The Swedish Rheumatism Association is launching a product label for packaging and products that have been tested and certified as easy to use. This could give consumers the opportunity, for example, to choose packaging that is easy to open, as it has been tested and approved by people with impaired hand function.
“We simply want to give all those who struggle with difficult-to-open packaging the opportunity to use their consumer power. Companies that have had their products certified and companies that sell products in easy-to-use certified packaging will be offered the opportunity to label their products for a license fee. The label can also be used in the marketing of certified products. We hope that product labelling will promote the development towards more packaging and products that work for everyone”, says Stina Nordström, secretary general of the Swedish Rheumatism Association.
Easy to use
Our certification, Easy to use, is based on handling tests of packaging and products carried out by people with impaired hand function. The method is scientifically reviewed and published. It is based on 20 people with diagnosed impaired hand function carrying out each handling step of the packaging or product in question. They assess how it was to carry out the step on a 6-point scale from ‘impossible’, ‘very difficult’, ‘rather difficult’, ‘neither difficult nor easy’, ‘relatively easy’ and ‘very easy’. They also assess their hand functions and their ability to use the most common grips. The results from the hand assessments are calibrated (compared) against a reference group of over 100 people with impaired hand function to obtain a statistically reliable result. For a product or packaging to be certified, all handling steps in the calibrated result must reach ‘neither or’ or easier.
The need for easy-to-open packaging
At least 1.5 million people in Sweden have been diagnosed with impaired hand function. The undercount is large and there are probably many more. There can be several causes, for example, rheumatic diseases such as arthritis or osteoarthritis. Hand function is also often affected after a stroke, in multiple sclerosis, diabetes and spinal cord injuries. The Swedish Rheumatism Association hopes that the industry will realize that it will be necessary to offer good solutions that work for all consumers, not least in view of demographic developments. Hand strength decreases with age, especially after 65, and estimates show that by 2040, 25 percent of the population in the EU will be 65 years of age or older.
Revenue from the product label is going to the marketing of Easy to use, with the goal of motivating more companies to develop solutions that work for all consumers. More information about Easy to use can be found here.
