Easy to open packaging www.bsigroup.com/ConsumerStandards

raising standards worldwide™

Easy to open packaging

A consumer’s guide to the European technical specification for packaging –ease of opening (CEN TS 15945)

If you’ve ever struggled to get into a carton, a packet or a jar, you’re notalone: nearly half of over-65s, and one in six people under 40, find it hardto open everyday items, such as plastic milk bottles or jars.

While packaging has to be robust and secure enough to protect what’s inside – often over long distances or a long shelf life – it’s also vital that consumers can access the contents easily. With an ageing population and more people living independently into old age, it’s more important than ever that packaging is easy to open for everyone, including older people who tend to have reduced hand strength.

There’s also increasing demand from consumers of all ages for products – from cartons to tins to bottles – that can beopened without the need for traditional tools such as tinopeners, scissors or corkscrews.

Fortunately, manufacturers are realising the importance of making their products accessible and easy to open, and many are investing in the development of more user-friendly packaging. Studies show that consumers will avoid buying products that are difficult to open, so ease of opening can mean more sales – as well as happier customers.

The technical specification (TS) described in this leaflet has been launched to help manufacturers design packagingthat all consumers, whatever their age or physical strength, can open with ease.

CEN TS 15945 – The basics• CEN TS 15945 doesn’t stipulate a type of packaging thatmust be used. Instead, it sets out a method for testing how easy it is to open a particular design of packaging.

• The test can be used for a range of consumer packaging,including jars, bottles, cartons, boxes and cans.

• The test method involves asking a group of consumers aged between 65 and 80 to open the packaging and reach the contents inside, taking note of how long this takes and how easy users find it.

• The TS is voluntary and can be used by anyone with an interest in accessible packaging – including designers,manufacturers, retailers and consumer groups.

CEN TS 15945 – The detailsThe best way to find out whether packaging is easy to open is to ask real people to use it. This is why the specificationrecommends using a group of ordinary but older consumers to carry out the testing, as described below.

The consumer panel• The testing panel will consist of up to 100 people agedbetween 65 and 80. Hand strength tends to reduce as we get older, so, if this group of people can open the items with ease, the vast majority of the population will also be able to manage the task.

• 70% of panel members will be female to reflect the fact that women generally have a weaker grip than men do.

The testThe test is designed to evaluate the consumer’s completeexperience of using the packaging – from opening it to taking out the contents to closing it again. Packaging is tested for effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction, as follows.

• Effectiveness: The effectiveness test asks the users to open an unfamiliar package, then allows them up to five minutes to read the opening instructions and open the package.

• Efficiency: Once the user is familiar with the pack, they are asked to open a second sample of the pack. This time, they are expected to be able to complete the task within a minute.

• Satisfaction: Users are then asked to take out some ofthe contents from the opened pack, and reclose the pack(where applicable). Each user records their own satisfactionwith the process – showing how easy they found the taskand whether or not it was uncomfortable or problematic.

✓

✓

✓

Using the results• From the results of the small sample of users, it’s possible to work out how the population as a whole will cope with the packaging.

• There is no pass or fail mark but the packaging will be considered to be easy to open if the large majority

of testers can open it efficiently and effectively and weresatisfied with the process.

• Manufacturers can use the test results to improve existingpackaging and develop new, more accessible products.

Checklist: What to expect

You can expect organizations to take note of the TS and to use the test method when designing new packaging and reviewing existing products.

Consumer groups might also use the specification to test different types of packaging. They are likely to report their findings publicly and to lobby manufacturers for improvements.

Over the next few years, the TS will be tried and possibly modified and expanded, and is likely to be adopted as a British Standard in 2014.

USEFUL INFORMATION

AgeUK – 020 8996 9001 – www.ageuk.org.uk

British Standards Institution (BSI) – 020 8996 9001 – www.bsigroup.com

European Committee for Standardization (CEN) – www.cen.eu

Ricability (consumer testing for older and disabled people) – 020 7427 2460 – www.ricability.org.uk

What are British Standards?

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has beendeveloping standards for over 100 years to makeproducts and services safer for consumers.Standards set out good practice and guidelinesfor organisations to follow.

It’s not compulsory for organisations to sign up to a standard, so you can feel confidentthat those that choose to comply with BritishStandards take safety and customer serviceseriously.

Frequently asked questions

Who developed the TS?

It was drawn up by the European Committee forStandardization (CEN), a non-governmental organizationthat develops standards to support business and consumersin Europe. The test method is based on an existinginternational standard – ISO/TS 20282-2:2006, Ease of operation of everyday products. The British StandardsInstitution (BSI) is a member of CEN and the InternationalOrganization for Standardization (ISO).

Where can I find a copy of the full TS?

Your local public library should be able to give you access to a reference copy, or you can purchase a copy from BSIeither as a printed document or in electronic form (PDF format).

What’s the difference between a TS and a British Standard?

In most respects a technical specification works just like a standard but it has only a three-year life, after which timeit is due to be adopted as a British Standard. During thesethree years, users will have the chance to try out thestandard and suggest amendments if necessary.

Why doesn’t the TS say more about what type of packaging should be used?

It would be impossible in a single standard to specifyrequirements for all individual types of consumerpackaging, from vacuum-packed bacon to self-assemblywardrobes. Instead, this specification concentrates onhelping manufacturers to ensure each package is fit for its purpose and balances security of contents with ease of opening. It will thus improve all but the largestpackaging – it does not cover, for example, washingmachine packaging.

Why does the test method use ordinary consumers to evaluate packaging?

A user panel is the best way to understand how consumersreally use and open packaging and how easy or difficult they find it. Over the next few years, other methods will be developed, including mechanical tests to measure suchthings as the strength of packaging or the force needed toopen it. These methods will be added to the TS to be usedalongside the consumer test. Until then, manufacturers arebeing encouraged to develop their own mechanical tests.

Will focusing on ease of opening make packaging less safe and secure?

No. Existing safety regulations will continue to apply to thepackaging of dangerous goods and substances, medicinalproducts, and medical devices – taking precedence overease of opening. Similarly, the TS does not cover packagingfor large, heavy items, such as washing machines, as theseneed to be packaged securely.

I am partially sighted and often have difficulty withpackaging. Will the TS mean that more packaging is designed with me in mind?

The test method is designed to evaluate how easy packagesare to open, particularly for people with reduced handstrength. It doesn’t currently specifically address any issuesrelating to visual or cognitive problems, but it is hoped thatfuture versions will do so.

I often struggle using corkscrews and tin openers. Will the TS make these easier to use?

This TS applies only to packaging that does not require a separate tool to open it. So the test method could beused to assess screw top bottles or tins with integrated ring-pulls, for example, but it doesn’t apply to bottles with corks or to tins that need a tin opener.

Q.

A.

Q.

A.

Q.

A.

Q.

A.

Q.

A.

Q.

A.

Q.A.

Q.A.

BSI Group Headquarters

389 Chiswick High Road London W4 4AL UK

Tel +44 (0)20 8996 9001Fax +44 (0)20 8996 7001www.bsigroup.com

© BSI copyright

raising standards worldwide™