Plastic and the amount of waste we generate is a big topic at the moment as businesses realise that their impact on the world is about more than just what they sell or the services they offer.  This has led to a growing urge to cut down on plastic waste such as blister packaging.  But what are the top ways that businesses can do this without impacting what they offer customers?

Do a waste audit

The process should start with a ‘waste audit’, a way to look at the office to see if there are places that waste can be cut.  The business premises is the best place to start, looking at what kind of waste is created and if there are alternatives.  There are lots of examples of steps taken by businesses and local authorities around the UK already:

• Glasgow city council no longer provide drinking straws in museums, sports centres, schools or other council run buildings
• Primary schools across the country are doing the same
• Iceland has committed to eliminating plastic packaging from own brand products
• Selfridges have stopped selling single use plastic bottles

Look at ways to reduce, reuse and recycle

By highlighting the areas where waste is created, it is then easier to come up with ways to cut it down.  The three things to look for are things that can be reduced, reused or recycled.

One example is the amount of plastic waste that comes from takeaway sandwiches and other quick lunch options.  By having the facilities for staff to store foods then reheat it, the business can help cut back on this waste by promoting staff to bring food from home.  This cuts down on single use plastic rubbish.

Providing staff with reusable mugs and bottles can also cut down the waste from single use cups and plastic bottles from fizzy drinks.  Not only does this help cut down on plastic waste but can also cut down on waste management costs as the amount of rubbish in the bins can be reduced.

Look at packaging options

If your business creates products, then packaging is a big area to consider.  While there are doubtless some products that need Blister packaging or have to have tamper-proof packaging to ensure that no-one can interfere with them.

But there are other packaging options that might work and can be a lot more sustainable. Our Eco-Pack is a perfect example of this.  It can reduce the amount of plastic in each pack by as much as 65% and is made from recycled paper and plastic materials.  The patented design uses a safe to open design that makes it easy to work with and has a strong shelf appeal for customers with plenty of space for branding.

The Eco-Pack also has the same ability to protect the product as other methods of packaging so that items are hard to damage or steal while on the shop floor.  These clam packs are a great alternative to classic clamshell packaging.

Make recycling easy

It is unlikely that we can entirely remove the use of plastic in our lives and businesses.  But by reducing it as much as possible and making it easy to recycle, then this can make a dramatic difference to the environment.  Businesses can take steps in a number of ways from encouraging plastic-conscious behaviours in staff to choose eco-friendly packaging for their products.  These can all do their bit to reduce the plastic problem and ensure that future generations have less impact from our actions to deal with.  And ultimately, we can all aim to be as plastic-free as possible!

Taking regular medication is something that a huge percentage of the population has to do.  As we get older, keeping track of the growing number of tablets to take can be a complex process.  There is a huge potential for things to be taken incorrectly if they are not packaged in a simple and clear way.  This is where blister pack companies can help to ensure medication is taken correctly.

Easy to use packs

Many types of medication come in blister packs – they are cost effective for the manufacturer and easy to use for the consumer.  Blister packs have sealed compartments and these can easily be labelled with when the tablet is meant to be taken.  For example, a blister pack could hold a morning, noon, evening and bedtime row for each day of the week. This would mean that someone would simply have to know what day it was and what time to know which tablets to take.

Another reason why blister packs are ideal is that it is easy to see when tablets have been missed.  Knowing this information can be crucial if someone is unwell and by looking for unused sections of the blister pack, medical professionals can quickly see where the problem is

Making the most of blister packs

For practitioners, it is important that blister packs are correctly labelled and that medication descriptions should be on the card packaging accompanying the blister pack.  People should be made aware of what is taken when and also what to do if medication is missed – leaflets can also be included to reconfirm this.

Some pharmacies and practices are now including automatic reminders when a prescription is due for vulnerable patients who have problems remembering to order their medication. When this is ordered, make sure the blister pack is accurate and labelled correctly before letting it go to the patient.

Get in touch to find out more about the blister packs we offer

There are plenty of different options out there to package your goods for sale.  One that is popular for a number of reasons is the Blister packaging – these are commonly seen on anything from batteries to kids toys to medication.  They place the product between a cardboard back and a clear plastic that is thermoformed into shape. But why would your business opt for blister packaging over other types of packaging?

    1. Many variations

There’s a nearly limitless supply of different types of blister packaging including Blister clamshell packaging and classic blister packages.  The different variations mean you can get the right packaging for your product and also include plenty of marketing and information on the pack to make it informative and visually appealing for customers.  The backing card on these styles of packing can help sell the product, provide information on how to use it and be eye-catching when in the shop to grab the customer’s attention. 

    2. Keeps items fresh

If you have items that can deteriorate when exposed to the air, then blister packaging is the ideal way to ensure they remain fresh until your customer is ready to use them.  Medication is a common example of this but some food stuff such as herbs could also work well when placed in this type of packaging. Anything that is environmentally sensitive works well in blister packs to stop environmental factors spoiling them.

    3. Easy dose or serving sizes

This is another one that is ideal for medication and food but really anything that comes in doses or serving sizes.  The idea is to put a single portion, serving or dose into each of the blister packaging which makes it very easy for people to use.  They simply open the one package and use its content to know they have the right dose of medicine or food for a recipe. It is also quicker meaning you don’t need to weigh ingredients or be concerned about overdosing with medicines. 

