In 1957, an Indian plastic-packaging manufacturer described the happy fate of a hosiery brand that had begun wrapping its products in plastic. The result, he wrote in an Indian daily, was a 65% increase in sales. Paper, wood, aluminum, tin and other containers had been on the market for decades, but were opaque.

“It is well known that when a customer sees what he wants, he wants what he can see,” G. R.

Wrote. Bhide, an executive at Plastic Packaging Pvt. Ltd.

Ltd.