A few thousand years ago, packages were primitive bundles, baskets or earthen containers that were created to hold and
transport food, beverages or objects valuable to the members
of ancient communities. Numerous antiquarian discoveries
of such containers have been made all over the world.

Papermaking gains ground

When Arab legions invaded and occupied the Iberian peninsular, papermaking was introduced in Spain where, in 1151, the first European paper mill is believe to have been established. From there, the technology of papermaking expanded to France, Germany and England.

It was in England that the first “flexible packages” were produced, beginning with the production of paper bags produced from flax fibers and linen rags. This was followed in 1817, also in England, by the production of the first paper box.

In 1870, Robert Gair, an American paper bag maker, developed what turned out to be one of the truly visionary packaging inventions – the first automatically folded carton. Folding cartons, in numerous varieties, soon became the most widely used form of packaging, dominating the packaging spectrum until the 1970s, when plastic packaging became popular with both manufacturers and consumers, challenging the paper industry’s long-held predominance.

Meanwhile, corrugated paperboard was introduced in England in the 1850’s, first in single layers and, ultimately, using two faces. Corrugated paperboard soon began to replace wooden barrels and shipping crates.

Modern paper innovation

In recent times environmental issues have forced players in the packaging industry to re-evaluate the runaway use of plastics. Detpak, South Africa's leading supplier of speciality packaging solutions produces an extensive range of products, all paper or board based.

This innovative company recently released a range of Window Bakery Bags a new packaging product designed specifically for South Africa's growing take-away lunchtime market. The bags offer a clear view of the contents via fog-free windows. These are a great choice for busy cafés and sandwich shops catering to people on the run. This new bag also offers Detpak customers the opportunity to present a quality image and provides an environmentally responsible alternative to common plastic bags. To view the full product basket in the Window Range go to www.detpak.com.

Paper and board continues its vesatility with a whole range of preformed products such as cups, plates, wraps, cartons and trays, and, food pails.

The resolute metals

With all the attention on developing glass and paper into containers, none were capable of preserving perishables, such as meat and fruit. Metal containers had existed for thousands of years but most were made from silver and gold. The cost and difficulty of creating them made them unlikely candidates for the task of keeping food from deterioration.

It was not until the 13th and 14th century that tin-coated iron cans were first produced in Central Europe. But it required laborious systems to produce these and they were hygienically unreliable.

None other than General Napoleon Bonaparte, in search of being able to preserve food for his armies during his campaigns into Central Europe and Russia, promoted the idea of developing containers that could accomplish the preservation of food shipped over long distances.

Across the Channel, the English went one step further. In 1810 Peter Durant developed a method for packaging meat, vegetables and fruit in airtight, tin-plated, wrought-iron cans. Never mind that the cans required a chisel and hammer to open them. It was the visionary development of adding tin-plating to iron cans for preserving food that, initiated and revolutionised the way we live and eat today.

The growth of the canning industry was aided by the progress made in printing technology. While the earliest efforts of identifying the can contents or decorating cans required soldering embossed labels to the cans or hand-painting the can surfaces – experiments with other, less time consuming methods paralleled the growth of can manufacture.

A new kid on the block – aluminum

In the 1960s, aluminum cans appeared and quickly became the preferred material for cans, primarily because consumers preferred their lightness to steel cans. A dramatic improvement for aluminum canning came with the introduction of' the draw-and-iron process, a technique which produced the type of two-piece cans used today by most beer and carbonated beverage companies.

The aluminum industry has extoled the advantages of aluminum over steel cans by claiming better chill ability of beverages, improved stack- ability, resulting in better use of shelf space, and greater production speeds and reduced packaging costs.

In Japan, a country where the vending machine is a popular means of dispensing almost anything, shaped cans are making increasing inroads for everything from beer to hot coffee.

Aside from beverage containers, aluminum has its applications in the form of tinfoil for wrapping products such as quality candy or cheese or, laminated to the inside of paperboard folding cartons, to provide protection from moistness that paperboard alone cannot accomplish. Foil can also be found laminated to the surface of cartons when emotional appeal calls for the package to communicate luxury, such as cosmetic packages.

Aluminium foil is also used extensively for formed trays for resale of frozen produce as well as in the hospitality industry. Pie manufacturers here in South Africa are massive users of preformed foil dishes.

The plastics revolution

As in every business, competition presents a constant challenge, and packaging is no exception. New materials, new manufacturing techniques, new products, new sales environments, new lifestyles, new consumer needs – all impact on packaging at every juncture.

No sooner had glass, paper and metal manufacturing techniques become more and more sophisticated, along came a newcomer that made trouble for all other packaging material but presented opportunities for packaging like no other material – plastics.

Plastics initiated a true packaging revolution. Their translucency, formability and relatively low cost mean that plastics threatened to replace virtually all previously used packaging materials.

Although discovered in the 19th century, plastics did not reach their visionary status until the 1930s, when refinements by German chemical manufacturers created styrene foam for use in cups and food trays. From then on, the employment of plastic material for numerous functions began to gain popularity among manufacturers as well as among consumers.

Only recently, environmental concern has slowed the use of plastic materials for packaging. In some countries, including South Africa, strongly enforced laws govern the manufacture and disposal of plastic packaging, and experimentation with reuse or recyclability of plastic material is being extensively explored.

In a pioneering exercise in innovation, biodegradable plastic packaging has been introduced into this country. The d2w additive technology, which is FDA approved for food contact, breaks down the plastic polymer bonds of LDPE gradually over an extended period of time. This new packaging is expected to take approximately two years to biodegrade, from the start of the extrusion process to the time that nothing but a few fragments are left behind.