Attention to detail. Respect for the consumer. Concern for the environment. These are a few of the hallmarks of Japanese packaging. And what may at first glance from the foreign eye seem to be over-packaging is usually a complexity executed for reasons entirely sound when considered within the context of the culture and practices that drive the industry.
Discovering more about the Japanese packaging market trends and drivers was the purpose of a one-day Japan Insights program for journalists and packaging professionals hosted by Japan Packaging Institute, the organiser of Tokyo Pack, the day before the show opened.
This provided an invaluable framework for assimilating the exhibits later in the week. It also informed the retail excursion – a highlight for the delegates – which included a trip to a hypermarket outlet of grocery retailer Aeon, one of the largest retailers in Japan and across Asia with a retail network of convenience stores, supermarkets, shopping malls and specialty stores.
A familiar face to the Australian packaging industry: Outerspace Design’s Michael Grima was among delegates on the Japan Insights tour who spent an enjoyable few hours examining packaging on shelf in Aeon and shopping for samples.
Convenience is very significant in Japanese life, it dictates the types of products and packaging required, and influences shopping patterns. In urban areas, no consumer is more than a five-minute walk from the nearest 24-hour convenience store, and it’s estimated that there is one vending machine per 27 people in the country (over 20 million), selling both hot and cold foods and beverages and almost anything else besides.
Delegates learned these facts and a great deal more from Stuart Hoggard, president of IPPO and publisher of PackWebAsia.com, who gave a comprehensive overview of market drivers. He pointed out that, in Japan, centuries-old cultural values coincide with the demands of an ultra-modern, high tech society and that this is well illustrated in the packaging found on retail shelves.
“The package, as an artefact, is imbued with levels of cultural meaning that run deeper than its function as a simple container for the transportation, protection and marketing of a product,” he said.
“There is an entire set of historical and cultural codes that confronts shoppers every time they enter the store... every package is designed to evoke an emotional response and trigger a purchase decision.”
In Japan, Hoggard noted, packaging innovation is driven by the converters, rather than the brand owners. Picking up on this point, and showing examples of such innovation, Toshio Arita, president of Packaging Strategies Japan and fellow IPPO member, provided a summary of key trends and packaging technologies, most of which were on show at Tokyo Pack.
Arita noted that in the list of global companies holding food packaging patents, Japan boasts 17 out of the top 27. Among them, the top two companies, Dai Nippon Printing and Toppan Printing, hold more than 400 patents.
In flexible packaging, Arita described Japan as a “hot crucible” for innovation, with a strong focus on pre-made pouch technology.
The pouch has come of age
Visiting Japanese supermarket and convenience store outlets, one is struck by the prevalence of the flexible pouch, and its pervasiveness was also highly visible at Tokyo Pack. But more impressive than the sheer extent of flexible pouch application across numerous FMCG categories, is the degree to which Japanese packaging converters have evolved pouch technology when it comes to shape (easy grip, easy stack, customised), accessibility and convenience (easy open and close, easy empty, easy dispose), functionality (storage, dispensing, barrier protection, lightweight and eco material) and decoration (non-slip inks, matt and gloss combination finishes, embossing, holograms).
At the same time, equipment suppliers are making advances to allow converters to produce pouches more efficiently, at lower cost and at increased filling speeds.
What is immediately clear is that the pouch is no longer relegated to the realms of the refill only, although of course this application is still very much in use. It is now a packaging format in its own right.
This view was shared by Andrew Streeter, Packaging Innovation Director at Datamonitor, who was trendspotting at Tokyo Pack and stopped for an interview with PKN.
“When it comes to flexible pouches, the Japanese do things better, and it’s this ‘betterness’ I believe is valuable, because it [positions] the pouch as a stand-alone package [format] in its own right of value, rather than just in a role as a refill or casual container for a quick snack.
“I’ve seen really good examples at the fair in terms of high quality decorations – embossing, metallisation, holograms, shaping... and the element that really excites me is the sense of care for the customer that really comes through in flexible packaging,” Streeter said.
A prototype aluminium pouch on display at Toyo Seikan’s stand illustrated this point showing easy grip features with a 3D design using a ‘concave-convex process’ with two-sided embossing and a ‘pillar’ effect that keeps the pouch erect and allows the pouch to be made of thinner material.
Easy grip indentations for fingers on the sides of this resealable pouch on sale in Aeon make dispensing the grated cheese that much easier.
Along the same theme of reducing material, this time eliminating the need for an insert in a spout, is Toppan Printing’s Japan Star-winning spout structure. The top part of the laminated standing pouch is not sealed but folded back on itself, enabling the width of the spout to be increased while the spout can be made into a shape that opens out naturally when the pouch is opened.
Toppan Printing’s new spout structure won the President of Japan Packaging Institute Award in the Japan Star awards.
