No. PR- 239
March 2, 2021
New Delhi
We need to have standards for the packaging of toys in the coming years
We need to have standards for the packaging of toys in the coming years. The packaging material for toys needs to be child-safe; hygienic; durable; eco-friendly and attractive, deliberated Mr. Jayant Rai Chowdhary, Dy. Director-General, Standardization, Bureau of Indian Standards in the session on ‘How do Packaging Solutions enhance profitability for Toy Industry?’ in The India Toy Fair 2021.
Mr. Jayant Rai Chowdhary while discussing the role of packaging relevant to toys and packaging standards, mentioned that while selecting a material suitable for packaging of toys, we need to consider the aspects of chemically inert; moisture-proof; tear-proof; toxicity of material and ink used for marking on it; environment-friendly material and safe and no harm to kids while handling. He further mentioned that materials like plastic boxes, paperboard/ cardboard boxes, craft boxes, chipboard packaging, wooden boxes, and cloth bags can be used.
He also mentioned that packaging apart from fulfilling its functional requirement plays a pivotal role in marketing so that it attracts customers.
He discussed the important standards available for paper packaging which included Kraft paper for packing and wrapping; folding boxboard uncoated; millboard, graybeard, and strawboard; corrugated fiberboard boxes and solid fiberboard boxes, high-density polyethylene film, polyethylene air bubble film, and many more.
Mr. Chowdhary emphasized that as toys have come under the compliance regime to the Indian standards and have made mandatory by the government, we need to ensure that packaging materials have a defined set of requirements that get addressed through the standards which helps the material manufacturers to decide the right quality of packaging suitable for their product and business.
Sh Pramod Kumar Tiwari, DG, BIS in his special message to the Toys sector spoke about the Indian standards for safety of toys primarily prescribed requirements related to physical and mechanical safety aspects and acceptable limits of lead, mercury etc. and it also prescribed certain requirements of packaging such as labeling etc. at par with the international standards. He said that manufacture must clearly mention the products details, age grading of toys in the packaging. In addition, the manufacturer mush also prominently give the warnings on the package of toys.
Dr. Tanweer Alam, Director, Indian Institute of Packaging while sharing his views about the toy sector, deliberated about the importance of packaging in all sectors and major packaging functions like protection; preservation; promotion, and transportation. He gave an overview of the packaging sector’s growth story where Asia- Pacific market is one of the largest growing packaging markets in the world indicating that its huge potential for growth and development.
Talking about the Indian Toy Industry, Dr. Alam mentioned that the retail value of our domestic production is primarily coming from manufacturing in which sectors like MSME and large units are involved. Indians have a steady increase in their purchasing power which signifies that India can be a tapping market. If proper encouragement assistance is given, the Indian Toy Industry can witness rapid growth in the years to come.
He emphasized that packaging can be used as a marketing tool for Indian toys and with the help of innovative packaging solutions; we can protect the products from any kind of damage at the same time the packaging needs to be convenient in handling and reusable. He also emphasized that we have to develop alternative packaging based on natural resources and locally available materials so that the cost is minimized and there is ample availability.
Ms. Preeti Sitaraman, Director, KPMG mentioned that the packaging takes the conceptual idea of the brand and gives it in the form of a consumer-facing product that comes through. From the perspective of the toy industry, there is a lot of focus on the front panel which is the most important part for marketing looking at the rise in competition in the market. Factors like quality, sustainability, and branding play a vital role in deciding the purchase of the product. She highlighted that the innovation in packaging is green packaging which needs to be focused on looking at the environmental concerns.
The session was moderated by Mr. Naveen Seth, Assistant Secretary-General, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and was attended by many industry stalwarts pan-India.
Ends
Media Division
PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry