and the end of life treatment of the packaging. Emissions from each stage contribute to climate change, air pollution, acidification, and other environmental issues. Food waste is another prominent issue as one third of food meant for human consumption is lost. Sustainable packaging aims to address properties of food, for example chemical and microbiological properties, in order to limit packaging and food waste. Criteria The criteria for ranking and comparing packaging based on their sustainability is an active area of development. General guidance, metrics, checklists, and scorecards are being published by several groups. Government, standards organizations, consumers, retailers, and packagers are considering several types of criteria. Each organization words the goals and targets a little differently. In general, the broad goals of sustainable packaging are: Functional – product protection, safety, regulatory compliance, etc. Cost effective – if it is too expensive, it is unlikely to be used Support long-term human and ecological health Specific factors for sustainable design of packaging may include: Use of minimal materials – reduced packaging, reduced layers of packaging, lower mass (product to packaging ratio), lower volume, etc. Energy efficiency, total energy content and usage, use of renewable energy, use of clean energy, etc. Recycled content – as available and functional. For food contact materials, there are special safety considerations, particularly for use of recycled plastics and paper. Regulations are published by each country or region. Recyclability – recovery value, use of materials which are frequently and easily recycled, reduction of materials which hinder recyclability of major components, etc. Reusable packaging – repeated reuse of package, reuse for other purposes, etc. Use of renewable, biodegradable and compostable materials – when appropriate and do not cause contamination of the recycling stream Avoid the use of materials toxic to humans or the environment Effects on atmosphere/climate – ozone layer, greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and methane), volatile organic compounds, etc. Water use, reuse, treatment, waste, etc. Worker impact: occupational health, safety, clean technology, etc. The chosen criteria are often used best as a basis of comparison for two or more similar packaging designs; not as an absolute success or failure. Such a multi-variable comparison is often presented as a radar chart (spider chart, star chart, etc.). Benefits Some aspects of environmentally sound packaging are required by regulators while others are decisions made by individual packagers. Investors, employees, management, and customers can influence corporate decisions and help set policies. When