Welcome to Season 3 of the Crazy About Packaging Podcast! Our new season kicks off with a laugh (and maybe a cringe) as we look back on some of the biggest packaging fails we’ve seen in the wild — and a few we’ve lived through ourselves.
Join the C.A.P. Pack — Natalie, Mike, and Jonathan — as we dive into the blunder years of packaging. From wrap rage to melted PLA, this episode is all about the good intentions, overlooked details, and expensive mistakes that can derail even the most promising packaging solution. If you’ve ever had a material crack in the cold or a concept fall flat in front of a focus group, you’re not alone.
Sneak Peek for Episode 1
Listen to Episode 1 of Season 3 now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or our website. Keep reading for a preview of some of the real stories and lessons we unpack in this episode.
Can I Recycle That?
We started the episode with a round of our favorite game, “Can I Recycle That?” This time, Natalie brought in a Noosa yogurt cup with an in-mold label and foil lid. She hadn’t opened it yet (saving it as a snack for later!) but wanted to see if Mike and Jonathan could figure out the recyclability of the package.
Jonathan guessed that it was injection molded polypropylene with direct printing, which he noted can be easier to recycle than shrink sleeves. Mike agreed and raised a good question: should the foil lid be removed before tossing it in the bin?
There wasn’t a How2Recycle label on the cup, which we all agreed was a missed opportunity for consumer guidance. But what was the final verdict — recyclable or not? You’ll have to listen to the episode to find out.
Why Packaging Fails Happen
When packaging fails, it’s rarely because no one was paying attention. Usually, it starts with a good idea, such as a way to reduce theft, cut costs, or improve sustainability — but something gets missed along the way. Sometimes it's testing. Sometimes it's material selection. Sometimes it's user experience.
Jonathan shared an example where a product was thermoformed using a homopolymer polypropylene that was well-suited to its intended purposes, but couldn’t stand up to cold shipping conditions. “Everything was great until it started traveling up to Minneapolis in the middle of wintertime — and boom.” It was a costly reminder that material performance isn’t just about how something looks on the line.
Packaging Fails Through the Years
With that, let’s get into the good stuff: packaging fails. We took a look at some packaging fails that caught attention in recent years (and some that we were there to witness first-hand!).
Wrap Rage and the Packaging That Bites Back
One of the better-known packaging failures we discussed was clamshell packaging. You know the type. The hard shrink plastic that’s nearly impossible to open. They were originally designed to reduce theft, but also ended up sending people to the emergency room with cuts and puncture wounds.
Mike had a front-row seat to this problem during his time working with a major razor brand. Their products were battery-powered, and their packaging was difficult to open.
After years of development, they rolled out a package with a sleek hidden zipper on the back to address this very problem. It was beautiful, easy to open — and easy to steal from. Within months, they lost over a million dollars in batteries from theft.
It’s the perfect example of why solving one problem often introduces another if you’re not thinking holistically.
Sustainability Missteps That Fell Flat
Not every well-intentioned change hits the mark. In Australia, a nostalgic kids’ snack called YOGO removed its signature plastic spoon to comply with an upcoming plastic ban — but didn’t tell anyone. The public backlash was swift, and the brand has had to announce that they will be seeking sustainable workarounds.
We also talked about Walmart’s short-lived switch from rigid rotisserie chicken containers to thin plastic bags. They looked like bread bags, leaked easily, and were hard to carry. Mike pointed out that the change “wasn’t even sustainable! The bag can’t be recycled, but the rigid dome could be.”
These examples show how focusing too narrowly on “sustainability” can backfire when consumer experience is ignored.
Real-Life Blunders from the C.A.P. Pack’s Past
We’ve all had our share of projects that didn’t pan out. But everyone loves a blunder story, so we dredged up some nightmares from our pasts!
Jonathan recalled a time when a beautifully designed nacho cheese container was developed — only to be pulled after launch because no one checked whether a chip could actually fit inside. In another case, he tried transporting PLA-based packaging prototypes in his car on a summer day. By the time he arrived at the meeting, they’d melted into a single block of plastic.
Lessons From Packaging Fails: Don’t Skip the Details
There’s a theme here: small oversights turn into big failures. A packaging solution might work perfectly on the production line but fail in a warehouse, on a store shelf, or in a consumer’s hands. That’s why we stress working through every scenario: distribution environment, storage conditions, labeling, end-of-life, and consumer behavior. With the right forethought, planning, and testing, we can (hopefully) blaze a better trail forward for the future of packaging.
Thanks for Kicking Off Season 3 With Us
That’s a wrap on Episode 1 of Season 3. We hope you enjoyed looking back at some packaging fails with us — and more importantly, took away a few reminders about what not to overlook. Packaging is never just about the material. It’s about how it looks, how it performs, how it’s handled, and how it’s understood.
Want to share your own packaging blunder? We’d love to hear it. Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, or email us at icpg@impactgroup.co.
Listen to the full episode now on your favorite podcast app or on our website. And we’ll see you next month for another round of Crazy About Packaging.
