You’d imagine that most decisions related to plastic packaging development are actually fairly straightforward. After all, it’s just a matter of what product is being contained, what shape it should be, and what deadline needs to be met. It all sounds pretty simple, right?
In practice, though, this is where things can sometimes start to drift. It is easy to come up with a concept that looks good on a computer screen, but that is no guarantee it will behave the same way once it has been filled, stored, transported and produced at scale. For that reason, the decisions you make early in the process will often carry through much further than expected.
Understanding the product itself is one of the first things that needs to be explored. Not just what it is, but also how it behaves. A thick liquid, for example, will behave very differently to a cleaning solution. A product that sits on a shelf for months also has different demands to one that’s used quickly and replaced often. Even the smallest details, such as how something is squeezed, dispensed or poured, can have a significant impact on the shape and structure of the packaging it is stored within.
Once you have that understanding of your product, material choice starts to come into focus. HDPE, PET and PP are all well recognised options, but they don’t all behave in similar ways. Some will offer greater flexibility, while others deliver on clarity or a more premium finish. Recycled content adds a further layer to that conversation - it’s a positive step, but can also change how a product looks and performs. For example, colour consistency, surface finish and structural strength will all vary depending on the percentage of recycled material used.
None of these decisions sit in isolation. The manufacturing process will dictate what is possible, and a design that is suited to extrusion blow moulding may not translate smoothly into injection moulding without some adjustments. A product that can be produced efficiently in low volumes may encounter problems when scaled up for larger runs. These are not always immediately obvious at the concept stage, but can surface later in the process if not considered early on.
Compromises can also creep in when the subject of cost is taken into account. You may be keen to reduce the weight of your product to save on material, but that can also affect how the product feels in the customer’s hand or how well it holds up during transit. Tooling costs can be saved by opting for a standard bottle, but they don’t always align with how a brand wants to present itself. There are no right or wrong options, but these are factors that should be taken into account before a decision is made.
More often than not, a project will fall down, not because of one specific mistake, but due to multiple assumptions going unchallenged. That could be a design that hasn’t been reviewed against the realities of production. A material that is selected without taking into account how it behaves at scale. Even sustainability ambitions being introduced late in the day when there is little room left to adapt.
If those conversations take place early, the whole dynamic of the project changes. Ideas can be tested properly, adjustments made that would otherwise cause issues, and the product can be properly aligned with how it will actually be made and used.
Our advice is always to consider your packaging as a part of the product itself, not as something added at the end. If you get that alignment right, you stand a far greater chance of delivering a concept that performs consistently once it leaves the drawing board.