Primitive Packaging

There is a movement of society where people are straying from complex components and man-made goods. The coined term of “natural products” is in response to the countless environmental, safety, and health issues experienced and caused by humans. As these goods have evolved from being produced using processes and techniques detrimental to the welfare of society and Earth, packaging has made a huge unwanted impact in the commercial realm.

In most cases, packaging has become an industrial application composed of man-made materials, affecting both humans and the environment. To change the image of packaging as a polluter and contributor to the decline of the conditions of earth and humans alike, the answer is clear-cut: packaging should originate from the building blocks of the earth (sustainable resources, such as plant material).

From a technical point of view, packaging from primitive sources is logical. Two great examples are fruits and vegetables. These foods have various types of skins designed specific to protect from the potential dangers it may encounter during its life-cycle. A majority of the skins provide barriers from other organisms from negatively interacting. A variety of fruits and vegetables have geometric shapes such as spheres and arcs to make it difficult for predators to access. In some cases, certain fruits and vegetables may even have defense mechanisms using thorns, spikes, to prevent any interruption to the development of the organism.

Next Packaging Trend?
Image courtesy of Pixabay

Drawing on advancement provided by Mother Nature over exponential years of time, using these resources may minimize the time of research and developing “new” packaging materials. There is no question for the benefit of the greater good; industry should be quickly implementing these practices. The main challenge from an industry perspective is precisely a business decision.

Countless, resources and time have been devoted to produce current packaging meeting marketing, financial, logistical, and customer requirements. Primitive packaging will be a hard sell from solely a business perspective unless the emphasis of the request is from the end user/customer. Without a doubt, business will have to invest in primitive packaging for it to succeed.

If business can conceivably convince the consumer to buy product exercising primitive packaging, the long term benefits are endless. There would be a huge potential for a win-win situation where overall technical, business, and environmental conditions can be achieved. Furthermore; the future of the Earth and its inhabitants would have a reduced risk of self-inflicting damage as long as the resource supplies of primitive packaging were carefully monitored.