The Circular Economy is about zero waste, where products are disassembled into their constituent components, either to be recycled or composted. While considerable attention has focused on the product itself, a product can only be sustainable or circular if the packaging it comes in is also sustainable and circular. This second course in the “Sustainable and Circular Product Development” specialization provides an overview of packaging today, and how it is evolving to become more sustainable. Topics include defining sustainable and circular packaging, packaging as a system, design and functionality, conventional and innovative packaging materials, advances in recycling technologies, and rethinking our approach to packaging.
This course was developed in collaboration with Siemens Digital Industries Software and is part of the "Design for the Circular Economy" collection. Learners who complete and pass the course can receive an industry-recognized digital badge.
The “Design for the Circular Economy” microcredential and graduate certificate are developed around the educational goals of providing technical, business, and leadership knowledge and skills that inspire the transformation towards a more circular economy. This includes gaining technical knowledge to apply circular economy principles in product design, minimizing waste and maximizing impact; developing business acumen to implement innovative circular economic models that prioritize sustainability and resilience; and acquiring leadership strategies to communicate effectively and inspire change within an organization.
This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Engineering in Engineering Management (ME-EM) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The ME-EM is designed to help engineers, scientists, and technical professionals move into leadership and management roles in the engineering and technical sectors. With performance-based admissions and no application process, the ME-EM is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience. Learn more about the ME-EM program at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/me-engineering-management-boulder.
Overview
Syllabus
- Packaging Fundamentals
- The module begins with an overview of packaging fundamentals, such as what packaging is and why we need it. We then discuss the challenges with packaging, from the amount of packaging that ends up in the landfill to the particular challenges with plastic packaging. The module explains the many functions of packaging, from protection and preservation to communication and sustainability. Finally, the module examines packaging as a system, including primary, secondary and tertiary packaging, as well as how labels play an important role in communication and logistics.
- Packaging, Sustainability and Sustainable Development
- Economic growth around the world will lead to greater consumption of stuff, and all that stuff will come packaged in one form or another. In this module, we discuss the 3 pillars of sustainability: People-Planet-Profits, otherwise known as the Triple Bottom Line, and how it relates to packaging. We introduce the concept of the Circular Economy, and its primary tenet that nothing is considered waste - including packaging. We then explore current consumer trends that prefer sustainable and circular packaging, and our collective dislike of plastic packaging. And industry is responding, with innovative approaches to both design and materials. We wrap-up this module examining how we can get from where we are today, to where we need to be tomorrow, highlighting the different approaches to making our packaging more sustainable and circular.
- Packaging Design, Sustainability and the Circular Economy
- The principles of the Circular Economy apply to packaging as much as they do to product design. In this module, we discuss packaging design from a packaging engineer's perspective, and the many elements they must consider to ensure the packaging meets business, customer and regulatory requirements. We then go deeper into those elements, including protection, material use, and user-friendliness, to name a few. To understand how these work in practice, several examples are highlighted from companies such as Ikea, Amazon and Puma. Finally, we examine the tools packaging professionals use to design packaging, such as CAD, VR and AR, and the tests used to validate packaging, such as crush tests, drop tests, and atmospheric conditioning. This module lays the groundwork for more sustainable circular packaging design, covered in the next few modules.
- Today's Packaging Materials
- Packaging design relies heavily on material properties to protect the product from structural damage, light and UV damage, as well as intrusion (or leakage) of gases such as oxygen or ethylene. Packaging materials have come a long way, but not necessarily with sustainability in mind. In this module, we explore the mix of packaging materials today, including paper, paperboard and cardboard, glass, aluminum and plastics. We go into each in some detail, highlighting what they are, how they are made, and where the materials are heading in terms of sustainability and circularity.
- Innovations in Packaging Materials, Design, and Use
- Many businesses and consumers are now fully aware of the adverse environmental impacts of packaging. Yet as we often try to do in this course, those challenges create the opportunities for change. In this module, we highlight the innovations occurring in packaging materials, how reuse is possible, and conclude with examples of creative entrepreneurs rethinking packaging altogether. The module begins with advances in biopolymers and bioplastics, highlighting the many exciting advances in the field. There are also several earth-friendly packaging materials on the horizon, including those made from mushrooms and seaweed. Innovation goes beyond materials to business models, where true circularity is achieved by reusing packaging, led by a company that designed robust packaging envelopes suitable for reuse, but also the reverse logistics process to ensure they are reused. The module then introduces several designers reexamining the relationship between product and packaging, and ultimately making both more sustainable. Finally the course wraps up with an optimistic view of the potential for more sustainable and circular packaging, the people and organizations leading the way, and what we can do to accelerate the transition.
Taught by
Michael J. Readey, Ph.D.
