Bubble Wrap: a failed invention can be worth its weight in gold
In a series of blog posts, Marco Coolen offers a glimpse into his work as a Dutch and European patent attorney at AOMB.
Published on November 15, 2026
Marco, a patent attorney at AOMB since 2013, shares his expertise on IO+ about patents—how they work, why they matter, and when they lose their value.
Bubble Wrap started out as wallpaper. In hindsight, it sounds like a joke someone might have made by the coffee machine, but in 1957 it was a serious idea. Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes wanted to develop a new kind of plastic wall covering. Two layers of plastic with air bubbles trapped between them would make for a modern, lightweight and eye-catching decorating material. The result certainly stood out. There was just one problem. Nobody wanted it on their walls.
As a decorating product, the invention flopped. No one wanted plastic bubbles on their walls, and the original business model went in the bin. For many entrepreneurs, that would have been the moment to write off the project and move on. Fielding and Chavannes decided to take a fresh look at what they had actually invented.
Set aside the intended use, and you were left with a remarkable material. It was light, flexible and relatively inexpensive, and the air pockets made it an excellent cushion. Those qualities mattered little in wallpaper, but they made the material ideal for protecting fragile products.
That changed the question. What problem could this material solve?
Marco Coolen, photo © Bart van Overbeeke
Worth its weight in gold
That shift in perspective proved to be worth its weight in gold. In the early 1960s, IBM saw the material’s potential for safely shipping fragile computers and other electronic equipment. At a time when computers were large, expensive and easily damaged, Bubble Wrap offered a practical solution. The material nobody wanted on their walls proved brilliant in a shipping box.
The entrepreneurs had found a better market for the technology they already had. A failed product launch became the start of a successful business.
Patent protection also played a role. In 1964, a US patent was granted for a method of producing the laminated material. By then, Fielding and Chavannes had founded Sealed Air Corporation, which would grow into an international packaging company.
A lesson for entrepreneurs
That makes Bubble Wrap an interesting example for any entrepreneur working on an innovation. We’re used to starting with a problem and working toward a solution. Sometimes it happens the other way round. You develop something that works well, but its intended use goes nowhere commercially. It’s tempting to conclude that the invention has failed.
That conclusion may be premature. A material, mechanism or manufacturing method can have properties that are far more valuable in another industry. Finding that opportunity takes a willingness to let go of the original idea and take another look at what you’ve made.
As the story of Bubble Wrap shows, novelty, ingenuity and a patent can only take an invention so far. It gains value when it solves a problem customers are willing to pay to fix.
Sometimes all you need to change is how you look at your invention.
The World of Patents
Every Sunday, Marco Coolen offers a glimpse into his work as a Dutch and European patent attorney at AOMB.