I live in Europe but sometimes shop at Asian supermarkets here. One of the things I notice with almost everything I buy there is that plastic packaging feels a lot thicker than that on European products. Is there a rational reason for this? Are plastics simply cheaper? Or do people worry more that products might spoil? Are these different types of plastics?
I doubt that. For one, it’s not just exported foods — similar types of packaging are used at least in Japan domestically.
For two, I’d presume that in either case, domestic and export, the retail packaging is shipped within a carton within a carton and then wrapped in cling foil and placed on a palette. Iow, the packaging shouldn’t need to be hardier for export, because the outer layer(s) of corrugated cardboard and extra plastic should take any occurring damage.
I know on the multiple boxes issue it’s because of differing rules on wall thickness & sturdiness from country to country. So I’m wondering if there’s a country that requires a specific plastic thickness for products. Then it would just be the manufacturer using the lowest common denominator that works worldwide, instead of having multiple SKUs or having to repackage it.