Famous for their traditional values
and technological innovations, Japan is moving toward becoming a leader in the packaging
industry. This comes as no surprise, since one of the most popular packaging
designs of today, the Stick Pack, originates from Japan. Forty years ago, the simplicity
and elegance of Japanese culture inspired this innovation and we couldn’t help
but to dig deeper into this Japanese packaging tradition and discover what
makes the Stick Pack a good example of Japanese packaging principals.
1. Packaging is an inseparable part of the product experience
Japanese tradition suggests that even
the plainest products should have a “pleasant touch” that evokes aesthetic reactions
in the user. Stick Packs are elegant and compact, but they are still visually
appealing.They can
easily be displayed by checkouts, where they grab most of the attention and
where most of the purchases are being made.
2.Nature as inspiration
Ever since 710 AD, Japanese designers
have been inspired by natural shapes and motifs: flowers, bamboo and wood. Japan’s
love and respect for nature also makes the responsible use of packaging very
important. Stick Packs are environmentally friendly. Depending on the size of a
stick pack, it is possible to accomplish up to 20% or 40% of material saving,
against 4 side sealed sachet, and since user takes 100% of product - there is
no waste that can cause environmental issues.
3.Easy opening
Japanese packaging is all about the process
of opening, which has to be easy, without scissors or any other tool. Consumers
enjoy stick packs because of the easy opening and easy use: they can be emptied
directly into your mouth, over your food, or in your drink, which is the reason
why instant drink manufacturers decided to put their drink mixes in stick
packs.
4.Tradition and innovation
Simplicity, aesthetics and the elegance
of a stick pack were inspired by Japanese tradition, but the true innovation
lies in terms of hygiene. Restaurants
used to use salt shakers, sugar shakers or even bowls with sugar in them. Many
people use these items, so it was easy to contaminate and also waste the
product. Stick packs are more hygienic and since entire the portion is getting
used, there is no waste.
When it comes to secondary packaging, cardboard boxes are
one of the best ways to stack and ship a stick packed product.
Make sure to check
out the various cartoners by Tishma Technologies (link here) including models
TI-50 and TI-60 that can receive your packs (in any count) and provide you your
required pack counts (in any count) in the finished cartons.
