Invest in Dreams

Reducing Waste from Fast Food Packaging

At PAE we are always looking out for new ideas about how we can positively influence change in our markets to reduce waste from necessary packaging materials. We have assisted clients to light weight their bottles, use thinner films, and even introduced tie ups with recycling plants to purchase their waste materials. Where feasible and practical we have even installed recycling facilities. Statistics show that more than 50% of waste from packaging materials is generated from plastic, paper, and board. About 20% of this can be attributed to food and beverage packaging alone. As we do our small part, we still depend on the larger multinational companies to make changes which really make a difference.

American fast food chains have recently made big moves in Africa. For example KFC opening branches in Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, Kenya, Angola among others. The other giants will soon follow bringing with them tons of waste generated from disposable packaging. The map below indicates locations of KFC restaurants worldwide.

Africa is has a fast growing economy and a hungry market for modern products which the multinationals are eager to capitalize upon. But at what cost? Local packaging manufacturers are eager to scoop up orders for this new increased demand in the market but there are no recycling facilities in place to deal with the influx of waste materials. Locals are substituting natural foods for processed meats at lower cost that are conveniently suited for the urban business environment. The fast food giants continue to use polystyrene and plastic packaging while there are other options for food containers made from local natural raw materials. Machinery is available to make environmentally friendly food packaging but manufactures would only make the change if urged by these mass consumers. While it may be too late to influence drastic changes in manufacturing through out industrialized nations, it would be possible for Africa to control its growth and development by pushing industrialists to invest in the right directions. 

This approach may be viewed as idealistic but it is with that attitude and hope in mind that designers like Ian Gilley conceive new concepts for packaging to reduce our overall waste. His vision  may never get the attention it deserves but we applaud his efforts and others like him who continue to envision ways for us to improve our environmental foot print.  

View all pictures here. 

Can Simple Package Design Be Too Simplistic?

This is a question our designers at PAE grapple with on a daily basis. How simple is too simple? With our attention focused on Africa we follow different trends than the US and Europe but we have also found that simple design concepts are very effective. But is there a line where we leave brand identity and recognition behind?

I came across a great article on www.brandpackaging.com that shed some light on the subject.

'A prominent trend has been to contemporize packaging by making it simple. Clutter isn’t desirable, but in the haste to keep it clean, is packaging being oversimplified? To the point that it’s starting to look generic? Is this causing more problems than it solves? Are important brand drivers omitted to the detriment of sales and profits because it doesn’t communicate enough to the consumer? Finally, is this hampering otherwise strong brands from becoming category leaders?'

Read the rest of this article here...

Source: Brand Packaging

The Evolution of Soda Can Designs (1950-2013)

When is the right time for you to update the design of your brand? Are you afraid to loose customer loyalty by making changes to a design that your consumers are well connected with? When is the right time to move forward and what are the challenges you will face when keeping up with the latest trends? These are all very difficult questions to consider as a brand manager, but you can look to the giants of our industry and take a page out of the history books for reference. 

Classic brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, 7-Up, and few others have been on shelves around the world since the early 1950's. They understand the need to redesign their appearance every couple of years, to stay fresh and yet not loose their distinguished credentials. It is the most difficult challenge to take that step forward without drawing too far away from your last appearance. Check out some pictures below of how these iconic brands have evolved over the last 60 years. 

PEPSI

DR.PEPPER

COCA-COLA

CRUSH

7-UP

Get in touch with our team at PAE to find out more about how you can keep your brand image up to date without compromising consumer recognition. Stay ahead of the game and keep your competition in check at all times.

Star Wars x EVIAN Bottled Water

Being a huge Star Wars fan myself, I would love to see a collaboration between George Lucas and Evian water. But alas this is just a concept design by an art student . Awesome work though.

"If watching the complete Star Wars saga on Blu-ray has taught us anything, it’s that the classic films’ beloved characters would look great as design concepts on special bottles of Evian water. Fortunately for us, art student Mandy Brencys took the fanciful notion and made it into reality by actually designing glass bottles of Evian to resemble C-3P0, Chewbacca, R2-D2, Darth Vader and a Storm Trooper. Part of a student design project, these Evian bottles sadly won’t be coming to a store near you, nor to ones in galaxies far, far away. We just hope Mandy’s instructors at Hamburg’s Miami Ad School gave her extra points for not including any characters from the prequel trilogy."

Source: Freshness

How to Select the Right 5 Gallon Water Dispenser

There are literally hundreds of suppliers for water dispensers world wide and even more designs to choose from. What should you look for when selecting the appropriate dispenser to represent your brand? Cost of course is a leading factor, but shoddy quality can depreciate your brands value.

Our latest model of 5 Gallon (20 Liter) water dispenser and cooler/heater features up to date safety mechanisms, high quality electrical components and fittings, and also a unique and elegant design.

Features of the PAE-20L AQUACOOL Water Dispenser:

1. Bottle Support Collar
2. Ready-to-dispense Indicator Lights
3. Childproof Safety Lock
4. Hot water dispensing tap (also dispenses room temperature when 'kettle feature' is not activated)
5. Cold water dispensing tap.
6. 'Kettle Feature' (on/off) activation button. (Press once, button starts flashing to signify hot water heating system is operational. When temperature is reached, flashing light will change to a steady state 'on' condition to signify hot water is now ready to be dispensed). You can cancel the hot tank operation at any time by pressing the 'kettle feature' button a second time and the light will switch off. 
7. Removable drip tray and red float indicator serves as a reminder to empty the drip tray when the red float penetrates through drip tray grill. 
8. Adjustable cold water thermostat.
9. Drain Valve
10. Condenser coils. 

The PAE-20L Water Dispenser also features specially treated Stainless Steel and plastic parts to resist finger prints. The water holding tanks are fashioned from stretch molded plates rather than welded metal which usually results in leaks after 1 year of use. To know more about this model and other models of our water dispensers email us info@panasia-exports.com

To know more about manufacturing and filling 20L bottles visit www.panasia-exports.com