Description
Book SynopsisHow to take the lead with sustainable packaging design solutions With initiatives like the Wal-Mart Scorecard in the U.S. and the E.U. 's Packaging Directive, delivering sustainable packaging is now an integral part of today's global competitive market.
Trade Review"Packaging Sustainability, a textbook that combines big picture systems thinking on the role designers play in our consumer culture with a practical how-to manual for creating sustainable packaging. Armed with the information and advice in Packaging Sustainability, designers will look at their next package design project as more than an assignment; they'll discover an invitation to innovate." (
Communication Arts, Sep/Oct 2009)
Table of ContentsIntroduction vii
How To Use This Book ix
The Making Of This Book x
Giving Thanks xi
Biographies xi
Chapter 1
Taking the First Step 1
Consumption and Renewal 2
Choices, Choices, Choices 2
Underconsumption 4
Overconsumption 5
Restorative Consumption 6
Nearly All New Products Fail 8
What Does Change Look Like? 9
What Is Sustainability? 10
What Sustainability Is Not 10
Tearing Down the Tower of Babble 11
The Next Great Era of Design 12
How to Avoid Change 14
It’s the Other Guy’s Problem 16
Taking Responsibility and Thriving 17
Precautionary Principle 17
Hanover Principles 20
Kyosei 21
The Caux Round Table 22
The Triple Bottom Line 24
Transparency and Honesty 28
Ceres 28
A Taste of Things to Come 32
Making the Business Case 32
Packaging and Sustainability 34
Chapter 2
The Mechanics of Human Behavior 41
Chapter Themes 42
Sustainability 42
Attention 42
Zone of Acceptability 42
Expression of Individuality 42
Assumptions vs. Data 42
Inside the Consumer 43
What’s in Our Hearts (Or How We Don’t Think) 43
What’s in Our Minds (Or How We Do Think) 45
Other People (Or How Sensitive We Are to Social Cues) 50
Barriers to Action 55
The Nitty Gritty of Collecting Data 57
Wrapping It Up 58
Chapter 3
Marketing and Truth 61
The Consumer Relationship 62
Empowering the Consumer 62
Does the Selling Price Really Tell the Story? 63
Packaging Can Only Make Them Buy Once 64
Brand Loyalty 65
Ethics-Based Marketing and Business 65
Social Justice and Marketing 66
Co-op America’s Basics of Fair Trade 70
Package as Bridge or Barrier 71
What Is “Good” vs. “Great” Packaging? 71
Encouraging Consumer Choice 72
Thing or Service? 74
Eco-Labeling and Eco-Marketing Claims 74
Nutrition Facts Panel for a Healthier Planet 75
Carbon Labeling 77
Speaking the Truth, and Meaning It 78
TerraChoice: Six Sins of Greenwashing 82
FTC Green Guides 83
How to Get It Right 99
What Is “Need”? 99
Who Are the People Buying? 99
Moving Target 102
Timing Is Everything 103
The Package/Product Team 103
How to Create an Eco-Package in Three Easy Steps 104
Chapter 4
Laws and Economics 107
The Changing Landscape:
Laws and Regulations 108
Producer Responsibility 108
Why Producer Responsibility for Packaging? 110
Producer Responsibility in the European Union 111
Regulations Around the Globe 112
Producer Responsibility in the United States 112
Producer Responsibility in Asia 112
Producer Responsibility in Canada 113
Producer Responsibility in Australia 114
A Path Forward 115
Unwrapping Global Packaging: Trade and Policy 116
The Scope of Globalization in Packaging 116
The Global Magnitude of Packaging 117
The Global Supply Chain and Materials Markets 117
The Global Purposes of Packaging 117
The Global Laws Affecting Packaging 118
The Scope of Global Trade in Packaging 119
Trade in Manufactured Packaging 119
Trade in Packaging Materials 123
Trade in Waste Materials 123
Summary of Facts on Packaging Trade 125
The Scope of Environmental Impact of Packaging 126
The Economics of Environmental Externalities 126
The Role of Government Policy 126
Optimal Policies 127
Looking Forward 129
Chapter 5
Systems Thinking 133
The Systems View 134
Universal Principles 135
Bridging the Gap with Systems 139
Systems Properties 140
Systems and Design 140
Package as a System 141
Adapt to the Environment 142
Properties of Systems 143
Boundary 143
Function 146
Feedback and Interchange 148
Levels 149
Taking Advantage of the Systems View 150
The Package/Product Team 151
Team Learning and Decision Making 151
Design Language 154
Using Systems Thinking in the Design Process 157
Biomimicry 158
Contain 158
Protect 161
Communicate 164
Mimicking Deep Principles 166
Go Outside! 168
Permaculture Principles in Design 169
Passive Permaculture Principles 170
Proactive Measures 172
Progressive Measures 174
Change Management 177
Technical Approaches 181
Industrial Ecology 181
Design Practice 183
ISO 14000 184
Life Is Cycles 185
The Eco-costs Approach 187
Systems Approaches 189
The Sustainable Packaging CoalitionSM 189
The SPC Approach 191
Definition of Sustainable Packaging 191
Design Guidelines from the SPC 192
The Natural Step Framework 197
The Next Level in the Picture 200
o2’s 5Rs of Great Design 201
The Wal-Mart 7Rs 204
Cradle to CradleSM 205
Product Design Perspectives 212
Your Nearest Advantage May Be Behind You 215
Innovation Heuristics 217
Design Rules 217
The Basics of Innovation 217
Ecological Design Principles 218
Design Mindfulness (Thackara) 219
Design Approaches 220
Chapter 6
Materials and Processes 223
Paper or Plastic? Neither! 224
What Are We Trashing? 226
Paper 229
Wood-Based Paper 229
Why What’s In Your Paper Matters 230
Alternative Papers 232
Plastics 235
Nonrenewable Plastics 235
Biobased/Renewable Plastics 237
Metals 243
Aluminum 243
Steel 243
If It Can’t Be Grown, It Must Be Mined 244
Glass 251
Energy Changes Everything 252
Understanding Energy 254
Carbon Accounting 255
Printing 257
The Wonderful World of Waste 261
The Economic and Environmental Benefits of Recycling 261
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Waste 262
Chapter 7
Innovation Toolbox 267
Eco-Packaging In Three Easy Steps 268
Definition of Sustainable Packaging 268
Consumer’s Shopping List for Positive Change 269
Innovation Heuristics 269
Fair Trade Essentials 275
Overview of Environmental Marketing Claims 276
Eco Seals, Certifications, and Claims 277
Materials Choices at a Glance 283
Eco-Resources at a Glance 284
Glossary of Basic Packaging Terminology 288
Select Bibliography 320
Notes By Chapter 324
Index 336
