Is Packaging Design Wasting Energy?

[airborne18]

I just opened a box of Corn Flakes, the huge box, and it was basically half full. So the other half of the box was just wasted space.

Just think of how many products are shipped in containers that are cleverly designed by marketing people simply to convince us we are getting more product than they actually deliver.

How much space is wasted in each truck traveling down the highways so company X can convince us to upsize our purchase.

How much space in a store is wasted because of packaged air.

The average Walmart store gets two trucks per day. Just one company could save a lot of energy. Plus shipping it to the distribution centers in the first place.

 

[Insanity]

they often have "Some Settling During Shipment May Occur" disclaimer.
Not that its an excuse.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

No kidding. And this applies to other aspects of packaging, such as the materials used, the concentration [dilution] of liquids and powders, and the energy cost per pound of packaging material. From a technical point of view, the solution is a no-brainer, and the benefits of smart packaging would would be significant.

 

[mugaliens]

For things that settle, they also have to sell contents by weight of product, not by volume. Furthermore, most grocery stores calculate cost/oz, which is what I always go by when I purchase widely available food types, not their particular brand names.

 

[BishopUser]

I've seen various products like cereals or chips featured on "how it's made," and the person giving the factory tour said that the nitrogen bubble that they put in the bag is truly needed to preserve the freshness of the product and that it's not some gimmick to short change you. Whether or not you believe that is up to you I guess.