1. What is packaging?
2. What is sustainable packaging?
3. What kinds of considerations are needed in a package?
4. What materials are found in packaging?
4a. What are the qualities, pros and cons to these packaging materials?
5. What is the future of packaging?

1. What is packaging?

According to Earth911, packaging is "the wrapping material around a consumer item that serves to contain, identify, describe, protect, display, promote and otherwise make the product marketable and keep it clean."

From a protection standpoint, packaging is not a recent phenomenon - in history we've seen items wrapped in leaves or animal skins. From these ancient times up until the end of World War II, packaging was seen from this more practical standpoint in surrounding and protecting products during storage, transportation and distribution.

However, as many socioeconomic changes occurred after World War II, consumers became more educated and affluent, and began to expect more from products. Packaging became another way for manufacturers to market and communicate their products to customers.

2. What is sustainable packaging?

The best package is no package. A product should be designed well enough that it doesn't need one. However, if a package is necessary, ideally it shouldn't last longer than the product it holds. And even better, it should provide future benefits! For example, Cargo Cosmetics has a lipstick called PlantLove Botanical Lipstick, whose tube is biodegradable and the box that contains it is made of paper that contains wildflower seeds that you can just drop in the ground. There is also the belief that sustainable packaging is not aesthetically pleasing - much has developed in this field over the past couple of years that you couldn't tell the difference between the "sustainable" option and the more harmful, "conventional" option.

More to be added.

3. What kind of considerations are needed in a package?

Physical protection - Frankly, no one wants to buy something new that's broken (unless you're one of those people that likes fixing things) or would cause them harm. Packages should protect from shock, vibration, compression, temperature differences, moisture, contamination, etc.
Surviving the supply chain - A product should be able to get from the manufacturing facility, through warehouses (stacking, conveyor belts, forklifts, being put on pallets), into a store, on to a shelf, and into your home, without being damaged. A product goes a lot of places!
Information transmission - typically there is a lot of information that needs to be communicated to a consumer on a package, most of it by law. Examples are the weight of the product, its ingredients, as well as directions on how to use the product.
Marketing considerations - as of the 1970s and 1980s, packaging has been an important component of the marketing mix. Ideally, packages should have a presence on the shelf, whether it is through size, colour, or some other component of graphic design. It should be easily readable and leave a quality impression. Most importantly to a company, it should also not cost a fortune to create.
Theft deterrence - packaging should deter theft. This can be accomplished through special seals, size, and/or anti-theft devices.
Environmental considerations - the impact of a product is often overlooked in the product design cycle. A product should ideally not cause harm during manufacture or disposal. Ideally it should be recyclable or should biodegrade quickly. Manufacturers who go out of their way to promote this are rewarded with consumer goodwill.

4. What materials are found in packaging?

Some common types of packaging include:

• paper - carton board, kraft paperboard, corrugated fiberboard
• plastic - PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate, with Resin Identification Code 1), HDPE (High Density Polyethylene, with RIC 2), PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride, with RIC 3), LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene, RIC 4), PP (Polypropylene, RIC 5), PS (Polystyrene, RIC 6), OTHER (Other plastic, including other multi-materials, bioplastics, RIC 7)
• glass
• metals (including steel and aluminum)

4a. What are the qualities, pros and cons to these packaging materials?

Inputs: Wood pulp, can contain recycled fibre, wood chips, logs Common uses: Ice cream and milk cartons, egg cartons, pamphlets, cereal boxes, multiwall sacks (flour, sugar, pet food) Biodegrading time: 2-5 months for unwaxed, up to 5 years for waxed Energy required to produce one pound (BTUs): 32,000 Energy required to recycle one pound (BTUs): 16,000 Advantages - Fairly light - Boxes, if not rigid, can be collapsed and easily transported - Can easily be printed on - Paper can be recycled a number of times Disadvantages - Highly toxic organochlorines are used in the bleaching process - Trees are renewable, however many forests are being replaced with monocultures - Difficult to form shapes without using extra material Other Considerations: - Glossy paper (waxed paper) is more difficult to recycle than uncoated paper. - When possible choose unbleached, post-consumer waste recycled paper. - Molded pulp may be a good alternative in some cases.

