For the Japanese packaging industry, the great earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident that occurred in March 2011 in East Japan, with an estimated cost to the economy of $300bn, had wide-reaching repercussions.
The Japan Packaging Institute (JPI) says some of the challenges included adapting to changed production conditions, rolling blackouts, suspended production and finding substitutes for raw materials in tight supply.
Post-disaster, consumption habits shifted. Disrupted physical distribution of perishable and processed foods, combined with consumer's self-restraint, saw an increase in purchases of preserved foods such as noodles and frozen foods, as well as mineral water and beverages, which in turn drove demand for functional packaging materials for extending product life. New oxygen scavenging technology (iron powder sachet) also came to the fore, extending the life of canned dry foods like crackers to five years, and rice pouches to three years (vs one year).
There were also several lessons to be drawn from a packaging supply perspective.
In times of crisis where masses of people need vital supplies, packaging really proves its value in protecting products during transport and storage, extending shelf life and providing goods in formats that are easy and safe to use.
An interesting side display at Tokyo Pack put together by JPI covered the successes and failures of packaging during the disaster.
From an Australasian perspective, with the Queensland floods and New Zealand earthquakes still a fresh memory, the message certainly struck a chord.
It highlighted the types of packaging that was useful and useless, and, based on learnings from disaster-stricken areas, made recommendations for the industry to consider for future disaster management.
Useful packaging:
- PET bottled water (bottle re-used as a container to get water from a water wagon)
- Retort pouch food, aseptically packed soybean milk, canned food, cooked rice pouch and cup noodles (where package can be used as serving bowl).
- Corrugated cardboard for partitioning to protect privacy at places of refuge and provide warmth.
Useless packaging:
- Canned foods without easy-open pull tag
- Pouches that were difficult to open
- Desirable packaging:
- Gasoline in easy to carry canisters/cylinders
- Food that doesn't require water or heat for preparation
- Food that can be stored for several years
Logistics improvements
- Sorting through supplies as they piled up before dispatch to refuge areas proved difficult. Suggested improvements include:
- clear marking of the contents on the shipping carton, by label, or colour coding device.
- QR codes to be used for reading with a smart phone and quick dissemination of information on supplies to hand.
- cartons standardised into three sizes for ease of handling and efficiency of transport.
