ISO/TR 18607:2025

Technical
Report
ISO/TR 18607
First edition
Packaging and the environment —
2025-10
Information on environmentally
conscious packaging design
Emballage et environnement — Informations relatives à la
conception d'emballages respectueux de l'environnement
Reference number
© ISO 2025
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Published in Switzerland
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Basic packaging specification and design, and relationship with standards on packaging
and the environment . 1
5 Assessment flow and procedure of the standards on packaging and the environment . 2
5.1 General requirements of the standards on packaging and the environment .2
5.1.1 General .2
5.1.2 Assessment procedure of ISO 18601 .2
5.2 Optimization of packaging system .4
5.2.1 General .4
5.2.2 Assessment procedure of ISO 18602 .4
5.3 Reuse .6
5.3.1 General .6
5.3.2 Assessment procedure of ISO 18603 .6
5.4 Material recycling .8
5.4.1 General .8
5.4.2 Assessment procedure of ISO 18604 .8
5.5 Energy recovery .9
5.5.1 General .9
5.5.2 Assessment procedure of ISO 18605 .10
5.6 Organic recycling .11
5.6.1 General .11
5.6.2 Assessment procedure of ISO 18606 .11
5.7 Assessment report of ISO 18601. 13
Annex A (informative) Practical explanation of packaging system optimization. 14
Annex B (informative) Case study of packaging system optimization - Case liquid detergent
container .18
Annex C (informative) Actual case study of optimization using the ISO 18602 checklist .25
Annex D (informative) Self-assessment case study of environmentally conscious packaging
design .32
Annex E (informative) Examples of assessment standards .48
Annex F (informative) Packaging system description .50
Bibliography .53

iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through
ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee
has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely
with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types
of ISO document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the
ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent
rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received notice of (a)
patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that
this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at
www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions
related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 122, Packaging, Subcommittee SC 4, Packaging
and the environment
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

iv
Introduction
In 2013, six standards, ISO 18601 to 18606, and two technical reports, ISO/TR 16218 and ISO/TR 17098, were
issued as ISO deliverables on packaging and the environment. Thereafter, national standards corresponding
to the six standards ISO 18601 to ISO 18606, which are the main and important part of the deliverables,
hereinafter collectively referred to as the standards on packaging and the environment, were issued in some
countries, while, in Europe, European Standards (EN) served as the basis for establishing the packaging and
environment standards. Under these circumstances, the standards on packaging and the environment are
expected to work as international standards to be used globally.
The environmentally conscious packaging design principles laid in the standards on packaging and the
environment require environmental consideration while ensuring the inherent packaging functions be
maintained. For example, if the packaging reduction principle were sought excessively, it will not be possible
to maintain the basic packaging function of protecting the packaged product. This would rather result in
more serious burden to be inflicted on the environment.
The aim of this document is to support stakeholders in pursuing their efforts for environmentally conscious
packaging design and manufacture of packaging based on the standards on packaging and the environment,
and increased understanding and promotion of such design principles. Specifically, with ISO 18602, it will
explain these factors clearly, using real examples. You can see the layout of this document in Figure 1.

v
Figure 1 — Main structure of this document
NOTE 1 The scope of the standards on packaging and the environment, which this document is based on, do not
include the processes for packaging basic design, including material selection, although it is necessary to review
basic design specifications during designing and verification. These processes are the main factors of determining
the environmental impact of the packaging. Therefore, information on these processes is described in clause 4 of this
document.
NOTE 2 Unless otherwise noted, the referenced clauses, figures, tables, and Annexes numbers refer to this
document.
vi
Technical Report ISO/TR 18607:2025(en)
Packaging and the environment — Information on
environmentally conscious packaging design
1 Scope
This document gives information on environmentally conscious packaging design based on the standards on
packaging and the environment. It provides essential tips on how to improve packaging through reduction
processes and includes practical examples to illustrate these points.
This document is applicable to all suppliers responsible for placing packaging or packaged goods on the market.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 18601, Packaging and the environment — General requirements for the use of ISO standards in the field of
packaging and the environment
ISO 18602, Packaging and the environment — Optimization of the packaging system
ISO 18603, Packaging and the environment — Reuse
ISO 18604, Packaging and the environment — Material recycling
ISO 18605, Packaging and the environment — Energy recovery
ISO 18606, Packaging and the environment — Organic recycling
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 18601, ISO18602, ISO 18603,
ISO 18604, ISO 18605, and ISO 18606 apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
4 Basic packaging specification and design, and relationship with standards on
packaging and the environment
The basic packaging specifications and design are determined through various evaluations during the
developm
...