Appendices to CBI Export Planner - crecer

CBI Export PlannerHowever important, some exporters neglect the issue almost completely. They just do notgive enough attention to it, thereby forgetting what good packaging can do for them. Itcan actually help selling!When you export to countries with a high standard of living, your packaging should beimpeccable. Use the best material available and economically feasible. No drab paper,but strong carton or metal, excellent printing and perfect art work. It is always worth theinvestment; the buyer recognizes the care with which you packed the product and willappreciate the fact that you want to protect the high quality of the product.Green dots protect environment against waste packaging pollutionIn some countries there are strict regulations on packaging and labelling, particularly fornutritional, perishable or dangerous goods. In Europe the trends in packaging go a longway in protecting the environment. Before this decade is over, all suppliers of packedproducts should be ready and able to take back their packaging material in order to avoidit to be thrown away and pollute the environment. Plastic (p.v.c.) packaging will bephased out, unless that material can be destroyed at low costs. Bio-degradable materials,that can be absorbed by nature without spoiling it, or that even can be used again(recycling) will get preference. Your trade partner will have to inform you and take action(destruction or take-back) on your behalf. For the markets in Germany, France, Belgiumand Spain, he will help you obtaining the so-called ‘Green dot’, identifying you have acontract with a third party that will look after destruction or environment-friendlyrecycling of your packaging for you.Sometimes standard weights and measurements (like the E-norm) are prescribed,enabling the consumer to compare competitive products.Protection counts for transportation too. Containers can give good protection for efficientlong-haul shipping. Containers are large (mostly metal) boxes used for sea-, land- andeven air transportation. They have standardized measurements, expressed in footage (20or 40 feet); the airlift-containers are shaped to the size of a plane’s loading bay belowdecks.Apart from standard lengths there are also maximum-weight norms for the loading ofsuch containers.Using containers normally enables lower freight tariffs than when shipping in theconventional way. Your concern as an exporter is always to find a cheap way oftransportation without endangering the protective function. Ask your forwarder.A special remark on packaging concerns its value as an information medium, that is as abearer of a message to the buyer. For products like medicines this does not only makesense but is also obligatory in most export markets. For food products local lawssometimes explicitly require that the contents (e.g. net minimum weight) and thecomposition (list of ingredients) of the product are spelled out. As a rule the packageshould bear the name of the supplier (you) and in some cases also of the importer.Other packing regulations may demand the mentioning of the “last consumption date”,which should protect your consumers from buying over-aged goods. For articles used athome or in the kitchen your customer might want to print directions for use on thepackaging.All these technical regulations can be found in the laws and regulations of the targetcountry. These are accessible for the public, so that applies to you too. Remember that36 III - The export marketing mix