Sustainable Packaging stands for the integration of environmental aspects in the design of a product/packaging combinations. This means that, in addition to marketing, economic and technical criteria also take into account environmental criteria. Sustainable packaging improves the quality perception of products, leads to cost savings, helps to meet legislation and provides environmental benefits. This minor is part 2 of the Packaging Design & Innovation minor.

What will you be doing?

Sustainable Packaging stands for the integration of environmental aspects in the design of a product/packaging combinations. This means that, in addition to marketing, economic and technical criteria also take into account environmental criteria. Sustainable packaging improves the quality perception of products, leads to cost savings, helps to meet legislation and provides environmental benefits. In this minor attention is given to developments in the field of sustainability in relation to packaging development. Sustainability should be understood in most broad sense: both technically and economically.

 

Summary of contents

Subject of this minor is redesign of an existing packaging concept centered around sustainability as explained in the text above. The actual assignment, the design project, will be formulated in cooperation with a company. Examples of design projects are industrial packaging, consumer packaging or  last-minute-packaging (packaging which is applied at the very last moment of sale).

Research skills are being trained by so-called student lectures. Students prepare these lectures by doing research about a selected theme and writing a detailed report. Eventually the students present the outcome in a lecture to be concluded by a question and debating round. Examples of selected themes are environmental management systems, recycling, sustainability, biomimicry, ecodesign, globalization, corporate social responsibility (CSR), CSR of small and medium enterprises and CSR of emerging economies.

 

Learning goals

• Obtaining insight of the role of a packaging designer at the packaging development process.
• Learning the design method of Industrial Product Design (IPO).
• Capable to analyze context and environment of product and packaging.
• Obtaining knowledge of packaging materials and processes.
• Obtaining knowledge of relevant marketing trends.
• Learning to make a process tree for packaging.
• Obtaining research skills (including desk research, use of library, internet and patent database).
• Learning about aspects of sustainability like Cradle-to-cradle, Life Cycle Analysis (LCA).
• Obtaining knowledge about business economic aspects.
• Training of writing process and design assignment reports.

Entry requirements

The minor Packaging Design & Innovation (PDI) in block 1 or 3 has to be succesfully completed.

English at C1 level recommended.

Brightspace is used as an online tool for this minor. All relevant information and documentation is provided on its pages. A comprehensive list of literature is provided additionally. The following books are recommended (though not obligatory):

- Rob Thompson: The Manufacturing Guides - Sustainable Materials, Processes and Production (Thames & Hudson)

- Rob Thompson: The Manufacturing Guides - Graphics and Packaging Production (Thames & Hudson)

You will get information about the schedule no later than a week before the start of the minor program. Please send an email to tis-minoren@hhs.nl if you haven't heard anything by then.

 

Minorbrochure

If you want to know more about other minors at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, view our Minorbrochure.

The final assessment ('Project Assessment') of the minor consists out of two parts

1. Review of the Student Lecture (*)
2. Design Project Assessment (**)

The final result ('Project Assessment') will be the average of both the above parts where each individual result should be 5,0 or higher on a scale of 1 to 10. 

(*) Review Student Lecture: on the basis of written report and oral presentation.

The Student Lectures are written and presented by students individually.

(**) Design Project Assessment: on the basis of submitted report, model, and oral presentation. Within the Design Project, students work in groups.

Handing in of reports takes place in the 9th week of the minor, if necessary a re-examination will take place 10 weeks later.

Indication of target group

Students of Industrial Design Engineering wanting to specialize on packaging design.

Students of other programmes wanting to learn more about packaging and its design methods focused upon their educational backgrounds. Examples of these backgrounds are retail, food & beverage, specific user groups (elderly, disabled) or commerce and management.

 

Werkvormen + verdeling van de studielast

Design training and instruction (workshop): 32 hours

Lectures: 48 hours

Excursions and company visits: 16 hours

Selftuition: 228 hours

Resit/re-examination (if applicable): 76 hours

 

Partners

The cooperation with a company or NGO is included in this minor. These organizations supply the design assignment, an excursion and lectures and attend presentations. Examples of cooperating organizations of the recent minors are Paperfoam, Kennisinstituut Duurzaam Verpakken (KIDV), Easyfairs, Oerlemans Plastics, Cloetta en GoBio.

 

Minimum- en maximumdeelname

Minimum- and maximum participation

Maximum number of students: 35

Miscellaneous

This minor is obligatory for students of the programme Industrial Product Design (IPO/IDE, The Hague) to obtain the certificate of Packaging Design.

Minorkrant De Haagse Hogeschool

Bekijk onze minorkrant om alle HHs-minoren op een rijtje te zien.