As I was reading Chris Brogan's (Human Business Works) recent article about change and fear, the paragraph that struck me was this one: "Before Netflix, Blockbuster was a sure thing. Before Zipcar, you owned a car, borrowed a car, or rented a car. AirBNB has changed hospitality options. Square gives everyone the ability to be a credit card merchant when that wasn’t true as recently as a few years ago without a lot of hassle." I was a loyal Blockbuster customer until Netflix made renting movies so easy. Once Hulu entered the scene with their free online TV shows, the computer became my central source of entertainment. It was only about 50 years ago that my family sat around a single small black and white TV that had only three channels of entertainment. Big changes.
Here's another game-changer - Elektro the Smoking Robot, in his awkward yet flirtatious debut at the 1939 World's Fair in New York:
Isn't it amazing that just 74 years ago Elektro was thought an extraordinary machine? Now we have specialized robots that can manipulate parts for assembly, perform laparoscopic surgery, or park your car for you without bumping the curb.
As John F. Kennedy so famously stated, "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." Some manufacturers continue to use packaging materials that were invented more than 50 years ago. If you're performing tasks and using processes and materials that are 30, or 50, or 74 years old, maybe it's time to look at what's new.
You can read more from Chris Brogan here: Are You Scared of What's Next?
Intercept Technology Packaging products fit within a sustainability strategy because they are reusable, recyclable, do not contain or use volatile components (No VOCs, Not a VCI) and leave a smaller carbon footprint than most traditional protective packaging products.