The principle of selection of green packaging materials

According to the definition and characteristics of green packaging, the principles for selecting green packaging materials are summarized as follows: selection of recycled materials, selection of recyclable materials, selection of biodegradable materials, use of the same packaging materials as much as possible, minimization of packaging materials, and avoidance of excess Packaging, reuse and refilling of packaging, optimal design of packaging structure, improvement of product structure, and improvement of packaging.

Keywords: green packaging; materials; selection principle

Green packaging refers to packaging that uses environmentally friendly and non-polluting, recyclable or recyclable packaging materials and their products. The characteristics of green packaging can be summarized as follows: save resources and energy, and minimize waste; can be recycled and recycled; packaging materials can be self-degrading and have a short degradation cycle; packaging materials should be non-toxic and harmless to human and biological chains; green packaging Throughout its life cycle, it does not pollute the environment. Green packaging design should comply with the 4R1D standard - REFILL, REUSE, RECYCLE, REDUCE, and DEGRADE, ie, no harm to human health. Waste does not pollute the environment and it is easy to recycle product packages for reuse or recycling.

First, green packaging materials

Prioritization of choice The commonly used packaging materials are paper, cardboard, aluminum, glass, plastic, iron sheet, and the like. From the perspective of green packaging, the most preferred choice is: no packaging or minimal packaging, it will fundamentally eliminate the impact of packaging on the environment; followed by returnable, reusable packaging or recyclable packaging, it The benefits and effects of recycling depend on the recycling system and the concept of the consumer.

Second, the principle of selection of green packaging materials

1, use recycled materials

The use of recycled materials can not only improve the utilization of packaging materials, reduce production costs, but also save a lot of energy and reduce the consumption of other resources, while reducing emissions to the environment. For example, 85% of aluminum packaging materials used in makeup boxes, powder boxes, and lipsticks produced by Aveda Co., Ltd. were recovered from beverage cans. Compared with the use of raw aluminum resources, nearly 97% of electricity and water can be saved, and pollution during production is also reduced by 95%. The powder box is adsorbed on the cosmetic case by magnetic force and can be easily replaced after use. The mirrors and magnets in the makeup box are all lead-free. The entire makeup box can be completely recycled (see Figure 1). Another example is the ARMANI clothing brand series packaging, which not only uses recycled paper from the bag to the wrapping paper, but also minimizes the packaging level and volume.

2. Select recyclable materials for recycling and reuse

Good packaging materials are one of the effective ways to achieve green packaging. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a recyclable, clean, high-quality plastic packaging commonly used in beverage packaging, and is also used by P&G to package household cleaners.

3, choose degradable materials

Degradability refers to the fact that non-recyclable packaging waste can be decomposed and returned to nature or ecology within a certain period of time. For example, a degradable plastic means that its chemical structure changes in the natural environment through the action of microorganisms in the soil and water, or through the action of ultraviolet light in the sunlight, and eventually re-enters the ecological environment in a non-toxic form. A plastic that returns to nature. Biodegradable plastics are divided into biodegradable plastics, biocleavable plastics, photodegradable plastics and biodegradable plastics. Degradable plastics not only have the functions and characteristics of traditional plastics, but also can be degraded. They can be widely used in food packaging, turnover containers, general cargo containers, tool packaging, and external packaging boxes for some mechanical and electrical products. For another example, in bulk filling materials made from starch mixtures, starch is derived from natural renewable resources such as potatoes, rice, wheat and other crops. During the extrusion process, ultra-high temperature treatment removes edible ingredients. Effectively prevent pests. The filler material is completely degraded within 13 minutes after mixing with water and can be decomposed without adding other components without contaminating groundwater. The filling material has the characteristics of wide application, light weight, clean, anti-static, insect-proof, free filling, and reusability (see Figure 2). Figure 2 Degradable Packaging Filling Materials Another example is that fast food industries such as McDonald's have been working hard to make their packaging more environmentally friendly. Initially, the chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs) components were removed from the blown polystyrene (PS) plastic hamburger package and replaced by ultra-thin paper and paper bag outer packaging. In addition, soft drink bottles, straws, cutlery, and dishes have all been improved to meet consumer-recognized minimum environmental standards. Now, McDonald's company has monopolized the use of "Mater-Bi" tableware, so that the average consumer is still unable to buy such dishes. "Mater-Bi" tableware was designed in 1995 and is a disposable tableware that can be naturally degraded and dissolved. It is made from very common starch and cellulose additives and its properties are comparable to those of some long molecular compounds. "Mater-Bi" can be decomposed in a very short time, and 90% of the weight in 40 days is decomposed (see Figure 3). In the first year of production, the production of "Mater-Bi" tableware exceeded 20 million pieces.

4, try to use the same packaging material

Use the same packaging material as much as possible to avoid the use of multi-layer packages of different materials in order to reduce the separation of different material packages and improve the recovery and reuse performance of the packages. For example, the new packaging designed by Microsoft for Office 2001 is a thin, reusable, nine-disc plastic box that is ten times lighter than the original carton pack. The package minimizes the type of material used, the bottom 100% of which is made of recycled plastic, and the top cover part is made of freshly produced plastic to maintain a beautiful appearance. Since the software instructions are posted on the web, paper instructions do not have to be provided to save paper; with this package, shipping costs are reduced by 50% (see Figure 4).

