Design talk with Steve Kelsey: Why the future looks less scary on a clear day

One such future involves the distributed manufacturing consortium we are part of, funded by the Technology Strategy Board and including multinationals like Unilever and Akzo Nobel. The total scope of the consortium is both ambitious and long term, but the early phase includes the development of in-store refilling for a wide range of products.

Market research trials in several locations (including Shanghai) have delivered remarkably good results for consumer acceptance and delivery on mass reduction. How good? Not only do consumers like the idea, but they prefer it to conventional methods.

And the mass reduction is in the order of 70-80%. This is just the sort of performance that will contribute heavily to decoupling economic growth from carbon growth. It also offers a completely new set of tools for marketing in-store, including mass customisation and immersive brand design.

All jolly spiffing from a design perspective. But for those of a nervous disposition or those who have elevated prevarication and obfuscation to an Olympic sport, such visions of the future are often mistaken for portents of doom.

Fortunately for this group, there are a lot of perceived problems with in-store refilling to cling to. 'What about the mess? The retailers won't want to pay. Where's the brand equity gone?' I am sure there are more. However, although comforting in the short term , this level of self-deception is dangerous.

When I was young and stupid (I am now old and stupid) I remember a meeting with the marketing manager for the plastics division of Metal Box. On his desk he had a yoghurt pot I had never seen before. It looked fantastic, and so being young I asked lots of questions and learned that, yes, it was far better decorated than 'our' tubs, yes, it was cheaper and, yes, it could be filled with a wide range of flavours. But, I was informed, "we won't be buying the company as the system is seriously flawed. Our customers don't want to make packaging, they want to make products".

So Metal Box never bought ERCA, and after years of bitter competition lost the entire yoghurt market. It could have been so different – had the day been clearer.

Steve Kelsey is partner at PI Group.

Send comments for Steve to packagingnews.editorial@haymarket.com