A natural alternative for oil-based plastics are biobased plastics. But what should you as a designer know about these materials? And how can you make a justified choice? In this workshop, we introduce you to “Bioplastics4U”, a tool develop by Amsterdam University of Applied Science together with Wageningen UR. Bring your own design case or witness how other products can be redesigned using bioplastics.

3. From Sustainable to
Circular: Challenges for
Packaging Design
Jos de Lange &
Ellen Oude Luttikhuis

4. Introduction
Design dilemma’s
Key insights
Next steps

5. Rules

6. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
No discussion about which strategy is best1
Sustainable development
vs.
Circular
vs.
Cradle to Cradle
vs.
Lean&Green
vs.
4R, 7O, …..

7. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
No discussion about which strategy is best1
No quantitative arguments2

8. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
No discussion about which strategy is best1
No socially desirable answers3
No quantitative arguments2

9. Warming up

10. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN

11. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN

12. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
Recycling

13. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN

14. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN

15. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
Heavy metals in Indian plastic bottles
Mumbay-based NGO tests plastic bottles and finds elevated heavy metal levels; NGO now
demands ban of plastic botles used as packaging
MUMBAI: It is not merely packaged food that poses a health
risk to consumers, the container itself can be lethal. A city-based
NGO named Watchdog Foundation has approached the National
Green Tribunal (NGT) in New Delhi seeking a ban on plastic
bottles as packaging. The NGO had carried out tests on bottles of
soft drink, water and cough syrup and found heavy metals
present far beyond permissible limits. Excess amounts of metal
cause kidney damage, respiratory problems, cancer, stroke and
heart trouble as well as spontaneous abortions.
The contaminated bottles belong to leading brands having a wide
consumer base.
Nicholas Almeida of Watchdog Foundation said, "The NGT
allowed our application on May 14. As per the Bureau of Indian
Standards (BIS), the permissible limit for antimony is 0.005 ppm,
chromium 0.05 ppm, cadmium 0.01 ppm, lead 0.01 ppm and
DHEP or pthalates is 0.006 ppm. However, the bottles we tested
showed 2.1-3.3 ppm for antimony, while
chromium levels spanned 5.6-9.1 ppm. One sample contained 0.3
ppm cadmium while another had 0.4 ppm of lead. DEHP levels
of 0.003-0.007 were present in some bottles."
Godfrey Pimenta of the NGO said, "The samples were purchased
in Mumbai but we spent Rs 24,000 to courier and test the bottles
at Anacon Laboratories in Nagpur which is accredited by the
ministry for environment and forests. The report arrived on July
7, 2014. We have been pursuing the authorities for action in this
matter for long. We had written to the Food & Safety Standards
Authority of India (FSSAI) in March this year but they only
replied to us after the Maggi controversy to say that they would
inquire into the matter."
Almeida says packaging liquids in plastic PET bottles makes
them prone to leaching due to the high temperature in the
atmosphere which causes contamination of the contents.

16. Packaging for olive oil

17. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
Glass
Inert (superior barriers)
+/- 500 gr.
PET
Sufficient barriers
+/- 50 gr.

18. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN

19. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
Input for decision

20. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
• Transport distance has
no significant influence
• Use of multilayer
increases impact
• Impact of product loss
is most significant
• Increasing amount of
material for cap has no
significant impact on
results
7,3
µpt
7,0
µpt

21. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
[21]
21
312
µpt
43
µpt
135000
µpt

22. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
[22]
Weighing factors: only usefull if they are
communicated.
§ If weighing factors are used, they need to be
communicated
§ ISO-Standards: use the weighing factors
prescribed (which effetively is weighting of 0)
Datasheets used: harder to trace
§ With packaging often non-packaging specific
materials are used out of context
§ Problem with most ‘fast’ LCA tools or
quickscans: use pre-defined datasets.

23. Oil or soil based
packaging?

24. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN

25. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
[25]
[25]
Consumer does not
know what to do
Material not suitable
for recycling process
and is incinerated
Bio-based materials:
large impact on
production of raw
material, landuse
More material is needed
to achieve same barrier
properties

26. Costs

27. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
Current packaging Alternative
§ 0,01 € cheaper
§ Less resources
needed
§ No perceived
difference for
consumer

28. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
Current packaging Alternative
§ Same costprice
§ Paperfibre look
§ Extra layer: possible
problems with
recycling

29. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
Current packaging Alternative
§ 0,02 € more
expensive for first 5
years due to
investsments
§ No perceived
difference for
consumer
§ Mono-material:
improved
recyclability

30. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
[30]

31. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
[31]
SOCIAL EQUALITY
(PEOPLE)
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION (PLANET)
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY
(PROFIT)

33. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
[33]
SOCIAL EQUALITY
(PEOPLE)
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION (PLANET)
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY
(PROFIT)

34. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
‘Packaging is a (set of) physical artifact(s)
that temporarily or unremittingly assumes
the functions preserving, protecting,
enabling use & handling and conveying
formal & informal information of the related
product.’

35. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
[35]

36. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN

37. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
START WITH COMMON SENSE
§ What’s the product/ packaging combination & corresponding packaging functions?
Rationale: Finding an optimum for each & balancing the functionalities
§ What’s the big picture & corresponding estimations
Rationale: Avoid sub-optimisation.
See for example J. Kooijman: Verpakken, niet te veel, niet te weinig, juist van passe
§ What’s your influence?
Rationale: What can you change and what should you change?
Simply choosing the supplier or go into details of the design?
§ Select appropriate tool(s) & keep in mind the pro’s/ con’s!
Do not use a resource-intensive method like LCA when rough estimations are
enough

38. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN

40. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
[40]

41. JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS
LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR:
CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN
[41]
Ellen Oude Luttikhuis e.j.oudeluttikhuis@utwente.nl
Jos de Lange j.delange@utwente.nl
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