Inputs: Sand, soda ash, limestone, recycled glass (up to 70%) Common uses: Bottles (for beverages, pasta sauces, salad dressings) Biodegrading time: 1,000,000 years Energy required to produce one pound (BTUs): 8,000 Energy required to recycle one pound (BTUs): 6,500 Advantages - Impermeable and non-porous; safeguards against moisture and oxygen invasion - Can be irradiated/autoclaved for sterilization - Does not deteriorate, corrode, stain or fade - Needs no protective coating inside - Can be formed into various shapes and sizes - Can be reused almost infinitely Disadvantages - Relatively heavy (when compared to plastic), leading to high shipping costs for long distances - Breakable - shards can be dangerous. - Over time, not biodegradable Other Considerations: - Well suited for products that need to travel a short distance due to reusability (think of the milkman) - Secondary market available for glass waste in form of abrasives - Glass has received a second wind in containers as of late due to fear of chemical leaching from plastic.

Inputs: Bauxite ore Common uses: Cans (for beverages) Biodegrading time: 80-100 years Energy required to produce one pound (BTUs): 97,000 Energy required to recycle one pound (BTUs): 23,000 Advantages - Easily recycled - Highly valuable if recycled - Strong material - Can be molded into various shapes and sizes. Disadvantages - Energy intensive virgin material - Mining for bauxite ore is detrimental to surrounding areas - Aluminum will ultimately rust Other Considerations: - Aluminum is the material that typically subsidizes other materials in the waste/recycling stream. - The aluminum can has continually had weight reductions over the past 30 years.

Inputs: Petroleum Common uses: Water bottles, soft drink bottles, cooking oil bottles, peanut butter and jam jars Biodegrading time: Does not biodegrade Energy required to produce one pound (BTUs): 40,000 Energy required to recycle one pound (BTUs): 24,000 Advantages - Widely recyclable of all of the plastics - Lightweight, good for transporting long distances - Good gas and moisture barrier, as well as to alcohols and solvents - Clarity - Strength Disadvantages - Chemicals used in the creation of plastic are known to be hazardous to health - water bottles are known to release chemicals such as antimony - Loses recyclability after several runs. Other Considerations: - TBA.

Inputs: Petroleum Common uses: Detergent bottles, some water bottles, milk jugs, yogourt containers, other tubs, trash and retail bags Biodegrading time: Does not biodegrade Advantages - Widely recyclable of all of the plastics - Lightweight, good for transporting long distances - Stiffness - Strength - Resistance to moisture, permeability to gas Disadvantages - Chemicals used in the creation of plastic are known to be hazardous to health - Plastic is energy intensive to make Other Considerations: - It takes 1.75 kg of petroleum to make 1 kg of HDPE. - Can be downcycled into plastic lumber, benches, and other durable plastic products

Inputs: Petroleum, plasticizers Common uses: Clamshells, some water bottles, some shrink wrap, liquid detergent containers, juice bottles, some cling films Biodegrading time: Does not biodegrade Advantages - Clarity and transparency - Flexibility, durability and dependability - Resistance to stress cracking - Low cost - Ease of blending Disadvantages - Not widely recyclable - Creation and disposal process is highly toxic and causes environmental problems - Leaches carcinogens such as dioxins, phthalates, leads and cadmium Other Considerations: - PVC is on its way out. Many retailers are banning its usage as a packaging product because of its inherent hazards.

Inputs: Petroleum, plasticizers Common uses: Frozen food bags, produce bags, food storage containers, cling wrap, squeezable bottles, flexible container lids Biodegrading time: Does not biodegrade Advantages - Lightweight - Strong - Water resistant, strong barrier t o moisture - Fairly energy efficient processing - Ease of sealing - Ease of processing Disadvantages - Not widely recyclable Other Considerations: - TBA

Inputs: Petroleum, plasticizers Common uses: Produce bags, food storage containers, cling wrap Biodegrading time: Does not biodegrade Advantages - Lightweight - Strong - Water resistant - Resistance to heat, cold, chemicals, grease and oil - Stress-resistant Disadvantages - Not widely recyclable Other Considerations: - TBA

Inputs: Petroleum Common uses: Coffee cups, foam meat containers/produce trays, take-out food containers, packaging "peanuts", foam inserts for appliances/electronics, egg cartons, CD jewel cases Biodegrading time: Does not biodegrade Advantages - Versatility - Clarity - Insulating - Protects contents - Lightweight - Can be formed into various shapes and sizes Disadvantages - Subject to stress cracking - Styrene has been shown to migrate into foods (possible human carcinogen as classified by the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer) - Highly flammable Other Considerations: - Many vendors who previously used styrofoam are starting to look at molded pulp and polylactic acid as an alternative to styrofoam. These options are more benign than polystyrene.

Inputs: Polylactic acid, polycarbonate - can be corn, other types of plastic, a mix Common uses: Food containers, Tupperware, Nalgene, takeout containers (that are not styrofoam), baby bottles Biodegrading time: Depends.