Useful facts and tricks about packaging

For us, packaging is much more than just products for shipping and protection, but we know that this is due to a professional bias on our part!

Did you know that packaging can also be fun and curious?

In this article we have collected many tricks and curiosities that will surprise you.

► Tricks and curiosities about adhesive tape

Let’s start with a very useful trick for those who use adhesive tape on a daily basis.

Can you tell the difference betweenPVC and polypropyleneadhesive tape ?

With this trick you will learn how, all you need is a pen!

1. Roll out the tape

2. Press the tape with a pen

• If it does not break but only forms a groove, the tape is PVC
• If the tape breaks, it is made of polypropylene

Another way to recognise it is by stretching it. Polypropylene tape is not as flexible as PVC tape and therefore breaks. Be careful though! This does not mean that you should always choose PVC tape. For lightweight boxes, polypropylene tape is the best solution and above all the cheapest.

Remember, the tightness and adhesiveness of the tape is given by the type of glue (hotmelt, rubber, acrylic or solvent) and not by the material (PVC or polypropylene).

Did you know…

Did you know that Scotch tape has been called a ‘Humble Masterpiece’ by the MoMA in New York?

In 2004, MoMA, New York’s Museum of Modern Art, paid homage to 122 everyday objects by presenting them as works of art, ‘humble’ masterpieces. Among these objects was adhesive tape!

Moreover, for its incredible versatility it received the American title of ‘most indispensable household product’ in 1985.

Did you know there is a festival in Ohio where American tape is celebrated?

Since 2005 in Ohio, the Duck Tape Festival has been organised to pay tribute to the ‘.American tape, its supporters and alternative uses“. During the festival, activities are numerous, ranging from a sculpture exhibition to catwalk shows. Of course, everything presented is made from American tape!

Did you know that you could win a scholarship by showing up to the prom in a dress made of American tape?

That’s right! However, this would only be possible if you were in America!
A well-known American ribbon brand is offering a scholarship for whoever shows up at the prom with the best dress made of American ribbon. The prize is a whopping $10,000!
Some of them are really creative dresses, here is a wonderful example below:

Alternative uses of American ribbon

Have you ever thought of using American tape to unscrew a hard-to-open jar? Thanks to its excellent stickiness, it can help you with this arduous task!

But that’s not all, did you know that transparent adhesive tape can turn opaque glass transparent? Watch the video!

► Tricks to distinguish strapping

Can you recognise a polypropylenestrap from apolyester one?
This trick is very simple, all you need is a glass of water!

Push the piece of strapping to the bottom of the glass filled with water with your finger

If the piece of strap remains at the bottom of the glass, it is polyester.

If, on the other hand, it rises to the surface and floats, it is polypropylene

► Tricks and trivia about bags

Do you know the difference between a bag made of polyethylene bag and one made of polypropylene one?

Easy! The difference is in the colour, if the bag is opaque and slightly whitish it is polyethylene, if it is perfectly transparent it is polypropylene!

Polyethylene bags have a more ‘industrial’ use while polypropylene bags are more used in commerce both because they are resistant but above all because the transparency enhances the products inside.

Polypropylene bag

Polyethylene bags

► Curiosity about protection in packaging

Have you ever wondered what really protects your products inside the boxes?

The secret is air! That’s right, it is air that cushions shocks, both in the case of paper filler where it is the protection given by the friction between the sheets, and in the case of foam or bubble wrap where it is instead given by the air contained in the bubbles.

Do you know that there are games, apps and even a day of the year dedicated to bubble wrap?

That bubble wrap is a famous stress reliever is already well known and we have told you about it here…
but did you know that bubble wrap-mania has become so strong that computer games and apps have sprung up? On the left is a screenshot of Bubble Wrap a mobile phone app that lets you virtually relive this relaxing experience.

Also, as if that were not enough, the last Monday of January is Bubble Wrap Day!
Want to celebrate the coming year? Choose ecological bubble wrap!

► Curiosity about boxes

Did you know…?

• Did you know that corrugated cardboard was used for top hats?
  It was patented in the UK in 1856, although cardboard had already existed for a long time!
• Did you know that the first brand to use packaging as a marketing strategy was Kellogs?

It was in 1950 that they brought out a box so special that it marked an era, an instantly recognisable style for the typical breakfast cereal box that has persisted to this day.

Having customised and recognisable packaging is increasingly important for companies.

• Did you know that the cardboard box is one of the most famous and used toys in the world?

The cardboard box is more than just simple packaging and this is proven by the fact that in 2005 it entered the prestigious National Toy Hall of Fame in New York. For years, generations of children have used it for the most diverse toys!

• Did you know that a parachutist survived a helicopter jump by landing on a stack of cardboard boxes?

In 2012, Gary Connery, a British stuntman, jumped from 800 m without a parachute, only with a wingsuit, landing on a ‘runway’ made of 18,000 cardboard boxes, about 120 m long, 15 m wide and 4 m high, set up in 6 hours by dozens of volunteers. Incredible, right? Watch the video!