Bubble Wrap (brand)

Bubble Wrap (originally Air Cap)[2] is a trademarked brand of Sealed Air Corporation that includes numerous cushioning products made from bubble wrap.[1][3] The brand is produced by the Product Care division of Sealed Air.[4][5] Both the Bubble Wrap brand and product were introduced in 1960, with the launch of Sealed Air.[1] Although the brand was originally used for the packaging of IBM computers, Sealed Air now does most of its Bubble Wrap business in the food packaging industry.[6]

For the generic product, see bubble wrap.

Bubble Wrap
OwnerSealed Air Corporation
Introduced1960[1]
Websitewww.sealedair.com/products/brand/bubblewrap-brand

History

Bubble wrap was invented in 1957 by engineers Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes in Hawthorne, New Jersey. Fielding and Chavannes sealed two shower curtains together, creating a smattering of air bubbles, which they originally tried to sell as wallpaper.[6] When the product turned out to be unsuccessful as wallpaper, the team sold it as greenhouse insulation.[6]

Although Bubble Wrap was branded by Sealed Air Corporation (founded by Fielding and Chavannes) in 1960, it was not until a year later (1961) that its usefulness in protective usage was discovered.[7] As a packaging material, Bubble Wrap's first client was IBM, which used the product to protect the IBM 1401 computer during shipment.[6] Fielding and Chavannes were inducted into the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame in 1993.[7] Sealed Air celebrated Bubble Wrap's 50th birthday in January 2010.[8]

Uses

The Annual Bubble Wrap Competition For Young Inventors was hosted by Sealed Air from 2006 to 2008,[9] in which children were encouraged to design products made out of bubble wrap that had uses outside of the packaging industry.[9] Inventions included a "Bubble Wrap Car Door Cover", a "Bubble Wrap Cushy Wheelchair", and "Transformable Bubble Wrap Kite".[10]

Popping Bubble Wrap is sometimes used as stress-relief, and Sealed Air's corporate offices have "stress relief boxes" that are filled with Bubble Wrap for the employees to pop.[11][12]

References
  1. "Inflatable version of Bubble Wrap". FoodProductionDaily.com. 22 May 2002. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
  2. "Bubble Wrap Brand Cushioning Facts & Figures" (PDF). Sealed Air Corporation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  3. "Sealed Air Selects 10 Semi-Finalists in Inaugural Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors". Business Wire. Elmwood Park, New Jersey. 18 December 2006. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  4. "Form 10-K (2012)". Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  5. Michael Burke (16 October 2013). "Sealed Air CEO sees higher profits in next three years". Journal Times.
  6. Burke, Monte (5 August 2006). "Wrap Star". Forbes. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
  7. Fernandez, Don (27 December 2004). "Betcha can't pop just one". Toronto Star. Toronto, Ontario. p. D13. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  8. "Bubble Wrap celebrating its 50th birthday". NBC News. 24 January 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  9. "Sealed Air Announces Fifteen Semi-Finalists in Third Annual Bubble Wrap Competition For Young Inventors – International Business Times -". International Business Times. Elmwood Park, New Jersey. 24 November 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  10. Newmarker, Chris (25 November 2007). "Young inventors get creative in Bubble Wrap contest". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Trenton, New Jersey. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  11. Fernandez, Don (24 December 2004). "Bubble Wrap: A pop-culture sensation that packs endless pleasure". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  12. Loeffler, William (23 January 2009). "Bubble wrap is a pop-culture phenomenon". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
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