Brand Oman backs local packaging workshop

Before long the brand began to represent not just the owner but their values and quality of their product; it became a mark of security and trust.

And from these humble beginnings packaging design in the modern age has become one of the most sophisticated, holistic and powerful examples of the designer's craft.

"The full life cycle of packaging now touches on all of the key issues facing Omani retailers and manufacturers and it's important to understand its impact from cradle to grave. From where the original product is sourced and the cost of materials used, to the transportation costs to store and the legacy issues surrounding its reuse or disposal designers, retailers and manufacturers must consider the full impact of a pack's design," says Hamida Al Balushi, organizer of Origin Oman's Product Design and Packaging Workshop scheduled to be held Saturday 18 April at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Today, packaging plays several roles from protecting contents to helping the consumer use the product but perhaps its main job is still seen as one to help sell the product at the point of purchase.

"Most products are meaningless without their packaging," suggests Al Balushi adding, "just take a look at any shampoo bottle and think about how you'd chose one from another if there wasn't any packaging."

According to His Highness Sayyid Faisal Al said, CEO, Oman Brand Management Unit (OBMU) and supporter of the 18 April Origin Oman Workshop, many successful products now market themselves solely on the basis of improved packaging.

"The packaging is often the main reason people are willing to pay an extra few Rials," suggests the OBMU CEO. "Indeed, consumers often find it difficult to get excited about a particular product, therefore it's the job of packaging to look as attractive as possible. Instead of being plain and dull, a product can be made to look a lot more interesting than it actually is simply by how it's packaged," suggests Sayyid Faisal.

More recently there has been a marked shift in focus towards environmental issues and the role of packaging.

"The rise of the savvy Omani shopper over the past few years has forced packaging professionals and local manufacturers to look at alternatives. Indeed, there's growing local awareness of the impact on the environment of excessive packaging and that's making local firms re-evaluate how they package their goods," says the OBMU CEO.

"I'm sure a lot of people have unwrapped a product and thought: Is that it? After all the effort of unwrapping it, is this all I'm left with," asks Al Balushi.

"As consumers, we produce million of tonnes of waste. On average, each person in Oman throws away several times their body weight in rubbish each year. According to recent data the average family gets through a sizeable quantity of packaging waste each week, and this is estimated to include 5 kilos of paper; 3 plastic bottles; 13 cans; and 4 glass bottles or jars," Al Balushi said.

"That's a tremendous amount of unnecessary waste that will probably end up in a local landfill," suggests the Origin Oman Co-ordinator.

"But as we all know the power of packaging should not be underestimated, at the end of the day, it sells products - but in Oman's ever-increasingly environmentally aware society, the secret is to do this in a sustainable way. Packaging has a purpose in its own right, of course, protecting the product as well as selling it. But the ever-changing demands on packaging are increasing and its profile has never been higher. In this regard, the timing of the Origin Oman Product Design and Packaging Workshop couldn't be better," smiles Al Balushi.