The future of accessible packaging is being driven by a new partnership between Arthritis New Zealand and Packaging New Zealand. Arthritis New Zealand and Packaging New Zealand have created a set of guidelines to provide practical design advice to companies producing packaging. Many bottles and lids are complicated with tricky-to-open seals or tear tabs that are too small.
Arthritis inhibits a lot of people from easily opening foods and medicines. Philip Kearney, CEO of Arthritis New Zealand, said, “More than 670,000 people in New Zealand have arthritis, and this number is projected to increase to one million by 2040. This means that the necessity of good packaging design will become more important to more people, making it a critical element for all manufacturers and suppliers to consider.” On top of the people that have arthritis, New Zealand’s ageing population means that we have to be especially careful as the elderly tend to lose strength and dexterity as they age.
These guidelines were originally developed by Arthritis Australia who had worked with the Georgia Tech Research Institute and HealthShare NSW. The guidelines are a world first and provide scientifically verified standards for making functional packaging.
Kearney said, “Arthritis New Zealand wants to take constructive steps to encourage the industry to make accessibility of packaging a must-have.”
