Packaging Function and Green Packaging Design (I)

Foreword

The “green living” approach centered on “protecting the environment and advocating nature” is rapidly taking shape, so people have put forward new requirements for packaging design and hope to design for the human life environment. Under this premise, a new type of packaging is proposed - green packaging should have the connotation of "4R1D": reduce packaging (Reduce), recycling (Recycle), energy recovery (Recover), and large containers. Refill and packaging waste can degrade Degradable [1]. This has also led to changes in the industries associated with green packaging, such as the printing industry, and is now vigorously researching and developing green printing materials and corresponding green packaging and printing processes.

1 packaging function and green packaging content

Looking at the packaging development of economically developed countries, green packaging has become the mainstream of new packaging designs. The development of green packaging is a top priority for the packaging industry and has become a hot topic in the academic community. However, how can we turn green packaging from concept to design and then into reality?

Let's take a look at the connotation of green packaging. Green packaging refers to moderate packaging that can be recycled, reused, or degraded, and that does not cause harm to the human body and the environment throughout the product's life cycle.
Let us review the five basic functions of packaging in the modern living environment [2]: (1) Unitization function: The limitation of the capacity, weight, and number of each package. It is necessary to contact the use purpose or operation method of each different item. Overall consideration and determination; (2) Retaining function: means that the contents of the package can be protected from external damage; (3) Movable function: the package makes the object that is not easy to transport into an easily transportable item; (4 ) Purpose-use functions: Packaging should consider how to allow users to conveniently use the contents of the package and prepare necessary attachments; (5) Means of ergonomics: This is about circulation, sales, purchase, and use. The function, it is an important aspect of the appearance of the packaging.
Through the comparison of the five basic functions of packaging and the definition of green packaging, there is a certain difference between the two requirements. The realization of five functions of packaging involves the use of existing resources and materials on the earth for processing. Creating a packaging design with perfect functionality does not guarantee that it will not become a burden on the environment after use, but it will leave the implementation. Packaging function and talk about environmental protection are also against our original intention. Therefore, it is not our goal to solve or achieve certain functions of packaging in isolation. It is the responsibility of every designer to rationally realize these functions based on ecological viewpoints and methods, and to focus on creating an ecosystem that is beneficial to the environment and human beings while designing packaging.

In summary, we can already clearly understand that the connotation of 4R1D shows that green packaging is an ideal package, and it takes a process to fully meet its requirements. We need certain methods and standards to quantify the green packaging's target system and formulate green packaging grading standards so as to facilitate the operation and realize the goals in stages. Specific, effective green packaging grading standards have yet to be studied and discussed by knowledgeable people.

2 Development of Green Packaging Design

Now we are talking about reducing the impact on the environment during the packaging production process, during and after use, and simply talking about the design progress of green packaging in recent years.

2.1 Development of packaging design towards material saving

On the basis of guaranteeing basic functions of packaging, over-packaging is reformed, appropriate packaging is developed, the amount of packaging materials is reduced as much as possible, the cost of packaging is reduced, resources of packaging materials are saved, and the amount of waste generated from packaging materials is reduced [3].

One of the characteristics of this design is the pursuit of simple and simple production materials and packaging images. For example, the outer packaging of seasonings designed and manufactured by Ajinomoto Co., Ltd. is made of white single-layer corrugated paper, and label printing is also simple and unpretentious.

2.2 Development of packaging design towards natural bio-packaging materials

Natural biological materials such as paper, wood, bamboo woven materials, hemp, reeds, crop stems, rice straw, wheat straw, etc. are easily decomposed in the natural environment, do not pollute the ecological environment, and can be regenerated with low cost, and can be used for package.

For example, the Swiss designer devised a white gift paper bag that added the seeds of the tree during the paper making process so that, after being discarded, in addition to the paper itself, the seeds inside would have the opportunity to take root in the soil. .

2.3 Developing Packaging Design for Reusable and Recyclable Packaging Materials

The reuse and recycling of packaging materials is the most practical and feasible step in the development of green packaging materials. It is the most active waste recycling method for protecting the environment and promoting the recycling of packaging materials [3]. Recycling is a good way to solve solid waste, and it has become an effective way to solve the source of materials and mitigate environmental pollution in some countries.

However, fundamentally speaking, the repeated use and recycling of packaging materials merely prolong the service life of some packaging materials, increase the regeneration rate and utilization of resources, and when they have completed their service life, there is still waste disposal. And environmental pollution problems.

(to be continued)