Amcor scoops award for child-resistant packaging

The award was issued for Amcor's SafeStick child resistant tear-open pack, which is used for GlaxoSmithKline's Goody's headache powder.

To increase child resistance SafeStick uses a printed tear indicator, accompanied by text explaining how to open it as opposed to other packaging options on the market which use a notch to signify where to tear open the sachet.

The level of child resistance can be further increased by incorporating Amcor's tear system with " fold first " or " squeeze first " instructions.

Child resistant packaging must strike a balance between being too hard for children to open but easy enough for invalids and the elderly to access.

Amcor's solution to this is a sachet which is opened by lifting the seam on the back of the pack and twisting at the printed tear indicator.

A video demonstrating the process is available here .

This printed tear indicator is not evident to a child and the Goody's packaging has passed child resistance panel testing.

Amcor envisages further applications for the packaging technology in pouches or sachets of powders, granules, liquids, oral dissolve strips, creams and gels for pharmaceutical or personal care use.

Teri Meadow, Amcor Flexibles' director for pharmaceutical and personal care packaging said: " This innovative design eliminates extra material and tooling costs associated with traditional notched or slit tear opening features . "

The tear indicator can be located anywhere on the pack to meet product dispensing, CR criteria and graphic design preferences. "

Child resistant packaging first came to prominence in the 1970s, with the US first to pass legislation, followed by other nations including the UK.

In the past decade more stringent EU legislation governing non re-closeable packaging for specific drugs has come into force.

Despite legislation and the proliferation of child resistant packaging a study published in 2007 in the journal Pediatrics found that ingestion of cough and cold medications accounted for 5.7 per cent of emergency department visits by children under 12 in the US.

Child resistant packaging is based on research that children below the age of five are unable to undertake two actions simultaneously or follow a simple algorithm.

This information led to the proliferation of " push down & turn " lids as well as products that require the user to " line up the arrows " to gain access.

Amcor will be hoping that their product can become as ubiquitous as these child resistant packaging solutions which have dominated re-sealable packaging market for some time.

However, given the emotive nature of anything involving children's health and the potential market it seems inconceivable that competitors won't emerge in both the re-sealable and non re-sealable sectors.