History of Packaging

Submitted By:
Sohail Afzal
Humna Qais
Umaima Mohsin
MFA Graphic Design (2020-2022)
Submitted To: Sir Ahmad Bilal
Early Packaging
• Packaging, as a concept, grew out of the
basic need for early humanity to store and
transport their food from place to place.

• While there is no record of when the first

packaging materials were used, historians
believe that during the nomadic
hunter/gatherer days, materials such as
leaves, animal skins, nuts or gourds were used
to store and transport items.

• With the passage of time the packaging was first

used in the time of ancient Egyptian packaging
techniques, Chinese packaging techniques and
Medieval packaging. Later it all developed in
Industrial
Hunters and Gatherers

It is not certain or specifically recorded when the first packaging was invented
and put into use. Most historians agree that it was when early humans were
nomadic hunters and gathers. The constant movement and relocation of these
people forced them to construct devices for carrying and containing food,
tools, and other valuables. There is a lot of speculation to what the fist
packaging product was made from. Even though the materials were basic
there are several possibilities to what was used.
Possible Materials Used in
The First Packaging
Products

• Leaves - Large leaves from a variety of different

trees or plants used with vines may have
constructed the first packaging container
product.
• Nuts or Gourds- Early civilizations have well-
documented information about the use of
both nuts and gourds to store, contain, and
transport a variety of goods.
• Animal Skin- Nomadic people believed in using
every part of an animal when killed. It is very
possible a tanned hide was used to contain and
transport products, food, and goods.
• Wood- A hollowed-out piece of wood may
have been used with leaves or animal skin to
construct a containing/storing device.
All of these options are only speculation to what may have been the first packaging material
used by early humans. Years after the hunters and gatherers developed the first form of
packaging, the need for packaging and containing devices became more important. When
man began to domesticate animals and plants, villages began to pop up. The introduction of
communities increased the need for more extensive storage and transportation devises to
supply larger groups of people.
Domesticated Village
Packaging
Advancements
• The increase in villages helped to bring about many
advancements to advance the way of life. Many of these
advancements spilled over into packaging technology. A
variety of different materials were used to produce,
transport, and store goods and products. The types of
materials used varied depending on the geographical
landscape each village was located in. Below is a list of
packaging products used by early village settlers to
better their way of life.
• Woven sacks and baskets made from a variety of plants
depending on the geographical location of the village.
• Wooden boxes and crates were constructed to contain,
store, and transport goods.
• Clay was shaped into a variety of containers and storage
devices for dry goods and liquids.
• Animal skin was used to shape and form containers and
storage devices.
These materials and methods advanced the packaging industry and improved
quality of life for people living at the time. With these advancements, humans
could store crops and food for the winter, protects food and goods from
dangerous animals, and transport products to and from the village. Hundreds of
years later, trade and the establishment of cities helped to make significant
technological advancements in packaging.
The Establishment
of Cities
• The rise of cities and trading brought about the
exchange of goods and innovation. Supplies
were made available to regions that had never
been available before. The exchange of goods
helped increase the quality of life; it also
increased the sophistication of packaging
materials and products. Blown glass was one
specific product that helped advance the
human quality of life as well as the packaging
industry. Blown glass enabled craftsmen to
mold glass into a large variety of shapes. Many
of the products produced were containers for
transportation and storage. The blown glass
containers are often made of thick durable
glass that was heavy yet preferred because of
the many benefits offered.
• The rise of cities and trading brought about the exchange of goods and innovation.
Supplies were made available to regions that had never been available before. The
exchange of goods helped increase the quality of life; it also increased the
sophistication of packaging materials and products. Blown glass was one specific
product that helped advance the human quality of life as well as the packaging
industry.
• Blown glass enabled craftsmen to mold glass into a large variety of shapes. Many of
the products produced were containers for transportation and storage. The blown
glass containers are often made of thick durable glass that was heavy yet preferred
because of the many benefits offered.
Ancient Egyptian Packaging
Techniques

