When packaging became a competitive edge

– Imagine that you want to offer somebody a very expensive wine to celebrate a special event. Would it not add some zest if the packaging itself could convey a feeling when we open the wine?

The rhetorical question is posed by professor Li-Rong Zheng, director of the research centre Ipack.

– We are constantly searching for such applications for new, smart packaging, he explains.

He adds that an important part of the smart package concept is the experience itself as well as the use of it.

When the concept of smart packaging has been discussed in recent years, a common example has been milk cartons that can indicate whether the milk has gone sour. The fact that this area is much larger than this example is clear to anybody who has met professor Li-Rong Zheng or come into contact with Ipack.

At Ipack there are almost 60 people working to find new, unexpected applications for a combination of organic chemistry, traditional electronics, paper technology and biomedicine, among other fields.

– By combining knowledge from each different area we can be on the cutting edge, regarding both research and development of new products. Our task, though, is not only to produce innovations. We must also inspire others to use our knowledge and results to make their own developments, says Li-Rong Zheng.

Julius Hållstedt, deputy director at Ipack and one of the senior researchers associated with the Centre, agrees.

– We are able to think freely at the same time as we combine traditional areas of knowledge such as electronics and telecommunications with paper technology. We produce innovations, and this is done with the help of existing technology together with new ways of thinking, he says.

The test projects that have been carried out include a type of glue that can be controlled electronically, which gives the concept of child-safe packages are completely new perspective. Ipack has also worked with a wireless monitoring system that can be used on ordinary cardboard boxes to monitor the transport of foodstuffs.

The monitoring system is currently being evaluated by their industrial partner Billerud for use in transporting fruit.

Let us return to the intelligent milk carton. Even though it has a potential area of use according to Lars Sandberg, chairman of the board for first-stage Ipack, it is hardly this application where the technology will be first put to use.

– It may take time before milk cartons are able to make use of this. The technology will be used primarily in more expensive products such as packages for perfume or toys, where it can be a competitive edge in comparison with other similar products, he says.

There are many possible applications in the medicine/technical area. One example is packages that can keep track of when a person has taken their tablets. Another example is plasters that can monitor different body functions and even release medicine if required. Another possible application is a bed with inbuilt technology that can monitor how you are feeling and communicate the information to your family doctor.

– Another more mundane area where we may first meet this technology is in smart games, scratch-cards and toys, says Lars Sandberg.

Ipack has just completed its first stage. During its first two years, activities have focused on three areas: wireless communication and sensors, interactive paper and sensors, and smart packages. As well as the projects named above, results include a number of scientific publications.

– We are now going to evaluate the results of the research together with our industrial partners. We will then produce an agenda for the next stage, in which we will use the results for which we as well as industry can see possible applications, says Li-Rong Zheng.

Lars Sandberg agrees with him.

– This is very important for our timber and paper industries, which need to find new sources of revenue. At the same time, the field is much larger than just packaging and for this reason it is necessary that a wide spectrum of interested parties is involved, says Lars Sandberg.

Mattias Lundberg, program manager at Vinnova, is involved in Ipack and has the same opinion.

– Ipack has an incredibly exciting vision built on the three existing Swedish areas of commercial strength: timber, electronics and biomedicine. If this can be put into practice it will give Sweden a completely new industry, he says.