Time required to pour out the contents is roughly 20 per cent less than with conventional standing pouches and ease of pouring has been significantly improved. Another breakthrough from Toppan Printing is its development of the first laminated packaging material in Japan to use biomass polyethylene film PE with a thickness of less than 40µm.
The laminating technology employed differs from conventional techniques for biomass PE which involve dry lamination where the films are laminated using an adhesive. Instead, an extrusion lamination process is used to produce a thin coat of PE that has been melted to one side of the substrate film.
Toppan says this technology results in a biomass ratio of at least around 10 per cent and the material has similar seal and laminate strength to conventional flexible materials.
Arita highlighted a stand-up pouch with a built-in spout mechanism to prevent air influx into the pack, which won Yushin Co a Japan Star award in 2011, and has since been commercialised for soy sauce. The spout mechanism protects the liquid against oxidation and deterioration caused by microbial invasion; maintaining flavour freshness and ensuring food safety.
‘Good design’ soya sauce SUP with spout mechanism that prevents air influx to keep flavour and extend shelf life.
Design for all
Universal Design (UD) – or as we know it, accessible design – governs much of the technology coming to market. It caters to Japan’s ageing population (Japan is the most rapidly ageing country in the world, with 26.6 million of its 127.3 million population over the age of 65) and reinforces the culturally ingrained respect and care for the user of the package. UD is not just for the old or disabled, it’s to ensure convenient use of packaging for everyone.
Arita showed examples of braille on packaging, and easy-open closures with very clear markings to indicate the perforation line. Also key is easy dispensing and ease of emptying.
The latter, Arita said, is as important as being easy to open since in Japan the consumer takes full responsibility for cleaning and disassembling packaging into its recyclable/ incinerable components prior to disposal.
A stop at Dai Nippon Printing’s stand showed UD innovation in abundance. Two interesting ideas still in prototype stage were a zip lock-style seal for an oriented nylon film pouch that holds it shape once opened. This style of shape-retaining zipper was also a feature on a foil pouch with a paper outer sleeve, attached to the foil by a small dot of hot melt glue so it’s easy to disassemble for waste sorting.
The paperboard outer sleeve also has perforations to make it easy to separate from the pouch. What’s nifty about this pouch is that it’s zipper closure is opened by a simple push on either side of the package, with push points clearly marked, of course.
For easy dispensing and extended shelf life Kikkoman Food Products has launched a soy sauce in a new soft hexagonal shaped (easy grip) bottle sporting an air-tight one-way check valve in the closure. Thanks to the valve, the unpasteurised product has a shelf life of 18 months, and nine months after opening. Arita explained that the vacuum deformation of the outer bottle is solved by the delamination of the inner layer in the multilayer structure. This pack also won a Japan Star 2012 award.
Catering to the massive market for convenience foods, Kyodo Printing has developed the Quick Deli retort pouch that can be safely heated in the microwave without opening.
In comparison to conventional microwavable retort pouches, Quick Deli combines a steam vent function with a pouch with higher sealing strength and excellent sealing performance.
Steam produced during the microwave process is first used to heat up the food, and then slowly released automatically via the pouch’s vent mechanism.
A notch located in the top corner of the pouch aids easy opening. As the steam generated would have already been released and gas pressure build-up dissipated, there is no risk of spilling and scalding when opening the package. Because of the retort pouch’s structural strength, Quick Deli can be used for frozen food products and liquids.
It can also function as a takeaway food container itself; at each side of the pouch, the area that is the coolest and has the most structural strength is highlighted in a different colour so consumers know where is the most ideal bit to hold up and carry the retort pouch.
Concern for consumers burning their hands holding hot liquids was behind Tokan Kogyo’s Hot Magic Cup innovation, which won a Japan Star in 2011 and has now been refined and brought to market.
When hot liquid, above 85°C, is poured into the cup a thermal insulating layer pops-out thanks to a special heat contraction film lining. When the film comes in contact with heat from the liquid it reacts and shrinks, causing the outer board layer’s die-cut shape to pop out, to create an insulating barrier from the inner layer in contact with the hot liquid. It also provides a non-slip rib to make the cup easy to grip and hold.
Finally, a popular traditional meal of fermented soy beans with sauce has been UD packaged for ultra convenience through the efforts of Dai Nippon Printing, Mizkan Co and Kobayasji & Co, which won the pack a Japan Star award. The lid functions as tare sauce container. Detached and broken into two, the sauce can be dispensed easily and cleanly by consumers of any age.
Universal design won a Japan Star for this fermented soy bean pack with lid doubling as a sauce dispenser.
The examples in this report are but a small taste of the packaging baikingu that was Tokyo Pack 2012. As an exhibition that provides a first-hand insight into innovation on the Asian packaging scene, is of a manageable scale and hosted in a city that’s a tourist’s delight, Tokyo Pack 2014 should be high on the list of must-visit events for Australian packaging professionals.
