Sustainable Packaging - Criteria

Criteria

The criteria for ranking and comparing packaging based on their sustainability is an active area of development. General guidance, metrics, checklists, and scorecards are being published by several groups.

Government, standards organizations, consumers, retailers, and packagers are considering several types of criteria.

Each organization words the goals and targets a little differently. In general, the broad goals of sustainable packaging are:

1. Functional – product protection, safety, regulatory compliance, etc.
2. Cost effective – if it is too expensive, it is unlikely to be used
3. Support long-term human and ecological health

Specific factors for sustainable design of packaging may include:

• Use of minimal materials – reduced packaging, reduced layers of packaging, lower mass (product to packaging ratio), lower volume, etc.
• Logistics efficiency (through complete life cycle) – cube utilization, tare weight, enablement of efficient transportation, etc.,
• Energy efficiency, total energy content and usage, use of renewable energy, etc.
• Recycled content – as available and functional
• Recyclability – recovery value, use of materials which are frequently and easily recycled, reduction of materials which hinder recyclability of major components, etc.
• Reusability of packaging – repeated reuse of package, reuse for other purposes, etc.
• Use of renewable resources in packaging
• Use of biodegradable materials – when appropriate and do not cause contamination of the recycling stream
• Avoid the use of materials toxic to humans or the environment
• Effects on atmosphere/climate – ozone layer, greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and methane), volatile organic compounds, etc.
• Water use, reuse, treatment, waste, etc.
• Worker impact: occupational health, safety, clean technology, etc.
• etc.

The chosen criteria are often used best as a basis of comparison for two or more similar packaging designs; not as an absolute success or failure. Such a multi-variable comparison is often presented as a radar chart (spider chart, star chart, etc.).