In 1952, the Institute of Trade and Collective Nutrition (IHŻZ) had established the Polish Packaging Centre. The newly created Centre included workshops: Transport Packaging, Consumer Packaging, Economy and the Laboratory of Physics and Mechanics Researches. The main aim of the Transport Packages Workshop was to design and manufacture of prototypical series, basic at that period wooden packages and research conducted on the distribution packages.
The Economic Workshop was designed to analyse expenditures of producing packages. The primary Packages Workshop focused on packages made of plastic. Also the technological researches were conducted, for example, in order to improve the only packaging film available in Poland during that period. This very film, made from retreated cellulose was named tomofan.
At the end of 1957, the IHŻZ Centre was transformed into the Central Laboratory of Packaging. Two years later it was incorporated into the Central Packaging Centre (COO). The main aims of the COO was to coordinate the emerging packaging industry and also to take part in balance the materials and packages. The above mentioned role was crucial due to the outgoing deficit connected with the political system of that time. Researches were also conducted in COO by the Department of Researches and Laboratory Elaborations. The important components of the research and developmental activities were operations realized together with the industry aiming in the improvement of the quality of the materials and packages and preventing industry from any kind of possible loss. As the result of the above mentioned works, the principles of the packaging of the particular groups of materials and the instructions of the packaging (with the special consideration of the needs of transport) were created. Aforementioned researches considered also various methods of examining packaging materials and packages. Many of which, finalized as norms, are still used in the laboratories.
Polish Packaging Research and Development Centre (COBRO) was established in 1974. Its first director was M. Eng Jan Lekszycki. The establishment of COBRO enabled the intensification of the scientific research. In the field of the packaging it was firstly manifested in the progress of the studies of concerning development of the new materials and their enriching. Since the 15th of July, 2001, Ph. D. Sc. Stanisław Tkaczyk is the head of COBRO. In the recent years, apart from the scientific research, COBRO participates in the implementation of the innovative solutions in the production of the packaging and materials, on the basis of the agreements made with the industry.
Since 2010, on the basis of the act about research institutes, proclaimed on the 30th of April, 2010 (Dz. U. Nr 96, poz. 618), COBRO has become the research institute.
According to the Ordinance of the Council of Ministers from 02.01.2013 (Journal of Laws 2013, pos. 28), Polish Packaging Research and Development Centres' name is changed to COBRO - Packaging Research Institute.
