Diagnosis before design: BK Karna calls out India’s packaging paradox

Speaking to PrintWeek and WhatPackaging? during Bharat Print Expo 2026, BK Karna highlights the strong momentum in India’s packaging sector, with growth exceeding 18%—well ahead of global averages. “We are growing, and this growth reflects the critical role packaging plays as the lifeline of every product,” he says. “At the same time, the focus must remain on right-sizing—because excess packaging is a disease.”

Karna, who heads the Packaging Clinic & Research Institute (PCRI), frames the sector in clinical terms. Diagnosis comes first. Cure must follow. Yet today, he observes, much of the industry—barring a few exceptions—is bypassing both.

At PCRI, the work is structured across four verticals: material analysis, laboratory validation, training, and consultancy. The institute runs testing across more than 200 parameters, but what sets it apart, Karna explains, is interpretation. “A test report is not for compliance alone. We explain what it means, how it should guide development, and where the gap is,” he says.  

That gap, he insists, is everywhere.

The expiry date myth and the validation gap
One of the most overlooked issues is expiry date validation. Across sectors, Karna notes, products carry expiry claims that are rarely backed by scientific documentation. “Any declaration must be supported by validation. Without that, it is just an assumption,” he says.  

PCRI’s consultancy practice focuses heavily on this space, combining material behaviour, storage conditions and supply chain realities to determine actual shelf life. It is not glamorous work, but it is foundational. And it exposes a broader problem. Much of the packaging ecosystem still operates on precedent rather than proof. “Industry is moving in one direction, institutes in another,” Karna says. “We need to connect them.”

Sustainability versus over-packaging
If validation is one blind spot, sustainability is another, often misunderstood one. Karna is blunt about the contradictions. “Companies claim sustainability, but you receive a small product in a large pack. That is not sustainability. That is ignorance,” he says.  

The issue, he explains, is not intent but awareness. Over-packaging persists because systems are not designed to adapt packaging to product variability. E-commerce, in particular, struggles with product classification at scale. Millions of SKUs are mapped to limited packaging formats, leading to inefficiency.

The solution, Karna argues, lies in what he calls PMT analysis: nature of the product, nature of the market, and nature of the transportation. “Do not use any packaging without a PMT study,” he says.  

It is a simple framework, but one that demands discipline. And discipline, in a volume-driven market, is often in short supply.

Design is not decoration
Karna is equally critical of how design is approached. In many cases, he suggests, design has been reduced to aesthetics, disconnected from function. “Design is the shaping of thought into action,” he says. “It must respond to the product and the market.”  

He breaks packaging design into three components: structural, graphic and specification design. Structural design ensures protection and stability. Graphic design communicates. Specification design defines material and performance parameters.

When these elements are not aligned, inefficiencies creep in. Designers create concepts that converters struggle to produce. Brands impose decisions without collaborative problem-solving. “We need brainstorming, not monopoly,” Karna says. “Indian designers are capable, but often controlled.”  

The consequence is predictable. Packaging that looks good but performs poorly, or worse, costs more than it should.

Material science without application
Material science, too, is underutilised. According to Karna, the industry focuses heavily on analysis but not enough on functional interpretation. “Functional properties must be understood in application. That is where the gap is,” he says.  

He points to everyday examples. Toothpaste tubes still come with secondary cartons that are discarded almost immediately. Pharmaceutical blister packs often have cavities larger than necessary. Ink and chemical packaging follow legacy formats without questioning efficiency.

“These are not small issues,” Karna says. “They are systemic.” His argument is not to eliminate packaging, but to optimise it. “No need, no use. But where needed, no compromise,” he adds.  

There is, of course, an uncomfortable question lurking beneath this logic. If packaging becomes more efficient, does the industry shrink? Karna dismisses the concern. “Growth will remain. India has not even explored many areas of packaging,” he says.  

In his view, rationalisation in one segment will be offset by innovation in others. New materials, new applications, and new sectors will drive demand. The challenge is not volume, but value.

Audit as a discipline

One of PCRI’s more distinctive contributions is the concept of a packaging audit. Unlike financial audits, which focus on compliance, packaging audits evaluate justification.

“Audit gives standardisation. It gives economic justification for the specification,” Karna explains.  

This involves assessing whether a packaging format is appropriate for its function, whether material usage is optimised, and whether costs align with performance. It is a diagnostic tool, but also a strategic one.

The Institute also runs an online postgraduate programme, now in its 11th batch, aimed at bridging the knowledge gap among industry professionals. Karna points out that many managers handle packaging effectively, but lack grounding in fundamentals.

“Basics are missing. And without basics, decisions become assumptions,” he says. The programme is designed to be accessible, with minimal fees and weekly sessions, reflecting PCRI’s broader mission to democratise technical knowledge.

A call for early awareness
Perhaps Karna’s most ambitious idea is to introduce packaging education at the school level. He has written to authorities suggesting a curriculum focused on “people, planet and product.”

The reasoning is straightforward. Sustainability cannot be taught as a slogan. It must be understood as a system.

“Just saying eliminate plastic is not enough,” he says. “We must think judiciously.”  Karna’s critique extends even to industry recognition. Awards, he suggests, often celebrate cosmetic innovation rather than structural improvement. “Do not go for cosmetic awards. Go for real design,” he says.  

It is a sharp remark, but consistent with his broader philosophy. Packaging, in his view, is not an afterthought. It is the interface between product and consumer, science and perception.

And like any interface, it needs precision. “Packaging is the last operation of production, but the first impression for the consumer,” Karna says. “If we get it wrong, everything else is compromised.”