Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
In the case of packaging, design for disassembly is a corollary of design for recyclability.
So if a package is designed in a way that the consumer or the recycling center can easily sepa-
rate the different components of the package then automatically its recyclability is ensured.
Design for transportability
This aspect of packaging design is about the creation of packages of shapes and sizes that
maximize the use of space during transportation. In the case of most food products, cargo
space available is filled before reaching the maximum weight limit for most transportation
vehicles. Therefore, by improving geometry and selection of materials more cargo can be fit
in a cubic meter.
A good example of this concept is the redesign of the gallon milk jug available in club
stores including Sam's Club and Costco. The traditional gallon jug was stored and transported
in crates at a rate of 3 gallons per cubic foot. By making the jugs more cubical with flat tops/
bottoms and ridged sides, the redesigned jugs can be sacked on pallets at multiple levels that
are held by cardboard bands and shrink wrap. The new jugs allow the use of transportation and
storage space at a rate of 4.5 gallons per cubic foot and eliminate the need of plastic crates
(Rosenbloom, 2008).
Food products are prepacked at processing plants in primary packages that are then exhib-
ited at grocery store shelves. Customarily, these primary packages are shipped and distributed
inside secondary and tertiary containers made of corrugated fiberboard. This practice makes
the loading, unloading, and handling easier, but it is not the most efficient use of space and
materials. There are no better alternatives at the moment to replace secondary and tertiary
packaging, but there are initiatives to reduce the use of fiberboard in secondary and tertiary
packaging and make a better use of transportation volume (Teschler, 2008).
Design for minimization
This attribute focuses on the elimination of unnecessary packaging at primary, secondary, and
tertiary levels. An example is the reduction of the amount of material used in water bottles and
their caps in the last few years. Evidently, this strategy made not only a better use of resources
for water bottling companies but also a significant cost reduction. The use of collapsible bulk
shipping containers minimizes or eliminates the use of cardboard and fiberboard for second-
ary and tertiary packaging. And because they are collapsible transporting empty containers
becomes efficient.
Design for shelf life extension
Food products with longer shelf lives contribute to waste minimization. The traditional pack-
age, which protects food from environmental contamination, light, moisture, and absence or
presence of oxygen and other gases, can be taken one step further and transformed into
“active” packaging and extend the life of many food products.
Once sealed, traditional packaging has no control on the atmosphere inside the package
that surrounds the food product. There is no control of the diffusion of moisture and oxygen
through the packaging walls or the production of gases by fresh fruits and vegetables, which
accumulate inside the package and accelerate deterioration.
Active packaging contains devices capable of controlling the atmosphere inside the pack-
age by absorbing undesirable compounds or emitting desirable ones. The most common tech-
nologies are flavors/odors absorbers, ethylene scavengers, carbon dioxide and oxygen
absorbers, moisture scavengers, and carbon dioxide emitters. For more precise control of
