UNILEVER is adding a new QR code to packaging, creating a more inclusive experience for blind and partially sighted people, launching first on Persil’s plastic-free capsules and Ultimate Liquids ranges in the UK.
The new QR codes, created by Zappar working with Unilever and in collaboration with the RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People), can be detected by the free Zapvision app.
The new codes will help support the estimated two million blind and partially sighted people in the UK to access product information.
The technology works by adding additional markings around existing QR codes, improving the detectability. This allows the codes to be detected from greater distances than standard QR scanning through the use of the Zapvision app and other apps that integrate this feature.
With the code front of pack, accessibility apps can detect the product from over one metre away providing information such as ‘laundry detergent’ as well as more detailed product details such as usage information, how to open the box, safety warnings and recycling information as the shopper gets closer.
The information is described as being provided in a structured way designed with blind and partially sighted users in mind and interacts with the device’s configured accessibility features, displaying information in larger text or via audio. The same code can still be scanned as normal through a device’s camera or QR code scanner to visit the brand’s website.
Nadine Slyper, laundry marketing director at Unilever, said, “We’re really proud to be launching these new enhanced QR codes on Persil packs, before it’s shared across other Unilever brands later this year. For us, this is bigger than Unilever, we see this as a first step in helping make packaging more accessible for everyone.
“We’re pleased to be exploring accessible QR codes as a business and hope to see other companies and accessibility apps join in this conversation. This is a global initiative, and we hope this will help create a more inclusive experience for all of our shoppers as we grow and learn in this space.”
Sarah Masters, home care e-commerce director at Unilever, added, “Truly inclusive design means welcoming all consumers to use our products – so this beautifully simple solution gives the blind community access to key information for the first time in Unilever. Brands around the world battle the issue of limited space on pack, so this new Accessible QR code solution supports that challenge – not just for Unilever products, but across all industries.”
Marc Powell, RNIB’s accessibility innovation lead, commented, “It’s great to be collaborating with Unilever and Zappar on making packaging more accessible for blind and partially sighted people as we should have the same freedom, independence and choice as sighted customers. This is a move in the right direction and it’s encouraging that a major brand like Unilever is taking steps to improve how QR codes on packaging work for visually impaired consumers.”
