceability function as RFID, but it's less expensive and it must use close-range scanning," he said. "Even if we are currently developing an operational method to handle it At the stage, there are still a large number of customers who are closely monitoring the progress of this technology.” He added that the cost of RSS is very economic, and it can provide a unique serial “tag” for each product.

Electrostatically treated spray
Although RFID is one of the hottest technologies for electronic smart packaging, other electronic applications are also attracting attention. In an application example, this method is absolutely bad news for pests such as flies.

British household products giant Reckitt Benckiser introduced a series of insecticides. The brands of these insecticides are Smartseeker and Mortein. When the aerosol cans are sprayed, the insecticide is packaged with electrostatic charges. The specific principle is that when the nozzle is pressed, it will cause a small crystal in the tank to produce a weak electrostatic current, which can make the insecticide particles also have a charge. These charged droplets are said to fly faster and more efficiently to the target because of the difference in charge between them and the target. These droplet sprays also have the ability to “surround” and can better kill pests hidden behind the pipeline. Because it is less wasteful, this product is also more environmentally friendly.

In cosmetics, Procter & Gamble's SK-II air sensory spray was first introduced in Japan and then introduced to the UK market in 2003. Its product website describes it as "using ion technology to make the base particles that are invisible to the naked eye attach perfectly to the skin."

According to Harrop, the sales price of this product in markets outside Japan and the United States is roughly equivalent to 200 US dollars. It uses two AA batteries to generate tiny currents that can help the base particles evenly distribute on the face without running into the eyebrows and hair.

Smarter intelligence
Harrop believes that smart packaging technology has potential for packaging with natural diagnostic capabilities. Examples include materials that can undergo chemical or electronic changes that can give warning signs when problems occur with the product or packaging. Concerns about bioterrorism can speed up the pace of development in this area, Harrop said.

"This includes reaction inks, which can also be called 'magic' inks," he said. "In the university research institutes, these inks can show colors or 'anthrax, back!' and the like. On a piece of steak, it can show words like 'E. coli - I can kill you'."

Harrop believes that this technology can detect GM products in addition to warnings from pathogens or other consumers that it is not easily discoverable.

The increase in people’s interest in environmentally friendly smart packaging is evident, although Harrop acknowledges that this area is not yet very strong.

Eco-friendly smart packaging made from renewable resources such as corn polylactide (PLA) is increasing. In fact, the US BIOTA brand bottled water that was marketed in the fall of 2004 was used