Labels and Packaging Innovation Asia • 6 2021 -
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P&G™ uses Tactile Labe and Conditioner &G’s goal is to be a leader in the area of inclusive package design for its products. Touching and improving lives is not just a slogan for P&G and its people; it’s a core belief that they all share. With this in mind, P&G is continually working to enable inclusive packaging design into its portfolios to further improve its consumers’ lives. Fast facts P&G serves nearly 5 billion people around the world, with a strong portfolio of trusted, quality, leadership brands. The P&G community is made up of 99,000 employees in approximately 70 countries worldwide. It is estimated that 10% of all adults in the US have a visual impairment, for whom simple tasks, such as differentiating between personal care products during use, can be incredibly difficult. The National Federation of the Blind reports that there is a ‘Braille literacy crisis’ in the United States. Less than 10% of those who registered legally
blind in the US are Braille readers, and just 10% of blind children are learning to read the tactile writing system. Project background As one of the world’s largest and most trusted suppliers of consumer and personal care products Procter and Gamble (P&G™) recognises the importance of making sure that products and services can be used and enjoyed by everyone. Simple tasks can be a real challenge for those living with a visual impairment, like telling the difference between personal care products, such as bottles shampoo and conditioner. Even for consumers with poor or
reduced sight, it can be difficult to identify products while in the shower or bath – where sight aids, such as glasses, contact lenses, or magnifiers, are not typically used. P&G recognised this issue and set out to find a solution. “Most shampoo and conditioner bottles are designed to look and feel the same,” says P&G’s Special Consultant for Inclusive Design, Sumaira Latif, who is registered blind herself. “We realised that we have a huge opportunity to improve the lives of those with a visual impairment by changing our products and packaging, and encouraging other businesses to do the same.” Herbal Essences Bottles P&G “It may seem like a small thing, but there are hundreds of these little things that visually impaired people like myself have to spend time checking and rechecking each day,” continues Latif. “If you want to be independent, if you want to be confident, you don’t want to be asking your brother, your mother, your sister, your husband, your children. ‘What bottle is this?’ especially in such a private location as a shower.” Using Braille may seem like a solution here, but Latif recognised that a very limited number of people who are blind or visually impaired are Braille users. “Most people with visual impairments cannot read Braille – it
