Eco-Design
The practice of designing packaging with environmental considerations integrated from the outset, aiming to minimise environmental impact across the entire lifecycle while maintaining functionality.
Eco-design (also called sustainable design or design for the environment) integrates environmental considerations into packaging design from the earliest stages. Under pEPR, eco-design is directly incentivised through modulated fees.
Key eco-design principles for packaging:
- Material selection — choose widely recyclable materials
- Lightweighting — minimise material use while maintaining function
- Mono-material design — avoid mixing materials that complicate recycling
- Eliminate problematic elements — avoid carbon black pigment, non-detectable colours, full-body shrink sleeves
- Design for disassembly — make components easy to separate for recycling
- Increase recycled content — use secondary materials where possible
Eco-design creates a virtuous cycle — better-designed packaging reduces fees, improves recycling rates, and supports the circular economy. WRAP and OPRL provide design guidance. Life cycle assessments can help quantify the environmental benefits of design changes.
Related Terms
Modulated Fees
Fee adjustments applied on top of base fees that reward recyclable packaging wit...
Recyclability
The practical ability of a packaging item to be collected, sorted, and reprocess...
Recycled Content
The proportion of a packaging item made from previously recycled materials rathe...
Circular Economy
An economic model that eliminates waste by keeping materials in use for as long ...
Lightweighting
Reducing the weight of packaging while maintaining its protective and functional...
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