New ISO world standards on packaging and environment

The final texts of the ISO world standards on packaging and the environment have been finalized for translation and publication in October this year. This is said to mark the beginning of a new era in global manufacturing and distribution, where the environmental aspects of packaging throughout the supply and recycle chain will already be taken into account in the packaging design process.

The decision was taken unanimously in the plenary meeting of ISO Committee TC122/SC4 packaging and environment, which took place at the COEX Conference Center in Seoul, South Korea. Previous meetings were held in Atlanta, Tokyo, Beijing and Stockholm (where the work started in 2009).

The standards address optimization of the packaging system, reuse, material recycling, energy recovery and composting, as well as the way these aspects of each package are related to each other before and after its use. Every responsible retailer, manufacturer and packaging supplier can implement the standards in their management system and thereby take responsibility for their specific part in the sustainable innovation of packages, packaged products, retail and recycling.

Pictured: The plenary meeting of ISO Committee TC122/SC4 packaging and environment