So how do you go about creating packaging for chocolate? The Cadbury team might be working on 70-80 different packaging developments at the same time, so they need to be able to juggle many different tasks.
The main materials used for packaging by Cadbury are paper, board, cellulose film, plastic film, plastic sheet, aluminum foil and tinned steel, plus rigid plastics for seasonal gifts.
Materials need to be able to run through machines without causing problems, and they need to be cost effective. They’ve got to protect products from odours and moisture – but not smell themselves. This is crucial, because chocolate can be tainted by odours quite easily – which you might have noticed if you’ve ever kept unwrapped chocolate in the fridge.
Packaging also needs to look as appealing as possible. Chocolate is very often an impulse buy, so products need to stand out from the competition.
But there’s another crucial element to packaging design: concern for the environment.
Cadbury follow the Government’s Department of Food and Rural Affairs’ policy on packaging design and waste strategy. Cadbury also work with WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme), a Government-sponsored body who help businesses reduce waste and recycle more.
However, Cadbury want to do more to shrink their global environmental footprint and go beyond Government objectives. So in 2007 they launched their own initiative.