The Industry Council for Research on Packaging and the Environment (Incpen) has produced a guide to help manufacturers, retailers and pack designers tackle the problem of Unintentional Product Residue (UPR), the waste in a pack which a consumer either can’t get out, doesn’t want to put in the effort to get out, or doesn’t know is still left over.
The problem is something that, according to Incpen, manufacturers are already working some way to addressing: its own commissioned research, conducted by Leatherhead Food Research, found that over two-thirds of 362 samples contained 1% UPR or less, while only 7% had more than 5%.
UPR can have both negative economic and reputational implications, Incpen said. Residues are an environmental and financial cost as the unused product wastes the raw materials, water and energy that were used to produce it – and this has an impact on the cost of manufacturing, processing and distribution.
As important, consumer attitudes towards a brand may be affected if they are aware that they cannot get all the product out and therefore feel cheated. Residues can also hinder recycling and reduce the yield of recycled material.
The Incpen guide, called The Bit at the Bottom: A Guide to Help Consumers Get the Last Bit Out, seeks to support manufacturers’ existing efforts by highlighting areas that should be taken into consideration early in the product development process. These include the nature of the product, the design of its packaging and how consumers use the product and its pack.
It provides a variety of practical suggestions on how to make it easier to extract the last bit of product, while stressing the need to ensure the packaging is exactly tailored to the product. It also contains a useful checklist, the organisation said.
Incpen director Jane Bickerstaffe said: “Nearly all of us will have experienced the frustration of not being able to access ‘the last bit’ of product.
“Many manufacturers already minimise UPR. Our guide supports their initiatives with advice on steps that can be taken in the early stages of product development.”
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