Clams are shell-living ocean creatures.

Clams have an external shell composed of two similar size parts connected by four interlocking teeth which act as a hinge.

Now developers are using this idea to create clamshell packaging.

A clamshell is a single-piece container with two halves and a hinge region that allows the structure to close together.

These containers of clamshells are generally produced of plastic.

However, the plastic shape may vary depending on the item it wishes to carry.

For both the bottom and top, a single type of plastic is used.

These clamshell containers are produced of paper wood in the fast food sectors, and fast food is served in them.

Clamshell packaging has the benefit of being available in multiple sizes and shapes.

It allows almost everything to be suitable for this type of packaging.

Clamshell packaging is an ideal type of retail display packaging and also provides outstanding product safety and security.

Now, nearly everyone is acquainted with the packaging of this sort.

It is user-friendly and provides its client’s complete transparency.

Fast food industries use clamshell packaging as it keeps the item fresh and hot.

It avoids damage of any kind.

Clamshell packaging is therefore regarded as the king of food industries.

Clamshell packaging consists of durable plastic, perfect for the retail industry.

Ideal for products with sharp edges, for these reasons, is why clamshell packaging is very common in the stationary sector.

Not only does it protect the product but also the consumer from harm.

These type of packaging is easier for the customer to handle.

Clamshell packaging never goes out of fashion for all these purposes.

Even with all these advantages, however, clamshell packaging provides one major disadvantage, which is pollution.

 

Why does Clamshell Packaging exist?

The existence of Clamshell packaging dates back to the 1970s.

Even then, there was always the urge to design something distinctive that would benefit customers and manufacturers alike.

The aim of establishing this packaging was to create the item using less material to prevent wasting.

At the same time, pharmaceuticals, office supplies, electronics, equipment, and cosmetics sectors should profit.

It was decided that this packaging’s main piece should be a cavity that should be contoured in the precise form and size of the product.

It was through this concept that the first Clamshell packaging was produced.

A single sheet of plastic that formed a bowl-shaped top and bottom with a slender, flexible hinge that connected the two, providing a durable shell.

It was given the name Clamshell since it bore a resemblance to the shell of a clam.

Since then, this type of packaging is widely used.

Back then, foods were easily contaminated, and this product protected them.

Many fresh characteristics have been added to the clamshell packaging over time.

The packaging became more durable and user-friendly with each enhancement.

Friction fit was used at first to close clamshell packaging.

This old-style is still in use, but the new clamshell packagers use heat to seal the package although this is sometimes difficult to open but is more secure.

 

Why is Clamshell Packaging effective?

When something is available in all shapes and sizes, what more does anyone need? This is the answer to Clamshell packaging’s popularity.

They offer a wide range of sizing, ranging for something extremely small to something large.

Clamshell packaging is a substitute for heavy glass containers that are used to store food.

They also protect the food against any infection and allow the consumer to take it with them anywhere.

Grocery stores use such containers to sell fruits as it keeps the fruit fresh for an extended period.

For customers, transparency is essential.

They prefer a packaging that reveals the product to them rather than a product image.

Clamshell packaging provides them with this feature.

Clamshell packaging is also ideal for takeaway and restaurant use.

It keeps the product warm for a longer period and protects it from outside infections.

Now, these packagings provide total safety for the product inside.

This quality of theirs is used by many manufacturers to pack valuable products.

It protects them from any damage.

Clamshell packaging is also difficult to open, so the risk of theft is reduced.

Maybe the most significant benefit of clamshell packaging is that it offers the inside item with the total enclosure.

This packaging ensures that the product is in one piece.

 

Is Clamshell Packaging harmful?

Over the few years that this has been in existence, concerns regarding the opening of Clamshell packaging has raised a lot of controversies.

Consumers complain that they often injure themselves, opening these packages.

Some have even reported to puncture themselves with knives and scissors while opening these packages that they had to rush to the emergency room.

Users are now beginning to question whether clamshell packaging is user-friendly.

The manufactures, however, argue that tight packaging is made for their safety.

They have pointed out that consumers should not use that way to open the packaging.

Instead of doing so, they get in rage and frustration with the difficult to open the packaging and injure themselves while using sharp tools.

Another thing which has raised an enormous concern is the pollution that Clamshell packaging causes.

The plastic which is used in the production of this packaging takes a lot of time to decompose perhaps millions of years.

For this reason, the product is adding to the amount of land and sea pollution.

Now, these packagings are recycled, but that also has a limit.

After being recycled two or three times, the plastic loses its durability and becomes toxic waste.

Awareness is being created among both the manufactures and the consumers of this impending doom.

Consumers are now trying to avoid these packaging, and the manufacturers are trying to make this packaging using biodegradable plastic, which can be easily decomposed.

 

Conclusion

Clamshell packaging is commonly used among all kinds of sectors despite the disadvantages.

Consumers enjoy its minimalist design, and conveniency.No other packaging provides these characteristics.

It may be that clamshell packaging is here to remain for this purpose.

If a few steps are taken to prevent its environmental and health risks, this packaging would be ideal.