R. Greiff^1
1Development and projects, Reumatikerförbundet, Stockholm, Sweden

Within the framework of our project entitled “Easy-to-open Packages”, we commissioned HUI Handelns Utredningsinstitut (The Swedish Research Institute of Trade) to make a qualitative market research of how important the accessibility of packages is for the suppliers of everyday commodities. For 35 years the Swedish Research Institute of Trade has been providing fundamental research within the wholesale and retail trade in Sweden. Today the HUI is the leading operator in wholesale and retail related research, consulting services and market investigations.
“Easy-to-open Packages” is run by the Swedish Rheumatism Association in collaboration with the Swedish Disability Federation: cooperative body, the Pensioners’ National Organization, the Swedish Association for senior citizens and the Swedish Consumers’ Association. The aim of the project is to prompt companies, and the market, to offer consumers an enhanced form of packaging that is easier to open and user-friendly. In the project we carry out qualitative market research in order to gather relevant reliable facts which will enhance our cause.
One an a half million people in Sweden have impaired function of the hand. Therefore a large number of people encounter daily problems opening and dealing with everyday commodity packages.
One out of five Swedes irritates themselves over packages several times every week. In general women have more problems then men with packages.

Facts about the research
HUI carried out the research during November 2006. The result is based on a nationwide web-based survey among 100 of the most important suppliers of everyday commodities.
Since the answer frequency was relatively low, 29 %, we can not fully generalize the answers.
We can however draw some conclusions. The turnover among the respondents is equivalent to 36 % of the Swedish Food Federation annual turnover.
The Swedish Food Federation is the food industry trade and employers´ federation.

Remarkable results from the survey:
• Nine out of ten suppliers/companies feel that the consumers demand Easy-to-open Packages
• The suppliers/companies feel that the demand for Easy-to-open Packages has increased in the last five years and they think that the increase will continue
• A third of the suppliers/companies have already marketed products as Easy-to-open
• A majority of the suppliers/companies who have marketed products as Easy-to-open say that this has increased their sales return.
The “Easy-to-open Packages” project presented the survey on our website and with a press release in January 2007. It attracted considerable attention in media, over 20 articles all over Sweden.

And with the facts from the survey the Swedish Rheumatism Association and our partners got even more incentive for our nationwide petition, list of signatures for better Easy-to-open Packages in Sweden.

We now have almost 900 activists, members from the partners in the project collecting names all over Sweden at the moment, they have so far collected over 90 000 names. Our objective is 100 000 until the end of May 2007 when we will hand over them to representatives of the everyday commodities trade and packaging industry.

Conclusion
- More supplier/ companies start to realise that Easy-to-open Packages give them a competitive edge in the scramble for customers’. The demands and the influence from the consumers becomes even greater says Fredrik Kolterjahn, analyst at the Swedish Research Institute of Trade