What is "over-packed"

Packaging, without any doubt, has become one of the most important and everyday life related products in human life. No matter where you go, what you do, you are coming across all kinds of packaging like it or not.

Is packaging needed? Sure. For example you're trying to find type of rice in the supermarket, without the printing on the bag to tell you where the rice comes from, what's the weight, what's the benefit, also the brand image, you may have difficulties making a choice. Everything on the shelf will look like this.

Since we all agree that packaging is needed, here comes another question, what is necessary packaging and what is "over-packed"

Recently, with the idea of Minimalism coming up in the market, it seems like to pursuade consumers to take one basket with them and go shopping and put everything inside the basket -- not realizable.

First, we're in a world pursuing "BEAUTY", evolution decides we not only want to consume the product we needed, but also to feel pleased when we make the choice.

There is a recent brand from NZ called CEMOY, famous for its exaggerated and luxuriant packaging. (see below)

So, for a new brand to catch customers' eyes and be recognized, packaging is definitely a way.

Here comes another question, what is OVER-PACKED?

In packaging industry, we all know that a product's packaging cost should be no more than 3-5% of the value itself. Which means what you use to pack a USD100.00 product shouldn't cost more than 5dollars. But obviously lots of them can't meet the criteria.

Over Pack has below three different ways

too much room wasted packaging
too luxury packaging for not so expensive products
too much material used like plastic -- not environmental

Nower days in China, the bubble milk tea industry is increasing explosively. Many brands like Coco, Yidiandian(a little bit), Heytea(new but the leading position), luckin coffee and many others, use a lot of packaging for a cup of milk tea or coffee, see below.

Over-packaging of goods is not only a problem in China. The United States also has the problem of over-packaging. The American magazine Consumer Report (http://www.consumerreports.org/) has a column called "Selling It" in each issue, the content is that goods fool consumers through packaging, and many cases of over-packaging can be learned here. Also, users of this website in http://www.overpackaging.com/Pictures.htm can submit their over-packaged photos no matter where you are.

We should try our best to choose products that are not over-packaged. Also, we have to give up the habit of disposable articles as much as possible, such as disposable chopsticks, disposable lunch boxes and plastic bags. Still, these things are common, and one may think that it is useless to improve the environment by giving up these things. But how many people use these things every day. All we can do is to change the world from myself.

By Wendy