• In Ancient Egypt, glass was costly and regarded as a precious stone

typically reserved for royalty. However, it was this obsession with glass
that eventually lead the Egyptians to discover glass blowing
technology of which could mold glass into containers for food and
water storage. This ancient glass was not transparent however -- that
wouldn’t be discovered for another 500 years.
Ancient Chinese Packaging
Techniques

• Ancient China is credited for inventing flexible packaging due to their

innovations in developing paper – i.e. the oldest example of flexible
packaging.
• Historians believe that in the first or second centuries, the Chinese
began to use treated mulberry bark to wrap foods. In later centuries,
when the Chinese perfected their paper-making techniques, paper also
began to be used for packaging items such as medicine and parcels of
tea.
Medieval Packaging

• The middle ages saw a rise in popularity in using wooden barrels and
wood boxes as storage and transportation devices. Barrels were
typically used for travelling across oceans to store items such as rum,
dried food, and fresh water.
Industrial Revolution Packaging

• Fast forward to the Industrial Revolution: this era (starting from about 1760-
1840) gave way to major technological advancements, as the demand for
better quality packaging increased. This demand for quality was fueled by a
sudden surge in new products that were now available for the masses to
consume. However, it should be noted that many of the packaging materials
that arose in this era were expensive; meaning that the use of these
materials were typically reserved for storing and transporting luxury goods.
• Here are some of the more notable packaging advancements that occurred
during this era:
Napoleon’s Food Preservation
Prize (1795)

• In 1795, Napoleon offered a prize of 12,000 francs to anyone who could

invent better methods of food preservation. This push for innovation was due
to Napoleon needing to find a way to feed his army who was in the midst of a
war.
• However, it wouldn’t be another 15 years until this prize was claimed by a
man named Nicolas Appert. Nicolas Appert, also known as the father of
canning, invented a method to preserve food for an extended period of time
by boiling then sealing food in airtight glass containers. We still use this
method today with canned foods!
The Rise of Tin (1810)

• In 1810, Peter Durand, an

Englishman, patented the use of tin-
coated iron cans instead of bottles to
preserve food. Over the next 20 years,
tin would become one of the most
popular packaging materials for
packaging things like cookies and
tobacco.
The First Cardboard
Box (1817)

• Though cardboard itself had been

invented several hundred years earlier
in China, the cardboard box wasn’t
created until 1817 by Sir Malcolm
Thornhill. Note: these boxes weren’t
corrugated yet, that wouldn’t be
invented until 1871. Cardboard boxes
were popular among silk
manufacturers to transport moths and
eggs from Japan to Europe.
Packaging in the Late 1800s – Early 1900s
The First Paper Bag-Making Machine (1852)

• Several years after the first commercial paper bags were

created in 1844, Francis Wolle invented a machine capable of
mass-producing paper bags. Until the late 1800s, packaging
(containers) was largely an expensive either/or proposition: practical
and durable for storage or reserved for luxury goods, such as jewelry or
premium foods. These were not disposable items, and some
manufacturers recognized an opportunity to promote an “after use.”
The Dixie Queen company began designing its punch-cut tobacco tins
to resemble picnic baskets (and later lunch boxes). Its name was
stamped on the tin “basket’ and these items remained popular into the
early 1900s. The rise of dual-use packaging in the late 19th Century
provides some of the earliest examples of branded consumer
packaging. The tradition continues today with, among many examples,
consumers using recyclable, branded tote bags from their favorite
grocery stores
• Note: the paper bags back then didn’t exactly look like what
we’d think of as paper bags today – they resembled large
mailing envelopes.
Cough Drop Knockoffs Lead To
Branding
• The two-bearded brothers on Smith Brothers Cough Drops packaging are real
brothers. Their image first appeared in 1866. The cough drops were popular and
competitors began hawking cough drops in the streets under similar names. The
brothers decided to mark products by putting their pictures on product packaging. It
was arguably the first use of branding on consumer packaging, in its most simplified
form, i.e., placing a name/ image on the product to denote ownership. A year later,
Dr. Lyon’s tooth powder printed its name and simple design elements directly on
metal (tin) boxes. It was the first example of this application and brands such as
Saltine crackers and Cracker Jack utilized tin well into the middle of the 20th Century.
Today, such dry goods are sold almost exclusively in folded paperboard cartons.
The First Carton
(1879)
• Robert Gair, a Brooklyn printer
developed the first carton by
accident! Gair was the owner of a
paper bag company. One day, one
of Gair’s machines malfunctioned
by slicing through (rather than
creasing) a stack of paper bags. It
was then that Gair realized that
cutting and creasing cartons in
one operation could make
prefabricated cartons.
Designed, Branded, Nationally Promoted

