Giving packaging a new life

Giving packaging a new life consists of a series of short episodes showing the different types of waste products from household items and how they are recycled or reused.

One of the episodes went over tin cans in production, and i learnt that these tin cans in production loops can be recycled many times over with minimal quality loss. One of the videos also mentioned how in Germany more than 87% of aluminium is recycled.  Plastic is another material that i found out could be recycled many times, more specifically PET, which can be recycled many times as long as it sorted properly and accurately in recycling plants. An automated sorting plant mentioned in the video is designed in a way that cuts costs of sorting by up to 50%.

How it’s made: Packaging

These series of videos show how different materials are used to make basic packaging items such as plastic bottles, cans, juice cartons etc.

Tetrapak is one of those materials that can keep drinks and food safe for up to a year. It is recyclable and made from entirely recyclable materials, mostly paper. I discovered that there are 3 layers, a plastic layer, which ensured the pack is leak proof and foil and paperboard layers. These three layers are then squeezed together by rollers, resulting in a compact and lightweight packaging solution.

There is another video in the series, which shows the production process for aluminium cans. These cans are made from lightweight sheets of aluminium, which are cut and then eventually washed with chemicals such as hydrochloric acid. This makes for a lightweight aluminium can that will never deteriorate if recycled properly.

Glass is an ancient material made from natural products. I knew from prior knowledge that glass was made from silica sand as well as recycled glass, known as cullet. However i quickly learnt that soda ash and limestone also go into the production of glass and make up 15% and 10% respectively. These materials are then heated to about 1500 degrees Celsius.  

The first take home message would be as designers, we need to look at manufacturing process more closely and understand them in detail since this can determine final designs of products. Another message is to make every attempt to utilise not only sustainable materials but environmentally friendly production processes when considering how a product will be manufactured. The final message would be to help promote recycling and reusing especially with PET bottles which often end up in landfill, this can be minimised by being educated as to the major benefits to the environment by recycling certain materials.

I think designers should watch these videos in order to get a deeper understanding as to how materials can be forged into products and shapes. Designers will also gain insight into how to minimise costs and minimise environmental impact in the design process.

Sunprit Singh

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