Photos: Green packaging eliminates 'wrap rage'

This thick plastic packaging looks about as hard to crack as the laptop lock it contains. 'Wrap rage' is what some consumers suffer when struggling to remove a product from a sealed plastic shell resistant to poking, prying and tearing. Emergency room doctors report regular visits from people who blame battles with packaging for gashes, amputated fingertips and severed tendons.

But the days of wrap rage and related wounds may soon end as corporations move away from fused 'clamshell' or 'oyster' designs towards easier-to-open, more ecologically sustainable forms and materials.

Credit: Elsa Wenzel/CNET Networks

Consumer Reports launched the 'Oyster Awards' two years ago to highlight hard-to-open packaging.

Compact fluorescent lightbulbs are more energy-efficient than incandescents, and therefore billed as eco-friendly. However, the seemingly impenetrable plastic packaging for these CFL bulbs 'won' the magazine's honorable mention in 2007.

For the past few decades, retailers have used clamshells to show off expensive consumer electronics inside a clear bubble that deters thieves. The rigid packaging protects goods that may spend months or years being shipped across oceans and sitting on store shelves.

Consumer Reports won't hold 'Oyster Awards' for 2008, although it will address sustainable packaging soon.

Credit: Consumer Reports

The need to open clamshell packages safely has spawned products such as this Pyranna opener. It tucks a blade and wheel into a smooth plastic grip, protecting the hands.

Credit: Consumer Reports

More companies are using clamshells built to be opened with bare hands. The top package in this picture features two snaps that enable it to be resealed. The package beneath it can be opened by bending a corner. Other designs feature perforations that allow the plastic to be punched and torn.

Until the past several years, most oyster packs were made with PVC (polyvinyl chloride), which is commonly believed to be toxic. Many vendors and retailers -- including Microsoft and Apple -- are using PET (polyethylene terephthalate) instead. However, scientists are finding that ingredients in PET also harm human health and pollute ecosystems. Some designers are using recycled or plant-based plastics as well as recycled paperboard as alternatives to clamshells.

Credit: Elsa Wenzel/CNET Networks

New packages that use half as much plastic as a heavy clamshell can lead to reduced shipping costs, and therefore fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Packaging company Winterborne created Enviroshell blister packaging as an oyster alternative. It uses recycled PET plastic and recycled paperboard as well as soy-based inks. Corrugated board is sealed with water-based glue.

The stiff board sandwiches the plastic without adhesives, so both can be separated and recycled. Packaging designers praise Enviroshell for holding heavy products well and being easy to take apart, although a blade is ideal for cutting the board.

Credit: Winterborne

The EcoViewPack from Rohrer can be tailored to a variety of sizes and goods. The plastic blister center provides a front and back view of a product, and the overall package can use recyclable materials, according to Rohrer.

Another benefit to paperboard is that when it's cut or torn, unlike plastic, it won't break into jagged, hand-stabbing shards.

Credit: Rohrer

This MP3 player is encased in 'green' Natralock packaging made by MeadWestvaco. The company makes several versions of its paperboard and plastic package, which is supposed to cost less than the traditional oyster.

It can also be made with recycled materials and plant-based plastics. One version tears open, another is tear-resistant and another will tear once a nick is made along the edge. This writer found that the plastic blister pops out easily once the board is cut.

Credit: MeadWestvaco