Overpackaging

Overpackaging is defined by the Institute of Packaging Professionals as "a condition where the methods and materials used to package an item exceed the requirements for adequate containment, protection, transport, and sale".^[1] It aligns with the hierarchy principle of reduce, rescue, recycle, prioritizing the elimination of unnecessary package.^[2]

Reducing overpackaging is a key strategy in source reduction, which aims to minimize waste before it is generated.^[3] It aligns with the waste hierarchy principle of reduce, reuse, recycle, where eliminating unnecessary packaging takes precedence over recycling or disposal.^[2] In some cases, the degree of excessive packaging is quite obvious; while in others, whether it is excessive packaging or not may be subject to dispute depending on the assessment criteria.^[4]

For example, luxury packaging frequently uses more packaging than the minimum requirements. The enterprises hold that additional packaging is beneficial for protecting the products and enhancing their sales appeal. It can convey the brand concept, boost the visual appeal of the products, and increase the sense of ritual when consumers purchase luxury goods.^[5] Gift wrapping traditionally involves additional layers, though consumer preferences and cultural practices sustain its use.^[6] Decorative packaging boxes incorporate artistic design elements. The function of such boxes goes beyond the basic requirements of product protection or transportation; instead, they can better create a sense of ceremony.^[7]

Excess packaging by design

The design of some breakfast cereal boxes fails to take packaging costs into account adequately. The volume of these boxes is larger than what is necessary for the products themselves.

Breakfast cereal boxes present a typical case of excessive packaging, often featuring a dual layer structure: a paperboard folding carton with an inner plastic bag. Some reviewers consider such packaging as a typical case of excessive packaging, mainly because the materials used exceed the basic requirements for protection and storage transportation.

The amount of paperboard in a folding carton blank is the sum of the area of all faces of the carton plus the area of the inner flaps, plus a glued lap. This area can be compared to the volume of the carton by a ratio for a measure of efficiency. Depending on the specific design and choice of length, width, and height, this efficiency can vary significantly.^[8]

In typical commercial packaging design, the height and width are often given priority to enhance the visual display effect, while the optimization of the packaging thickness is given less attention. This design preference may result in a relatively low utilization rate of the volume of packaging materials. However, marketing considerations often take the dominant position in design decisions. Brands tend to adopt larger "billboard"-style packaging to increase the display space for pictures, thereby sacrificing the utilization rate of packaging materials. More sustainable alternatives like single-layer resealable plastic bags further reduce material consumption but introduce plastic waste challenges, underscoring the need for innovative sustainable materials in packaging design.^[9][10]

Underfilled packages

The 300 aspirin tablets take up less than a quarter of the container they came in. Using an appropriately-sized container would minimise packaging waste. （Without considering the efficacy and safety of the product）

Underfilled packaging (Slack-fill packaging) refers to the design of packaging containers with internal volumes significantly exceeding the actual space required for the product, resulting in non-functional empty areas.^[11] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has defined six permissible reasons for functional underfilling in packaging: additional space required to protect contents; extra space necessitated by machinery requirements related to the packaged product; additional space resulting from natural settling of products during transportation; packaging-related space needed to facilitate food preparation or consumption; reusable containers with extra space (which helps display contents and maintains significant value after product use - including food containers, promotional items, commemorative durable containers, and gift sets); and additional space resulting from the inability to increase fill quantity or reduce package size due to food labeling requirements, tamper-evident features, or efforts to facilitate handling or prevent theft. The FDA considers packaging to be misleading if manufacturers fail to adequately fill packages for reasons other than those specified above.^[11][12]

E-commerce

Delivery of a small item in a much larger corrugated box, requiring air pillows for void-fill. Using mailing bags of appropriate size with padding helps to reduce material waste while providing necessary protection.

In E-commerce, “the overpackaging of products has become a major ecological concern.”^[13][14] While traditional retail packaging often emphasizes product display functionality and may adopt minimalist designs, e-commerce logistics systems require independent shipping handling. This process involves multiple packaging layers: first, the retail packaging itself must be transported through courier systems; second, these retail packages are frequently placed in oversized corrugated boxes with substantial filler materials for stabilization.^[15]

The packaging system presents a dual paradox. On the one hand, manufacturers optimizing packaging design for e-commerce shipping needs might ostensibly lead to excessive packaging for physical retail.^[16] Conversely, packaging designed solely for retail display purpose often fails to meet e-commerce logistics protection requirements.^[16]

In the packaging design of electronic products, engineers need to take into account both the fragility of the products and the packaging protection during transportation at the same time. However, excessive protection may lead to excessive use of cushioning materials and oversized packaging dimensions, resulting in waste of packaging materials. Therefore, optimizing packaging design to ensure that it can effectively protect the products while reducing the packaging materials is an important goal in the current packaging design of electronic products.

Special logistics requirements exacerbate packaging issues: some products require dual-layer packaging systems (pallet shipping packaging + individual delivery packaging). This design not only leads to a decrease in production efficiency, but also highlights the need for innovative packaging solutions.^[17]

Food overwraps

Fresh produce is usually presented for sale without packages, allowing shoppers to touch the items and choose which ones to buy. Some foods are over wrapped with shrink film, individually bagged, or further protected to increase the appeal to some customers. However, There are different opinions and discussions on whether the additional packaging of fresh agricultural products is necessary.^[18]

• 
  A tomato on a plastic tray and with a plastic shrink film
• 
  Apples in shrink film and foam cushioning
• 
  Individual bananas inside plastic bags
• 
  Banana in plastic container
• 
  Melons with wrappings in individual wooden boxes