Design for recycling guidelines

Design for recycling

Packaging has a negative perception with consumers and environmentalists. It is perceived to be a waste of resources and a significant contributor to the growing levels of waste, particularly litter.

In both cases the perception is not factual as packaging saves far more than it wastes and in SA accounts for below 6% of general waste to landfill. Volume growth in packaging in SA has consistently been below real GDP growth, helped by significant and continuous reductions in packaging mass.

Following industry promoted Design for Recycling guidelines will at a minimum provide an important contribution to help you ensure that your packaging is compliant with relevant legislation/agreements, that recycling costs are minimized and that societal expectations and your company practices are matched in packaging recycling.

The Packaging SÁ has produced a guidance document that is sufficiently detailed to assist designers in all forms of packaging and paper. It will provide packaging and print designers, in particular,
with a better understanding of the environmental implications of their design decisions, thus promoting good environmental practices without unnecessarily restricting choice.

Download the document here.