Sustainable Packaging
Virtual Course
Course Overview
Sustainability – Packaging Optimization, Life Cycle Approach, Reusable & Refillable, Extended Producer Responsibility, Alternative Materials, Circular Economy, Consumer Trends, Managing Trade-offs and more.
This comprehensive, frequently updated course offers a full life-cycle, systems approach for making well-informed sustainable packaging decisions. Participants gain a holistic understanding of sustainability, expertly illustrated with a wide range of in-market solutions across the packaging value chain.
Course Details
March – June 2025
1. Introduction to Sustainable Packaging – March 18
2. Reducation & Elimination; Food Waste Prevention; Safety, Quality and Compliance – April 9
3. Reusable & Refillable Packaging System Viability – April 29
4. Recycling & Extended Producer Responsibility – May 13
5. Recycled Content, Alternative Materials – June 3
6. Measuring Sustainable Packaging – June 17
Course Time
10:00am – 12:00pm EST
Additional Info
Courses are non-refundable, however transferrable up to one (1) year.
Location
Virtual | Zoom platform
Price
All prices in US dollars
Member
Full Course
$750
Individual Module
$150
Non-Member
Full Course
$950
Individual Module
$200
All prices in US dollars.
If you are unable to attend all scheduled sessions, contact course administrator in advance to reschedule to next available date.
Register for full course or individual sessions. See below.
Certificates of attendance will be provided to those that complete the full course only.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the fundamental role of packaging and its impact on sustainability, including social, economic, and environmental considerations.
- Analyze packaging optimization strategies, including elimination, reduction, and balancing trade-offs between waste reduction and food safety.
- Differentiate between reusable, returnable, and refillable packaging models and key considerations to assess in-market viability.
- Examine global and regional regulations related to recycling, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and single-use plastics.
- Identify best practices for incorporating recycled content and alternative materials into packaging solutions.
- Apply life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies, and tools such as PAC Global PIP360, to evaluate packaging sustainability performance.
Who Should Attend?
This course is designed for sustainability professionals, packaging engineers, regulatory specialists, and industry leaders looking to implement sustainable packaging practices within their organizations.
Course Sessions
1. Introduction to Sustainable Packaging
March 18, 2025
Register for Session- Introduction to a full life-cycle, systems approach for making well-informed sustainable packaging decisions:
- Fundamental role of packaging
- Concepts such as: sustainable materials management, circular economy, sustainability as a blend of social, economic and environmental considerations
- Packaging’s impact in the complete product-packaging system
- Package optimization in the context of sustainability considerations
- Introduction to key initiatives such as the Golden Design Rules for Plastic Packaging, Plastic Pacts and others.
2. Reduction and Elimination; Food Waste Prevention; Safety, Quality and Compliance
April 9, 2025
Register for Session- Building on the idea of package optimization, and illustrated with a broad range of in-market examples, participants learn about:
- Reduction (lightweighting) and the elimination of unnecessary and problematic materials.
- The role of packaging in food waste prevention.
- Considerations for package safety, quality and compliance.
3. Reusable & Refillable Packaging System Viability
April 29, 2025
Register for Session- Illustrated with a broad range of in-market examples, participants learn about:
- Different types of reusable packaging systems
- Key considerations for reuse system viability and scaling: market penetration, system boundaries, container design, physical/digital infrastructure, pooling/standardization, behaviour change.
- Preferred market channels for viable scale
- Useful resources and initiatives to help assess whether reuse is a good fit for your business
4. Recycling & Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
May 13, 2025
Register for Session- EPR updates: Canada and USA.
- Other regulatory updates: Plastics Registry, Recycled Content and Labelling Rules for Plastics, Pollution Prevention Planning Notice for Primary Plastic Food Packaging, Bill C-59 on greenwashing claims.
- Illustrated with in-market examples, participants learn about advances in material recyclability, and mechanical recycling capabilities – including AI/robotics/digital watermarking.
- Useful resources and initiatives for recyclability design and testing
- Chemical Recycling update.
5. Recycled Content and Alternative Materials
June 3, 2025
Register for Session- Illustrated with a broad range of in-market examples, participants learn about:
- Principles/guidance for incorporating pre- and post-consumer recycled content
- Key terms such as biobased, compostable (industrial/home) and biodegradable.
- Summary of challenges and opportunities for alternative materials, including sourcing considerations, targeted applications and certification schemes.
- Useful resources and initiatives.
6. Measuring Sustainable Packaging
June 17, 2025
Register for Session- Illustrated with in-market examples, participants learn about:
- Intro to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): types, key components, impact categories, benefits and limitations.
- Intro to PIP360: online tool to measure compliance with the Golden Design Rules for Plastic Packaging (GDRs) and estimate C02e emissions for all packaging.
- Framework for managing tradeoffs when making sustainable packaging decisions.
Expert Lecturers
The PAC Global Sustainable Packaging Course is developed and presented by industry professionals, ensuring you get the most up to date information while advancing your career.
PAC Global Technical Advisor
PAC Global
Dan has more than 30 years of experience in end of life materials management. He worked in recycling operations for six years. He worked with Stewardship Ontario in the design of the Blue Box Program Plan and in the design and operation of the current BC-wide EPR-based recycling program. Dan teaches the Packaging Circularity course for PAC Global.
- Read more
Dan was the strategic advisor to the Canadian Plastics Industry Association for 30 years. Dan has written and presented over 100 papers/presentations on waste diversion. Dan has specialist knowledge of EPR and stewardship, package design optimization and recycling program and facility design and operation.
PAC NEXT Director
PAC Global
Andrew Macdonald oversees PAC Global’s packaging sustainability and circularity program – PAC NEXT. As the lead for PAC Global on reusable packaging, Andrew tests models, tracks innovation, reviews research, summarizes findings via the PAC blog, and has a growing network of practitioners active in this space.
- Read more
Mr. Waller is a licensed Professional Engineer, a member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario, a member of PAC Packaging Consortium and the first candidate to receive the Canadian Plastics Sector Council’s Certified Plastics Practitioner – 3rd level for Blown Film Extrusion.
Mr. Waller started his career in Dow Chemical Canada’s polyethylene technical service group before moving to Esso Chemical Canada’s Vinyl division. After working with BOPP at Mobil Chemical Canada, he became Sales Manager of blown film machinery at Macro Engineering Co. Ltd. Mr. Waller subsequently joined the Canadian Plastics Institute as Seminar Manager and became Manager of Education Services when it merged with the Canadian Plastics Industry Association. Mr. Waller then joined Haremar Plastic Manufacturing Limited as Director of Technical Operations before founding the Plastics Touchpoint Group, Inc. in 2000. Mr. Waller designed and delivered the classroom portion of the Blown Film Technology Course for the Canadian Plastics Training Centre in Toronto and SENAI in Brazil. He has delivered in-house training to more than 1,200 participants in film manufacturing companies on five continents in the last 20 years. Mr. Waller has been presenting the Polymers section of the PAC Packaging Certificate Program since 2007.
