Toothpaste, pet food, tires, and toys: not a Wal-Mart shopping list, but imports from
The fundamentals remain the same between product safety and packaging, irrespective of geography. Protection is one of the functions of packaging (along with communication and convenience) and has various facets:
1. Protection of the product against external forces;
2. Protection of people against the harm that the product can impose; and,
3. Protection of the product and/or people against the harm that the packaging can impose.
In the
Some Chinese contractors bow to the temptation of additional profit by cutting corners and through substitution. Even when the prime contractors operate true to agreement, subcontractors might not. It’s not unheard of for subcontractors and sub-subcontractors to be involved, without the knowledge of the
It should be kept in mind that private enterprise in Communist China---enormous potential, notwithstanding--- still is in the developmental stage. As such, regulation (where it exists) lags that of the
From a packaging perspective,
Not to be overlooked is the carbon footprint of the manufacturing of the packaging. The worldwide army of “Green Berets” will hold companies responsible for the environmental consequences of their contractual relationships. It’s a separate, but related consideration of product safety. For that matter, so is the design of difficult-to- duplicate package features to combat counterfeit products, much of which originates from
Although it’s true that a packaged product is an integrated whole and should be analyzed and evaluated as such, the two components do travel separate paths before being combined. Consequently, it is beneficial to have an approach to packaging aimed at maximizing its contributions to product safety.
Here are suggestions toward that aim, some of which include the product as well:
1. Don’t rely solely on a broker or other intermediary in choosing a Chinese package supplier, because nothing substitutes for face-to-face meetings and onsite evaluations.
2. Know which packaged products similar to yours are distributed within
3. Supply your Chinese contractor with documentation regarding everything that impacts package integrity and let it be known that unauthorized deviation will terminate the contract.
4. Have a
5. Have a system that certifies the packaging before it’s shipped to the Chinese plant, or at latest upon arrival.
6. Have a system of inspection of the packaged product before it’s shipped to the
7. When the packaged product arrivals in the
In the global economy, wherein costs drive decisions on sourcing,
Consultant
Sterling Anthony
100 Renaissance Center-43176, Detroit , Michigan 48243
Phone 313-531-1875, fax 313-531-1972