If it were not for containers, not only looking for products would be a great hassle, but obtaining them fresh would be a miracle. From Wax Packaging and Seafood Packaging to putting chicken in Poultry Boxes, containing manufactured or biological products has become one of the signatures of the new generation. Our society is seeded with containers we ignore and pass by everyday. Some are in the trash while others are featured in advertisements. Nearly every product made is enclosed in its own synthetic home for a variety of reasons that will be described in the account that follows.

There are plenty of objectives and advantages of storing material in containers. One of them is physical protection. Some products need to be protected from factors and elements like shock, vibration, compression and heat. Then there exists the concept of barrier protection. In barrier protection, the mass produced products are protected from microscopic particles like dust and certain gases such as oxygen. Barriers in addition protect products from water vapors. The major function of barrier protection is to increase shelf life of the product. Some food containers have modified or controlled atmospheres to guarantee freshness.

Some containers have oxygen absorbers. Desiccants are hygroscopic materials with water absorbing characteristics. Agglomeration or Containment is a technique used specifically for small objects such as pencils. The benefit of grouping small objects is efficiency. Carrying 2000 pencils individually is more complicated than carrying one container with the same number of pencils inside. Containers are also conduits for information transmission. Such information could be about how to use and discard that particular container or product. It could even contain details on how that container should be transported. Some governments have laws that require certain types of information on containers.

Containers are also vital marketing agents showing properties and characteristics of the contents. Food containers are very good examples of this kind of marketing. The name of the product could also incorporate a picture to stimulate the consumer to purchase that product. Many companies have started to focus on the shape of the container for marketing purposes. The shape of a container could be an extra factor for marketing products. This is probably due to how it is handled by the consumer at the store. The colors used on the container is decided by the nature of the product inside and the logo of the manufacturer. For example ice cream would require friendly, soft and light colors while containers on video games, CD's and cartridges would have sharp and intense colors.

Containers can make things easy for both user and handler. Containers can help in distribution and proper handling. Sometimes it will have details on how to reuse the product or container if it has such a property. It is interesting to note that the use of containers is an age old habit and this habit was demonstrated by our forefathers. The first containers were made of reeds in baskets, wooden containers, vases, barrels of wood and even woven bags. In the early 19th century, iron and tin plated steel were used to make cans we know today.