    4. See before you buy

People have a healthy scepticism about products because there are some shabby quality stuff out there.  Blister packaging can help to give customers confidence about what they are buying because they can actually see it.  The clear plastic front of the packaging means you can see exactly what is inside and even measure it roughly if you wanted to.  This lets people see before they buy and gives them confidence that the product is what is promised.

    5. Security

With items such as medication and batteries, there is always a little security concern.  Scares such as tampered medication are much in the past, but people still feel better if things are in tough packaging that cannot be easily interfered with.  Additionally, the packaging makes it harder for thieves to run off with the item because tough security tags can be added and means it is much harder to remove them unseen from the shop.

   6. Cost effective

For the business, using blister packaging is a cost effective way to package a wide range of products and ship them to stores to sell to clients.  Because the packs can be customised in a variety of ways, they support marketing efforts and are brandable. They fit to the product in question due to the packaging process and minimize transport costs by adding little to the weight or size of the item.

Easy way to package

There’s no doubt that blister packaging is the easy way to package a wide variety of items including foods, medication, kids toys and much more.  The security and reassurance they offer for customers as well as the ease of branding them are just a few of the reasons why they are a top packing option.

For more information about Quantrelle and the services we offer, get in touch with us.

We are all suckers for attractive and eye catching packaging when we are out shopping. Whether it is a drinks bottle, children’s toys or food packaging. They just seem to draw us in more. Which is why using attractive blister packaging for your products gives you a head start in your sales.

The packaging of your product offers the first impression to the consumer and therefore you want to ensure it is a good one. According to The Business Insider (http://uk.businessinsider.com/), it usually takes about 7 seconds for the consumer to make their first judgment on a product depending on the information they are provided with instantly and what they can see on the packaging. This packaging also represents your whole brand, so you need to get it right first time!

Your packaging should incorporate different aspects dependent on the product, but it should always be clear as to what the product is as well as clearly displaying your brand logo. Typography and the colours that are used play a big part in attracting consumers. Different fonts display different personalities, and therefore when packaging a children’s toy, you may use bold and ‘fun’ font, whereas to package a DIY tool or cooking utensils, more formal fonts may be used. Colours are also important to set the tone of your product, bright and loud colours may display a less serious and more playful tone, whereas white and black could portray a more simplistic and clean tone. Images and graphics also work in the same way and can be used to play on the consumers emotions, for example when using images of babies or animals on baby or pet shampoo, consumers may be drawn to those particular images.

So there is just a short snippet on how important using attractive blister packaging can be in the sales of your product. Quantrelle is a contract packaging company and we offer clamshell and blister packaging as well as a wide range of other packaging options.

For more information, get in touch with our team today.

There are so many different methods when it comes to packaging. One very popular method of packaging in the retail industry are blister packs. Blister packaging is probably the method of packaging you will most commonly see around, batteries, children’s toys and medication are a few examples of products that are often packaged in blister packs.

Blister packs secure a product in between a cardboard backing and clear, thermoformed plastic. It is a very popular packaging method because it offers the opportunity to examine the product through the clear plastic as well as promote the product with eye-catching graphics and wording on the cardboard. Blister packs also make it easier for consumers to get into the packaging as a special adhesive is used to stick the thermoformed plastic to the cardboard backing, and this can easily be pulled off, whereas other method of packaging such as clamshell can cause a little bit of a struggle as it is held to another piece of plastic enhancing strength. Blister packs also have a hole in the top of the cardboard so it is easier to hang from a peg and therefore can be shown on complete display in a shop.

Blister packs are a relatively cost effective method of packaging and also very practical for smaller products. They are also very easily customised for your needs and the cardboard can display your own chosen design for promotion. Bright colours can be used to easily draw attention and also the small, individual compartments ensures the product doesn’t move too much and therefore offering more security and protection for the product when in transit.

For more information on blister packs and what they can be used for visit our blister and clamshell packaging page or contact us. You can also browse the rest of our website to view the other methods of packaging we can offer.

Both blister packaging and clamshell packaging are very popular methods of packaging, most commonly, retail products. Many people believe them to be the same thing, but in fact the only thing they have in common is that they are both created using thermoforming. You will see both blister packaging and clamshell packaging all around you in stores, but do you know the difference?

Blister Packaging

Blister packaging is most commonly used for small consumer goods, pharmaceuticals and food, you will also see it used for things such as batteries. The main difference between clamshell and blister packaging is that blister packaging doesn’t have a hinge like clamshells do. It can be made from the same plastic as clamshell using the same method, thermoforming but the plastic does not cover the whole product. Most commonly, the material of the blister packaging is attached to a cardboard backing with the blister mould holding the product in place on top of the cardboard. This method also provides an easy way for the consumers to open the product by just pulling the plastic back from the cardboard. This is a great way to showcase products and bring attention to them using the cardboard as a promotional tool. The plastic attaches to the card via a strong adhesive.

Clamshell Packaging

This method uses a blister sandwiched in between 2 cards that is sealed using a welding machine, it is useful for shorter runs and allows the customer to stand the item in store or hang it on a euroslot. Clamshells were commonly produced as PVC 2 part packages however now there is a desire to have a more environmentally friendly version that incorporates R-Pet plastic and Card that uses oil based inks. These packs are both better for presentation purposes, better for the customer and also a more environmentally sustainable solution.

For more information on the packaging services Quantrelle offer, including our blister packaging and  clamshell packaging services, visit our website or get in touch.