How its made: Packaging and Giving packaging a new life

“How it’s made: Packaging” and “Giving Packaging a new life”  are both episodial documentaries that deliver us crucial insights about recycling wastes like packaging as well as how these different types of packaging are made. Also, in a stealth way, these documentaries are trying to teach us to be more aware and conscious in choosing materials for packing and its impacts in its end life.

The documentary ‘How it’s made: Packaging’ showed how a cardboard boxes is made. They compose of 3 basic but crucial elements which are a wavy sheet bonded in the middle of two separate liners or flat sheets to have a strong foundation. This interest me, because cardboard boxes are tough but manufacturers only used an ancient type of glue which is made out of starch and water. Having said, this plays a great impact in recycling the cardboard. For the reason being that being a paper-base product and with a natural water-starch glue the process of dissolving and pulping would be more natural in a way. This is also the same process used for paper recycling which is showed in ‘Giving a packaging a new life’.

If manufacturers and designers wants a packaging material that protects and for long shelf life, aluminium is always available as an affordable choice. Aluminium cans like what is used for soft drink is one example of protect and long life packaging. In the process of making this aluminium can it’s amazing how aluminium sheets punched into a cylindrical pieces/moulds to form a can. Water-based coating is applied into the can that serves as a barrier between the material and the drink. This is done to avoid contamination and taste the aluminium in the drink. This is evident from the ‘how its made’ documentary. In ‘Giving a packaging a new life’ it shows aluminium and plastic excess from making a tetra pack can also be recycled for cement production.

Plastic bottles like PET are the most popular and widely used throughout the world because is the easiest type of plastic to be recycled. It is crucial to sort out the type of plastics before recycling in order to achieve the best possible outcome.

It is very crucial for designers to think the type of materials to use in making packaging. Correct decision from choosing the material, process in making and consumer’s end process will affect the whole world at the end. Having eco-friendly materials to make packaging have less carbon footprints which is healthy for individuals and the environment. Lastly, designers should not be insensitive in making decision and be more consciousness for future living and earth’s preservation which I think is communicated in the two documentaries How its made: Packaging and Giving packaging a new life.