Sustainable packaging uses materials and methods that help protect the environment. This includes using tools like life cycle inventory (LCI) and life cycle assessment (LCA) to study how packaging affects the environment from creation to disposal. It looks at the entire supply chain, including how packaging is made, used, and handled after it is no longer needed. An eco-cost to value ratio can help compare the cost of being eco-friendly to the benefits it provides. The goal is to improve the long-term health of people and natural ecosystems. Sustainable packaging must meet current needs without harming the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability is an ongoing process of improvement, not a final goal.

Sustainable packaging is a newer focus in how companies think about the environment. It requires more detailed study of packaging design, materials, and how it is made and used over time. This is not the same as the general idea of being "green" that some companies use without clear plans. Companies that use eco-friendly practices are reducing their carbon emissions, using more recycled materials, and reusing parts of packaging. Extended producer responsibility means that companies that make products and packaging are fully responsible for their environmental impact.

Environmental claims on packaging should be carefully checked. Terms like "green packaging" or "environmentally friendly" can be unclear without clear definitions. Some groups, like the US Federal Trade Commission, are helping companies make accurate claims.

Companies have used recycling and reusing packaging when it is cost-effective. Using less packaging has also been a common goal to save money. In recent years, these efforts have grown faster because of social movements, consumer demands, and new rules. All steps in packaging, shipping, and logistics are included in these efforts.

Sustainable packaging involves more than just recycling. It considers the full range of environmental effects throughout a product’s life. While packaging is a major focus for many, it is only one part of a company’s overall environmental impact. Even though packaging is often judged as a measure of a company’s sustainability, it may have a smaller effect compared to other factors, like transportation, water use, and energy use.

Environmental impacts

The effects of packaging happen in three main steps: getting the materials needed, making the materials and packaging, and handling the packaging after it is used. Each step causes problems like climate change, air pollution, and acid rain. Food waste is also a big issue because about one-third of all food made for people is wasted. Sustainable packaging tries to help keep food safe by controlling things like chemicals and germs, which can reduce how much packaging and food is wasted.

Criteria

The rules for evaluating and comparing packaging based on how sustainable it is are still being developed. Many groups are creating guidelines, checklists, and scorecards to help with this process.

Government groups, standards organizations, consumers, retailers, and packaging companies are looking at different types of rules to follow. Each group may describe the goals slightly differently. However, the main goals for sustainable packaging usually include:

• Functionality – protecting the product, ensuring safety, and meeting legal requirements.
• Cost-effectiveness – if packaging is too expensive, it may not be used.
• Supporting long-term health for people and the environment.

Specific factors that may be considered when designing sustainable packaging include:

• Using less material – reducing the amount of packaging, the number of layers, and the weight of the package compared to the product.
• Energy efficiency – using less energy overall, using renewable or clean energy sources.
• Recycled content – using materials that have been recycled, when possible and safe. For food packaging, special safety rules apply, especially for recycled plastics and paper. These rules vary by country or region.
• Recyclability – using materials that are easy to recycle and avoiding materials that make recycling harder.
• Reusable packaging – using the same package multiple times or repurposing it for other uses.
• Using renewable, biodegradable, or compostable materials – when these materials do not harm the recycling process.
• Avoiding materials that are harmful to people or the environment.
• Reducing effects on the atmosphere and climate – limiting damage to the ozone layer, reducing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane, and minimizing volatile organic compounds.
• Managing water use, reuse, treatment, and waste.
• Considering the impact on workers – ensuring safe working conditions and using clean technology.

These rules are often used to compare two or more similar packaging designs. They are not used to decide if a design is completely successful or completely failed. Comparisons like this are often shown in a radar chart, also called a spider chart or star chart.

Benefits

Some parts of environmentally friendly packaging are required by government rules, while other choices depend on the companies that create the packaging. People such as investors, workers, company leaders, and customers can affect how companies make decisions and set policies. When investors want to buy shares in a company, businesses that have strong environmental policies may be more appealing. Investors often view this as a good choice because companies with lower environmental risks may find it easier to get loans at lower prices. Companies that show their efforts to protect the environment to customers can increase sales and improve how people see their products. Choosing eco-friendly options can often be a wise business decision that brings benefits.

In addition to helping the environment, using sustainable packaging can increase sales, lower packaging costs, and improve a company’s public image as more people become aware of environmental issues. Studies have shown that companies that use sustainable packaging are more likely to have better supply chain management that supports sustainability. Materials like bio-based plastics, which are plentiful, inexpensive, and break down naturally, can help reduce the use of oil-based resources and lower carbon dioxide emissions.

Alternatives to conventional plastics

Bio-based materials are used for packaging without plastics, especially in situations where plastic packaging can't be replaced, like for food preservation.

A biodegradable packaging made from plant proteins was created by studying spider silk, which is known for its strength and similar structure at a very small level.

Scientists are studying dairy-based films as a replacement for petroleum-based packaging. These films would be made from proteins like casein and whey found in milk, instead of man-made materials. They would break down naturally and block oxygen better than chemical-based films. More research is needed to improve their ability to block water, but progress in sustainable packaging is ongoing.

Sustainable packaging policies can't focus only on certain products. Good laws should include alternatives for many products, not just a few. Otherwise, the benefits of sustainable packaging won't be as effective as needed to help reduce plastic use. Finding alternatives can lower greenhouse gas emissions from making unsustainable packaging and reduce harmful chemicals from those processes.

Costs

The process of creating more environmentally friendly packaging often involves considering costs. Some companies say their programs for eco-friendly packaging are cost-effective. Using alternative materials that are recycled or recyclable, or that cause less harm to the environment, can sometimes lead to higher costs for companies. This is common when products are required to pay for the full cost of their production, such as through laws that make producers responsible for waste or require them to take back used products. Before new packaging is approved for public use, there may be a long and expensive process to ensure it is safe, which can take up to two years. In many developed countries, stricter laws and changes in what major retailers require, such as Walmart's Sustainable Packaging Scorecard, have made the focus on sustainability clear. The question is no longer whether products and packaging should become more sustainable, but how to achieve this and how quickly it can be done.

ISO standards

In 2013, the ISO released a set of standards focused on packaging and the environment. These standards include:

• ISO 18601:2013 Packaging and the environment – Basic rules for using ISO standards in packaging and environmental matters
• ISO 18602:2013 Packaging and the environment – Improving how packaging systems work
• ISO 18603:2013 Packaging and the environment – Reusing packaging materials
• ISO 18604:2013 Packaging and the environment – Recycling materials from packaging
• ISO 18605:2013 Packaging and the environment – Recovering energy from packaging waste
• ISO 18606:2013 Packaging and the environment – Recycling organic materials from packaging

Criticism

People who work on making the environment healthier support efforts to create greener packaging. However, these efforts are often seen as small steps toward bigger goals, not the final solution. Some people believe that a truly sustainable economy could look very different from today's. This economy might use much less energy, have a smaller impact on the environment, fewer products sold in packages, more local buying with shorter paths from farms to stores, and fewer heavily processed foods. In a sustainable economy that doesn't produce carbon emissions, less packaging would be needed. This could mean fewer types of packaging are available, and simpler designs might be required.