A guide has been produced by INCPEN to help retailers and manufacturers reduce the amount of product that gets caught in packaging.
Following a request from Boots UK, INCPEN worked with WRAP to identify why product can get trapped in the packaging making it difficult for the consumer to get to.
Known as Unintentional Product Residue (UPR), Leatherhead Food Research was commissioned to look into the issue and investigated 362 samples of regularly used foods, cosmetics, toiletries, cleaning products and DIY products.
UPR can mean waste product that used energy and water to create it, as well as reputational damage as consumers get frustrated by not being able to access all the product they bought.
The INCPEN guide, ‘The Bit at the Bottom. A guide to help consumers get the last bit out, seeks to support manufacturers’ existing efforts by highlighting areas that should be taken into consideration early in the product development process. These include the nature of the product, the design of its packaging and how consumers use the product and its pack.
INCPEN director Jane Bickerstaffe said: “Nearly all of us will have experienced the frustration of not being able to access ‘the last bit’ of product.
“Many manufacturers already minimise UPR. Our guide supports their initiatives with advice on steps that can be taken in the early stages of product development.”
The guide can be downloaded at http://www.incpen.org/resource/data/incpen1/docs/UPR.pdf
