12 fun facts about packaging :D

Should packaging be boring? NO 😀 Well, we understand if a cardboard box, paper tape or bubble wrap can seem un-sexy. So our colleagues in Belgium have put together some fun facts to SPICE the subject up a bit. Take a seat and read along here:

1. In Ohio, they organize the ‘Tape Festival’ every year

The city of Avon, Ohio, hosts a festival every year that focuses on tape in all its forms. You’ll see art, sculptures, clothing, etc. Avon is home to the Duck Tape brand, making it the “Duck Tape Capital” of the world ^.

2. Tape can get you a scholarship

“Stuck at Prom” is a competition by an American tape manufacturer. The student who designs and produces the most beautiful dress or the most elegant costume for their prom with‘Duck Tape’ wins a scholarship. Prizes totalling $20,000 will be awarded among the winners. 1

3. Make frosted glass transparent again with tape

Frosted glass is not transparent. But you can change it with transparent tape. How is that possible? Frosted glass is basically a glass with many minor imperfections. If you put tape over it, these “imperfections” are filled in and light can penetrate. ⁴

4. In France there is a museum dedicated to cardboard

If you want to visit a cardboard museum, head down to Valréas, the cardboard capital of France. deMusée du cartonnage et de l’Imprimerieshow the history of cardboard and printing.

5. Reinforced tape was invented by the military

Before the invention of GAFFA tape, ammunition packets were waterproofed with wax and a kind of sticky paper tape. These were often difficult to open, causing soldiers to lose precious minutes in the heat of battle. The idea for GAFFA tape, also known as canvas tape or Duck tape, came from Vesta Stoudt, the mother of two Illinois Marines.During World War II, she wrote a letter to President F. Roosevelt, with the idea of reinforcing tape with textiles. This resulted in a much more effective seal. Roosevelt gave the idea to Johnson & Johnson and thus the reinforced tape, which we know today as GAFFA tape, was born.

6. Tape saved the Apollo 13 mission

Tape has been in the rescue kit for every NASA mission since the beginning. It proved to be a good idea when an explosion during the Apollo 13 flight caused serious problems for the three crew members. The air filter system was about to fail, but with the help of tape (and a little help from Houston) they were able to repair the air filters and get it up and running again.

7. Did you know that the cardboard box is already 200 years old?

• 1817: The first cardboard box came on the market in England.
• 1850: Kellogg’s is the first brand to permanently use a cardboard box as packaging.
• 1856: The first corrugated cardboard patent is granted. The box as we know it today was born!
• 1883: The first corrugated board factory opens in London.
• 1914: Wooden boxes are increasingly replaced by lighter cardboard boxes.

8. Paper and cardboard are the most recycled materials in Europe

Of all raw materials, paper and cardboard are the most recycled, followed by glass and metal, among others. Paper can be recycled up to seven times. A cardboard box up to ten times.

9. Bubble wrap lowers your stress levels

Research has shown that one minute of popping bubbles is as relaxing as a 30-minute massage. One theory behind this is that it has to do with our ancestors’ habit of popping ticks or other insects that plagued us, they also made the typical popping sound. In addition, it can also be related to the fact that people are soothed by touch. By rubbing and popping the bubbles, the sensation of touch is simulated.

10. Bubble wrapping was originally a type of wallpaper

In 1957, engineer Al Fielding and Swiss inventor Marc Chavannes set out to market a wallpaper with a raised structure. As an experiment, they glued two shower curtains together. After the edges were sealed, the air bubbles remained in the middle. This idea was never very successful, but the packaging industry soon knew how to use it – also, bubble protection was born.

11. No more trees cut down for pallets

The wood from wooden pallets is a by-product of making furniture or building materials for home construction. WHEN a pallet’s life cycle is about to end, the majority of wooden pallets are recycled and become fuel, wood fibre pallets or garden bedding.

In 2015, there were three billion pallets in circulation in the EU.

12. The best protection against shocks is … air!

The protection is not the form of the protection, but in the air around and in the air in the materials. It is through clean air that shocks are best absorbed. BOOM!

Sources:
¹www.rajapack.es/blog-es/curiosidades/sabias-que-trucos-curiosidades-sobre-embalaje/
²mentalfloss.com/article/74550/10-durable-facts-about-duct-tape/
³www .duckbrand.com/festival/2019-avon-heritage-duck-tape-festival/
⁴lifehacker.com/see-through-frosted-glass-with-a-piece-of-clear-tape-5800404/