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Towards a Conceptual Sustainable Packaging Development Model: A Corrugated Box Case Study
Author(s) -
Dominic C.A.S.,
Östlund S.,
Buffington J.,
Masoud M. M.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
packaging technology and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.365
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1099-1522
pISSN - 0894-3214
DOI - 10.1002/pts.2113
Subject(s) - reuse , supply chain , conceptual design , packaging engineering , container (type theory) , manufacturing engineering , sustainable design , material selection , conceptual model , engineering , systems engineering , process (computing) , extant taxon , sustainability , computer science , mechanical engineering , business , marketing , waste management , ecology , materials science , database , composite material , biology , operating system , evolutionary biology
Corrugated package designers are focused on balancing the need for product protection, material use efficiency and the packaging material's impact on the environment in the supply chain. The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual sustainable packaging model that integrates the variables of technical design, supply chain systems and environmental factors and then use the model to identify to improve upon corrugated container design. A model was developed, from the extant literature, and a case study was performed on a corrugated container. This is believed to be a unique integrated model of most relevant agents related to the design and implementation of a corrugated box through a supply chain from design to potential post‐consumer reuse. From this study, we found opportunities to improve the environmental design of the corrugated container through four ex ante design stages, and two ex post facto supply chain stages. Further, research can evaluate and refine this model via a ‘live supply chain’ for use in guiding corrugated box material selection design and reuse/recycling. Integration of the design criterion for a unit load in the supply chain creates opportunity to observe the packaging system holistically. Waste in the manufacturing process and CO 2 emissions are traced along the material flow until the end of its useful life to provide an overall picture of the packaging system. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.