The ideal cradle-to-cradle packaging product and life cycle are designed so that all of its materials safely cycle within either a biological or technical metabolism and are reused or recovered at their highest possible value. A simplified cradle-to-cradle packaging life cycle using biological nutrients is depicted in the diagram found by clicking here.

Cradle-to-cradle design considerations include: the systems needed to facilitate cyclical material flows; the ecological and human health characteristics of the materials; and how physical design facilitates reuse and recyclability.

System Design Considerations

One of the advantages of cradle-to-cradle thinking is that the “true cost” or life cycle costs and impacts of the materials and associated systems for packaging can be identified and used to inform both the design and business processes. In turn, this presents an opportunity for designers to develop better products and for business to capitalize on the increased knowledge about their products and systems.

In dollar terms, packaging materials are not expensive. As such, once packaging has performed its function, it is commonly considered waste both by consumers and businesses, instead of a resource and/or a business opportunity. One of the goals of this design challenge is to change this perception by expanding the concept of value beyond function, through a shift from cradle-to-grave to cradle-to-cradle thinking. For the successful cradle-to-cradle flow of packaging, not only does there need to be a change in perception about the “value” of packaging once it has performed its function, but additionally there needs to be development of a recovery system to gather used packaging and stage it for reuse or recycling.

Packaging Design Considerations

The ideal cradle-to-cradle packaging product is designed so that all of its materials are selected to safely cycle within either a biological or technical metabolism and to be reused or recovered at their highest possible value.

Material selection is an essential part in the development of a cradle-to-cradle product. A designer needs to understand the human and ecological health characteristics of the materials under consideration. Obviously, material science and toxicology are not the milieu of most designers. However, increasingly there are LCA—based resources available to designers that condense human health, ecological health (eco-toxicity) and energy data by material.

The ideal cradle-to-cradle scenario allows the packaging to be reused. Reuse recovers materials and product utility at its highest possible value. However, after one or several cycles of use, physical wear and tear will take its toll on almost any material. The issue becomes, at what level material value can be recovered now that the utility of the package is lost and what system is needed to achieve it. For corrugated paperboard or plastic, this is generally recycling – value is recovered in a technical system. Another possible scenario for corrugated paperboard is the recovery of its nutrient value through managed composting – value is recovered through the biological system.