13, 5 MILLION READERS IN SWEDEN

Background: The Swedish Rheumatism Association did run the project ''Easy-to-open Packages'', in collaboration with the Swedish Disability Federation: cooperative body, the Swedish National Pensioners' Organisation, the Swedish Association for senior citizens and the Swedish Consumers' Association from 2004 until 2007.Objectives: The aim of the project was to prompt companies, and the market, to offer consumers an enhanced form of packaging that is easier to open and user-friendly.Methods: In order to reach the public and companies and actually influence the market we prepared a Communication- and media strategy at the start of the project. The aim of the strategy was to mobilize opinion against impossible (to open easy) packages and that our 840 activists should contact the media and demonstrate how impossible packages affect their daily life. We expected that a wide exposure of the problem in the media would make it easier to influence companies and the market. One of the most important methods in order to create interest from the media was that we carried out 8 qualitative and quantivtative market surveys in order to gather relevant reliable facts which would enhance our cause. We published the results of the surveys nationwide and the activist organised meetings and contacted their local media. We also made 12 nationwide press releases together with partners in the project.Results: Easy-to-open Packages did reach a newspaper circulation of 13 544 800 readers in 237 articles in Sweden. We had several articles in the influential trade magazines Packmarknaden and Pack&Plast who reach packaging industries. We even got an article published in Japan Food Journal no 6 in the autumn of 2007We also took part in 15 radio programmes and 9 television programmes.All the work done by the Swedish Rheumatism Association and our partners gave a lot of incentive for our nationwide petition, list of signatures for better Easy-to-open Packages in Sweden. We collected signatures all over Sweden and collected over 105 000 names and handed over them to representatives of the everyday commodities trade and packaging industry in November 2007.Conclusion: We have measured the impact of our work and we know that 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 majority of the suppliers/companies who have marketed products as Easy-to-open say that this has increased their sales return.The project also produced a book called PÅVERKA, Influence in order to create better opportunities for people with rheumatic diagnosis and the general public to increase their possibilities' to influence as consumers.We printed 2000 copies of the handbook and the partners in'' Easy-to-open Packages''; did in the autumn of 2007 campaign and disseminate the book and other results in Sweden and Europe according to our specific communication plan.We will cooperate with Design schools in Sweden in projects involving access ability and easy to handle.There will be a ''Packaging – Ease of opening'' European standard 2010.Citation: Ann Rheum Dis, volume 67, supplement II, year 2008, page 686Session: Raising public awareness of arthritis/rheumatism