• One of history’s first, fully-designed, branded and nationally-marketed

consumer packaged goods was NABISCO’s Uneeda biscuits’ 1896 launch with
the famed little boy in the yellow raincoat. There had likely been regional
examples of such efforts, but no manufacturers until then had had the resources
and ambition to reach the entire country. NABISCO was in a fierce snack war
with Cracker Jack and believed its waxed paper liner was its unique selling
proposition. NABISCO invested $1 million in advertising and branding, and the
experts decided the boy in a raincoat would personify the wax paper protection.
The marketing campaign and branded packaging were a success, and the
Uneeda brand thrived until 2008 when it was discontinued.
The First Cereal
Box (1906)

• The Kellogg brothers, known for the

invention of Corn Flake cereal in 1877,
began using cardboard to distribute
and market their cereal as early as
1906. Initially, the cereal box was
wrapped in a heat-sealed bag, with the
cereal loose on the inside of the box.
Eventually, however, a plastic bag was
placed inside of the cereal box to
contain and protect the cereal.
Modern Packaging

Industrial Revolution
• The industrial revolution brought changes to everyone's
way of life. It consisted of an age where products began
to be produced by machines instead of by hand. Many
rural residents moved into towns and cities to obtain
steady jobs and increased wages. The change in the level
of production and the increased disposable income
encouraged producers to develop durable, dependable,
and efficient packaging methods. The increased product
production resulted in a large rise in demand for:
• 1. Storage and transportation bins
• 2. Bag
• 3. Food packaging methods
• 4. Primary packaging materials
• 5. In-store packaging options
• The migration of citizens into the city reduced the need for large bulk consumer packaging options and increased the need for
individual and smaller packaging quantities. Manufacturers and producers needed large storage containers and bins more than
ever, but consumers needed other packaging options. These demands offered a new chapter in the packaging industry. Bulk
packaging had been around for hundreds of year by that time, but individual packaging was something new.
• A variety of papermaking methods were implemented during this time period to fulfil the needs of the demands listed above.
Initially, most of the food packaging, bags, primary packaging, and in-store packaging options were developed from a paper-based
material. There were some exceptions. Glass jars and jugs were an essential part of the demand for individual packaging methods.
Many companies developed printing methods to place their brand upon the product packaging.
• This helped users quickly identify the maker of the product. No significant advancements were made in the packaging industry
until the early 1900s. This was when plastics were introduced to the packaging industry. The new cellulose plastic changed the
packaging industry and dominated the flexible packaging sector for years. Polyethylene was produced in the '60s and quickly
became a preferred packaging product.
• There have been many changes and new developments since the development of plastics into the packaging industry. A large
variety of different plastics have been produced since the first introduction.
• These plastics have increased the quality of life for people around the globe and continued to advance the packaging industry. The
plastics have enabled manufacturers and producers to extend life and better protect products.
Environmental
Impact
• The large rise and production of plastic packaging materials have
increased the demand for more environmentally friendly options.
Many materials in the packaging industry now have recycling
options. Check out our recent blog post about recycling packaging
products. In recent years there have been large advancements in the
development of more environmentally friendly packaging methods.
Currently, many of these methods are not cost-effective enough to
be commonly used in the market place. In time, manufacturers, and
producers will shift to packaging that reduced the environmental
impact.
The Future of Packaging
• With continued advancements in technology and products, the
packaging industry will continue to evolve. The continued evolution
is sure to offer:
1. More Environmentally Friendly Packaging Options
2. Continued Push for Increased Packaging Efficiencies
3. Increased Design and Branding Capabilities