The 'skin' of commerce: packaging, consumption and the public's health

Graphic warning labels and generic packaging are important weapons against unhealthy forms of consumption – especially in the areas of tobacco control and, increasingly, alcohol reduction and obesity prevention. However, interventions often ignore the physical qualities of packaging in favour of its visual attributes as a marketing tool, which may limit the effectiveness of such legislation. Social science studies offer new analytic directions by drawing attention to the powerful material role of packaging in shaping the circulation of goods and the meanings they hold. 

This project will map conceptualisations of packaging within the public health and social science literature, and develop new methodological approaches and original empirical data on the relationship between drinking and the containerisation of alcohol. 

We will also assemble a network of scholars interested in developing new approaches to packaging and public health.