(VIC) Training Course: Introduction to Sustainable Packaging Design

OVERVIEW OF THE COURSE:

The course will provide attendees a better understanding of the practical guidelines and criteria needed to design and develop sustainable packaging including the Sustainability Hierarchy of Reduce, Reuse then Recycle and the Circular Economy approach to packaging and the environment.

Discussions will also cover Plastic, Glass and Metal packaging and their impact on the environment and whether the use of non-renewable resources, plant based bioplastics, compostable and recycled materials and various tools can assist their business to understand the full life of packaging. This will involve the impact of ‘Food or Product Waste’.

Participants will be invited to bring with them a sample of their company’s packaging materials to use as a case study.

As part of the course, attendees will visit a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) to expose participants to the realities of a working MRF facilities, their equipment, limitation and material handling issues. The participants will get an understanding of what is and is not separated out for possible recycling, and why. This is followed by understanding the next stage of the recycling process after the MRF (i.e., the current five material beneficiation processes).

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

• To provide participants an understanding of the current environmental issues that are impacting the producers of packaging and the manufacturers and retailers of packaged product.

• To provide participants an understanding of sustainable packaging design and the practical design guidelines and approaches required in the packaging design process including End of Life (EoL) thinking.

• To provide participants with a better view of Best Practice Examples and Case Studies of award-winning Sustainable Packaging and Save Food Packaging innovations.