Smart packaging is packaging that does more than protect and display the contents. It may show more than simple printing and barcodes. Although in its infancy, smart packaging is already saving lives, preventing sickness, reducing costs, errors and crime and reinvigorating brands. Packaging suppliers would be foolish to ignore smart packaging as it is a major way in which they can avoid commoditisation.
Smart packaging may greatly enhance a product such as the plastic pot of drugs that reminds the user when to take them and records what was taken and when. Cypak of Sweden, B & O of Denmark and Information Mediary of Canada can demonstrate these. They will improve the integrity of drug trials and become more generally useful as costs reduce. When a liquid drug is delivered in a smart skin patch there is no waste transferring the drug from the purchased package to the delivery mechanism. These smart skin patches from Alza and Power Paper use a tiny battery to deliver the drug electrically through the skin without pain.