Unless information on materials, processes and their impact in the environment is difficult to find or it is not available to designers, there are no excuses for packaging designers to ignore their role in the environment. Understanding the complete life cycle of the package they create, from extraction of the material through manufacture, distribution, use until disposal will show that the emissions of pollutants on the air, in the water and in the land occur. In addition, consumption of high amounts of energy and non-renewable resources, and emissions of hazardous ingredients can be dispersed into ground water and air. All these problems show the urgency for designers to take action to limit the impact of packaging in the environment. Designers need to have a greater understanding of how their decisions on selecting materials, processes, use and disposal of their packaging, as well as how all these phases can affect the environment. By understanding that impact, packaging designers are able to make better decisions during the design process balancing the needs of the product, the consumer and the environment. This paper will focus on the environmental problems that are connected to packaging design and what designers can do to decrease their impact in the environment.

Claudia Scaff holds a B.A. degree in Industrial Design from Armando Alvares Penteado College in São Paulo, Brazil and Master in Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Iowa State University. She currently teaches Graphic Design at University of North Florida. Her research interests include: packaging design, multicultural design, interface design and green design. Her creative works include public art commissioned for the city of Jacksonville, Florida; a permanent collection of black and white photography for the University of North Florida. Claudia Scaff chaired a panel and presented a paper at the Southeastern College Art Conference.