Did you know that you can study the science of packaging at Michigan State University in East Lansing? In the fall of 1952, Packaging was created at Michigan State University as an academic discipline in the Department of Forest Products. The Packaging program was science and mathematics based with strong components in business, sociology and psychology. The first Bachelor of Science degree in Packaging was awarded in March 1955.
In 1957, the MSU Board of Trustees separated the Packaging curriculum from Forest Products and established an independent School of Packaging. Industry assistance and advice were instrumental in the development of the School and remain so today.
For example, the School worked closely with Ipsos, McKinsey and Company, and Smithers to introduce a new resource for people studying packaged goods. Ipsos, a leading market research company, donated the NewProductWorks collection and facilitated its relocation to East Lansing.
The result of decades of painstaking curation and archival research, the MSU Collective for NewProductWorks now contains more than 140,000 packaged goods manufactured from 1980 onwards, encompassing 350 categories in global, regional, and local markets. The collection is displayed like a supermarket, offering visitors a hands-on means to compare products or gather ideas for research and development.
“We’re proud to bring NewProductWorks to Michigan State, where it can be a resource for the next generation of marketers, packagers, researchers and historians,” said Peter Mackey, Executive Vice President and Head of Ipsos’ UX Business. “Under the University’s stewardship, this unique asset will continue to inspire innovation and excellence in product design.”
According to School of Packaging Director Matt Daum, “This is a unique one-of-a-kind collection in its scope and availability to the general public. This collection has tremendous potential for research and creative ideation as well as sustainability approaches used by product categories over the years.”
Daum said, “Our students will have access to this wealth of creative work to spur their own ideas which they will take with them into the job market. For faculty in units like packaging, marketing, and advertising the collection will serve as a storehouse of comparative study and trend analysis. And for companies looking for design inspiration, competitive analysis or sustainability trends, the physical and digital collection will be an indispensable data source.”
Notes on the packaged good industry today…
The industry value is projected to reach $18.94 trillion by 2031, a CAGR of 5.1% from 2022 to 2031.
Top segments in the CPG space include food and beverage, cosmetics and personal care, household supplies, pet care, and OTC medicine and healthcare.
67 of the top 100 CPG companies are in the food and beverage category.
CPG companies spend about 23% of their total budgets on advertising and marketing.
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