5. Minimize the use of packaging materials by minimizing the packaging materials' protection, aesthetics, convenience, and sales.

Reducing the use of materials means not only reducing the cost of raw materials and processing and manufacturing costs, but also means reducing the costs of transportation and sales, as well as the recycling, recycling, and disposal costs of discarded packaging. For example, APTI's protective airbag packaging uses air as a commodity pad. The inside and outside of the package are made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which can effectively prevent the package from being punctured or torn, thus prolonging the shelf life of the product on the shelf. The package is divided into antistatic surface packaging and non-antistatic surface packaging. The former is used to package electronic products that are more sensitive to static electricity. The sealed packaged product can withstand about 19,000 feet of airlift height. Compared with other similar packaging, this airbag packaging that can be reused many times saves 30% of materials, saves 35% of transportation costs, and saves 90% of storage space. After testing, the damage rate of the product after using the pad is zero (see Figure 5).

6, to avoid over-packaging

Excessive packaging is not useful for consumers, for example, the packaging of some candy and cosmetics is excessive. Aveda made a good attempt to package high-end consumer products such as perfumes. The bag is made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), 10% of which is from recycled products, lighter in weight, and can save a lot of space and weight during transportation, and at the same time can directly display products to consumers (see Figure 6). ). Used only for perfume packaging, Avida can save 6 tons of paper material each year. When the packaging is reduced, consumers' habits and appearance of the product must also be taken into consideration. Some packaging should also provide enough space to mark various information of the product. Figure 6 Avoid Overpacking Perfume Bags

7. Reuse and refill packaging

Reusing and refilling packaging can increase the useful life of the product package, thereby reducing the environmental impact of its disposal. At the same time, it is necessary to consider the cost of packaging collection and cleaning, as well as the impact on the environment; to establish a corresponding re-filling network and system. For example, printer cartridges and cartridges that have been refilled can be used five or more times. Another example is that the Finnish bottled industry is truly systemized. All glass bottles and plastic bottles are designed according to standards. Brown bottles are used uniformly for beer bottles, transparent glass or vinyl bottles for other beverages, and 90% of beverages are packaged in recyclable, refillable bottles. The average service life of each glass bottle is about 5 to 10 years, and the new filling is about 5 times a year. The returnable refill of bottles depends on the complete recyclable packaging system. Due to the consistency and unity among the various manufacturers, regardless of the original manufacturer, uniform standard bottle packaging can be recycled to any beverage supply. Merchants, and where they refill, the supplier's filling equipment is also consistent with the uniform bottle specifications. The consumer pays a certain deposit for the bottle when purchasing the product and recovers the deposit when the package is returned. The packaging supplier can simultaneously withdraw the bottle returned by the consumer while delivering the new package. Even many large multinational companies have adopted such a method in Finland. Among them, PepsiCo has used Finnish bottle of beverages. Due to the unification of packaging, in order to show the identity or personality of a product, designers need to be able to make better signs and patterns that can better express the brand identity. Finland is the world's smallest per capita waste producer in Europe. Reusing packaging is an important reason. In Finland, 85% of glass, 70% of plastic and 90% of metal can be reused. Of the 1.2 million tons of packaging materials used every year (excluding cardboard), 810,000 tons are reusable. Finland's practice shows that systematic packaging is not just for a product, a company, or a country, but it requires packaging manufacturers, suppliers, product packaging, and innumerable retailers and distributors. Work together. Refilling has also been successfully used on shampoos, detergents and other household items. For example, one of the most famous environmental protection solutions of “The Body Shop”, an internationally renowned skin care company, is the use of uniformly-sized bottles for hair care and skin care products. The bottles are made of low-density polyethylene. , You can return the package to the store and reinstall the product after use. The store selling the product also recycles the bottle (see Figure 7). Refillable packaging is also used for food; German supermarket chain (Tengelmann) introduced a milk can filling machine, customers can fill themselves with 1 liter glass bottles, only in Munich, saving 3,700 tons of packaging in a year (See Figure 8).

8, the optimal design of the packaging structure

Green packaging is achieved through the structural design of the packaging. By changing the shape of the package, the product is transported more conveniently for the convenience of transportation. For example, an octagonal boxed pizza can save 10% of the packaging material. Through a reasonable design of the packaging structure, the packaging can be used for other purposes, to avoid arbitrary disposal of the packaging. For example, the keyboard of AT&T's design is the dust cover of the keyboard. Through the new packaging structure design, not only saves packaging materials, but also saves packaging costs and space. For example, Yves Rocher's cosmetic packaging is divided into two layers. The inner bottle is used to hold moisturizer. When the moisturizer is used up, it only needs to replace the moisturizer. The new inner vial can be replaced without changing the outer packaging and cap. The packaging saves 82% of the material used, consuming 85% of the original natural resources and 91% of energy (see Figure 9). By improving the packaging structure, the packaging is safer, healthier, and easier to use. For example, in Alcan's metal containers in Germany, aluminum sheets or tin sheets are welded to the top of a metal container as a seal, and an open-sealed rib is then placed on the aluminum sheet. The production process is more time-saving than the existing sealing process, and can use existing packaging equipment, and its package weight is reduced by 10%. The use of this sealing method is also very safe, without sharp edges, and it will not cause contamination of the contents due to opening (see Figure 10).

9, improve product structure, improve packaging by improving the structure and shape of the product, improve the structural strength of the product or reduce