Stages of packaging development
Packaging and wrapping are ancient industries with a long history, known since the beginning of humanity and expanding over the years and generations, growing in continuous and ongoing cycles. Since ancient times, the process of packaging and wrapping food materials has been linked to human development and the advancement of civilization.
In ancient times, humans resorted to using natural packaging and wrapping methods such as hollows of cut tree trunks, rock cavities, and caves.
Humans learned how to develop these materials and use animal skins, horns, and bones as packaging materials.
Their hands extended to thin tree branches to make baskets and containers.
The ancient Egyptian civilization, considered the earliest civilization and including the greatest renaissance known to history, recorded many models of packaging and advanced wrapping methods.
This is evidenced by the halls of the Pharaonic temples, which contain a lot. "Herodotus" testifies in his memoirs about visiting Egypt in 530 BC that the Egyptians used pottery containers to store water and different types of wines.
Glass was known in the Sumerian era and large and small bottles were known since 1500 BC.
As for metal containers, the Neolithic man is considered the first to use them for packaging and drinking wines.
The Romans used pottery, ceramics, and glass in 79 AD to make containers, and even took the lead in separating glass from gold and silver ... The Albanians are considered the first to make wooden barrels from natural woods and use them to package wines.
Stages of Evolution of Packaging and Wrapping Materials:
The first stage up until 1200 AD
The second stage after 1200 AD until the present
In the first stage, the prevalent packaging and wrapping materials can be summarized as follows:
1- Leather was used manufacture of bags and leather wrapping materials.
2- Cloth was used in the manufacture of bags and special wrapping materials.
3- Wood was used in the manufacture of wooden barrels, crates, and tanks.
4- Herbs and wooden branches were used in the manufacture of baskets and cages.
5- Stones were used in the manufacture of small containers.
6- Clay was used in the manufacture of bottles, pitchers, cups, and the like.
7- Metals were used in the manufacture of cups, glasses, and the like.
8- Glass was used in the manufacture of bottles, glasses, and others.
Stages of Evolution of the Packaging and Wrapping Industry in Modern Times
1- The First Industrial Revolution: From the late 18th century until the mid-19th century (i.e. from 1750 to 1850 AD) where mechanical machines were discovered for the first time.
2- The Second Industrial Revolution: From the late 19th century to the early 20th century (i.e. from 1850 to 1900 AD) where mechanical assemblies were developed into more advanced ones that could be operated by the energy sources available at that time.
3-The Modern Industrial Revolution: Between the beginning of the 20th century and its middle (i.e. from 1900 to 1950), known as the Technological Revolution, where modern high-speed and self-propelled equipment was discovered.
With technological progress and development, it became possible to reach information technology and the electronics revolution.
The packaging and wrapping industry kept pace with all these stages.
Until 1800 AD, the packaging industry was considered a craft or art.
The Industrial Revolution resulted in a great renaissance in inventing and producing packages, then developed into most of the standardized models circulated today.
This revolution also resulted in great progress in the innovation of packages, which led to the development of most of their patterns and materials, including flexible metal cans, folding cartons, and shipping boxes.
With the modern Industrial Revolution, kraft paper, cellophane, and aluminum foils were used during the period from 1900 to 1930, giving rise to a new stage of flexible packaging.
The Industrial Revolution reached its peak in this field in 1940 when polyethylene, polyester, expanded paper, steel foils, and a huge group of lining materials were introduced. This, of course, led to the emergence of the modern science of packaging and wrapping, a recognized science with specialized scientific institutes in various developed and some developing countries. From this perspective, we can affirm the authenticity of the packaging and wrapping industries and their keeping pace with technological progress.
It is worth mentioning that the packaging and wrapping industry has become an industrial and technological entity with a known and defined personality, a prestigious economic status, and planned and programmed industrial and technological policies and strategies, enabling it to be classified among modern industries with a long history.