Implementing Sustainability Considerations in Packaging Design Curricula

Abstract

This study aims to address the structured implementation of sustainability considerations in packaging design processes by proposing a teaching framework for design students. The framework builds upon a four-year research program which aims to deliver insights regarding the environmental burden caused by product-packaging chains in the Netherlands and cumulates in an educational program for Universities of Applied Sciences. The teaching framework addresses five perspectives of product-packaging sustainability: (1) managerial decision making, (2) life cycle assessment (LCA), (3) consumer behavior, (4) recycling efficiency and effectiveness, and (5) redesign of the plastic waste chain. The research’s main contribution is the setup and the applicability and efficacy of the proposed teaching framework. The application of this framework in packaging design education must lead to a better alignment of insights on sustainability in the early stages of packaging design processes executed by ‘designers of the future’.