An Introduction To Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Packaging

Introduction

Packaging is crucial in protecting your products and also plays a key role in the correct handling and transportation of your products. Think about the last item you bought; what impression did the packaging have on you? Did it imply safety? Did it appear temporary in nature to protect the contents? Was it specially packaged to preserve the products lifecycle, for instance, chilled or frozen?

Now that you’ve thought about that product and its packaging, let’s now break down the 3 key levels of packaging as well as highlighting a range of examples of these levels of packaging:

1. Primary

2. Secondary

3. Tertiary

What is primary packaging?

Primary packaging is the packaging material which closely contains and protects your product, this material stops your item from being exposed prior to consumption. Examples include:

• Tin of beans
• Chocolate bar wrapper
• Coffee capsule
• Blister packs for pharmaceuticals

The main purpose of primary food packaging is to protect and preserve the finished product, particularly against contamination and ensure the items taste, colour and flavour remains as desired. Within the packaging industry there is a heightened demand for more sustainable primary packaging solutions, driven by a large demand to reduce plastic waste. At Smith & McLaurin we have innovated and manufactured a mono-material flexible primary packaging solution called EcoPack, this is a paper-based alternative to avoidable plastic packaging.

What is secondary packaging?

Secondary packaging is predominately used for branding, display and logistical requirements. For example:

• Branded box which contains multiple chocolate bars
• Box which contains multiple coffee capsules
• Kellogg’s rice crispy cereal box
• Branded box of 12 bottles of Corona beer

What is tertiary packaging?

Tertiary packaging is used for the products protection in handling and transportation of a group of products or items. When you buy items online, particularly if you buy in bulk, you commonly receive your products in tertiary packaging, which facilitates the products delivery from point A to point B.

Commonalities of Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Packaging

Despite the 3 types of packaging described above playing different roles, they all have the following commonalities:

• Protection – this is upmost important as the packaging must offer protection to the items it contains, for instance, tertiary packaging helps maximise transportation of bulk materials whilst minimising spoilage, damaged goods via transit and similar.
• Safety – all forms of packaging are crucially offering consumers safety before they consume the final material. Take a bottle of beer for example, you wouldn’t consider opening a bottle if it has appeared to be hugely bashed or smashed as materials could get into the final liquid. This point also reinforces the importance of primary, secondary and tertiary packaging for the drinks industry.
• Attractiveness – whether it be primary, secondary or tertiary – this is how us as consumers recognise products we consume, sometimes as loyal repeat customers or as a one off. A lot of this comes down to the design and branding of the packaging.
• Usability – consumers need it for purpose packaging which must be functional. For example, packaging which is simple to open and close, can be reused or recycled.
• Sustainability – increasingly consumers are looking for packaging materials which can be easily reused or recycled, this is experienced in the rise of mono material packaging or introduction of paper-based alternatives. Alternative packaging materials to avoidable plastic are also on the rise, which will be further accelerated with the introduction of the plastic tax come April 2022.

Contact us 

If you would like to learn more about our flexible paper packaging solution which can be used as primary packaging speak to our team about EcoPack.