Best practices in packaging design. A proposal for a model to evaluate their overall impact on sustainability

Purpose Sustainable packaging has become of growing interest, allowing the development of concepts such as “Sustainable Packaging Logistics” (SPL). Packaging design should be conceived as an integrated synthesis of processes, methodologies, and actions that respond to organizational learning and improve sustainability. Examples of best practice can be found in the literature on packaging design, but extrapolating their application is complex. The Research Question posed is: How can an exploratory model be developed to measure and classify the organizational capability of each company and supply chain to design and improve sustainable packaging systems based on best practice adoption and within the SPL framework? Design/methodology/approach After the selection of best practices in sustainable packaging design, the paper presents the methodology employed to develop the model based on the AdaBoost meta-algorithm. This model is also applied in an exploratory study of 92 Spanish manufacturers in the non-food sector. Findings The model provides capacity for discrimination and classification on the basis of the selected best practices. Companies not only have a range of practices for improving design, but also a model with which to discover their relative position among other companies in terms of sustainable packaging. Additionally, the model provides capacity for simulation. Originality/value The application of the model could be of interest to both the business world and academia. The contents can help to improve understanding and knowledge of how the product-packaging-supply chain relationship functions and evolves so that sustainability can be improved overall.