Papers

61,005 results
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Review Tier 2

Packaging Waste in the Supply Chain: A Systematic Literature Review

This systematic literature review examines packaging waste throughout the supply chain, documenting the environmental impact of growing packaging use and the push to reduce packaging waste across sectors. The review identifies strategies and knowledge gaps relevant to sustainable packaging design and waste management.

2023 Highlights in Business Economics and Management 2 citations
Review Tier 2

A Systematic Literature Review on Environmental Sustainability Issues of Flexible Packaging: Potential Pathways for Academic Research and Managerial Practice

This systematic review identified key environmental sustainability challenges in flexible packaging, including plastic waste accumulation, microplastic generation, and recycling barriers, while mapping research gaps and calling for integrated lifecycle approaches to reduce its ecological burden.

2022 Sustainability 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Design framework for circular and sustainable packaging design

Researchers developed a novel packaging design framework integrating circularity and sustainability (C&S) criteria using literature review, expert brainstorming, and field visits. The framework addresses conflicts between sustainability and functional requirements and provides practical iterative strategies for packaging designers.

2025 Proceedings of the Design Society
Article Tier 2

Compare the carbon footprint of traditional packaging and reusable modular packaging in e-commerce: A case study of express in China

This case study compared the carbon footprint of traditional single-use packaging versus reusable modular packaging in Chinese e-commerce, finding that reusable packaging significantly reduces environmental impact. The study supports policy shifts toward reusable packaging in the fast-growing delivery sector.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating sustainable consumption practices: a case of single-use plastics in online food delivery market, Thailand

Researchers surveyed Thai online food delivery users and found that COVID-19 increased single-use plastic waste dramatically, with consumers torn between health safety and environmental concerns. Online food delivery platforms are one of the fastest-growing sources of single-use plastic packaging that contributes to microplastic pollution.

2021 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the Environmental and Health Impacts of Disposable Plastics: Toward Sustainable Material Alternatives

This review synthesized evidence on the environmental and health impacts of disposable plastics, drawing on environmental science, health studies, and sustainability literature. The paper examined how plastic waste drives ocean pollution and wildlife harm while exploring sustainable alternative materials and policies.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the Environmental and Health Impacts of Disposable Plastics: Toward Sustainable Material Alternatives

This review examined the environmental and health impacts of disposable plastics and explored sustainable alternatives, drawing on secondary literature across environmental science and health disciplines. The paper assessed plastic waste contributions to ocean pollution and proposed strategies to mitigate these challenges.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Scoring methodology for comparing the environmental performance of food packaging

This study developed a participatory environmental scoring tool for food packaging that evaluates three sustainability dimensions including materials, functionality, and post-use fate, providing a practical framework for comparing the environmental performance of different packaging options.

2023 Packaging Technology and Science 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable food packaging: An updated definition following a holistic approach

Researchers proposed an updated, holistic definition for sustainable food packaging by analyzing 38 related terms across the food systems domain. The study found that the lack of a commonly accepted definition has led to uninformed packaging choices by stakeholders throughout the value chain, and the work aims to help producers, distributors, practitioners, and consumers make better decisions about sustainable food packaging alternatives.

2023 Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Single-use plastic packaging in the Canadian food industry: consumer behavior and perceptions

Researchers surveyed Canadian consumers about their awareness and attitudes toward single-use plastic food packaging, finding that while most were concerned about plastic waste, many reported lacking clear information about alternatives and that convenience and cost still strongly influenced purchasing decisions.

2021 Humanities and Social Sciences Communications 194 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of sustainable packaging in reducing environmental pollution

This review examines how sustainable packaging — using biodegradable materials, reducing excess packaging, and improving recyclability — can reduce environmental pollution. The paper evaluates different sustainable packaging strategies and their effectiveness at reducing plastic waste, which is the primary source of microplastic pollution.

2023 International Journal of Geography Geology and Environment 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Improvement of Packaging Circularity through the Application of Reusable Beverage Cup Reuse Models at Outdoor Festivals and Events

This study examined the use of reusable beverage cups at outdoor festivals as a strategy to reduce single-use plastic packaging waste. Events and festivals generate concentrated bursts of plastic waste that can enter the environment and degrade into microplastics, making reusable cup schemes an effective local intervention.

2020 Sustainability 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Harnessing Digital Platforms for Sustainable Marketing: Strategies to Reduce Single-Use Plastics in Consumer Behaviour

This study examined strategies for using digital platforms — including education campaigns, awareness initiatives, and interactive brand experiences — to influence consumer behavior toward reducing single-use plastic consumption, identifying key methods for leveraging social media, e-commerce, and digital marketing tools to promote sustainable alternatives.

2024 International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews
Review Tier 2

Identifying the Drivers of Circular Food Packaging: A Comprehensive Review for the Current State of the Food Supply Chain to Be Sustainable and Circular

This review identified the key drivers of circular food packaging adoption, examining how circular economy principles applied to packaging can address sustainability challenges related to food safety, shelf life, waste reduction, and environmental impact.

2023 Sustainability 19 citations
Article Tier 2

How Finnish E-commerce SMEs Reduce Packaging Waste : a Small-Scale Qualitative Study

Researchers investigated waste-reduction strategies among small Finnish e-commerce companies through qualitative interviews, examining how packaging choices, logistics, and sustainability commitments intersect with operational and cost constraints in online retail.

2025 Theseus (Ammattikorkeakoulujen)
Article Tier 2

Disposable Food Packaging and Serving Materials—Trends and Biodegradability

This review examines trends in disposable food packaging and serving materials, evaluating the biodegradability and lifecycle impacts of various products as alternatives to conventional single-use plastic utensils and tableware.

2021 Polymers 125 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A Systematic Review of Consumer Perception: Factors Affecting Green Shopping Bags

This systematic review examines what drives consumers to choose reusable shopping bags over plastic ones. Understanding these factors helps reduce plastic bag waste at the source, which is important because plastic bags are a major contributor to microplastic pollution as they break down in the environment.

2023 International Journal of Applied Engineering and Management Letters 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards Sustainable Cosmetics Packaging

Not directly relevant to microplastics — this review examines the broader sustainability challenges of cosmetics packaging, including environmental, social, and economic trade-offs, without a specific focus on microplastic pollution.

2023 Preprints.org 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Analysis of Sustainable Takeaway Packaging Design Strategies Based on AHP

Researchers analyzed sustainable takeaway packaging design strategies in China using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to evaluate and prioritize design approaches addressing plastic waste from the country's rapidly growing food delivery sector. They found that integrating sustainability principles into packaging design required structured weighting of criteria derived from sustainable keyword analysis and expert questionnaire scores.

2024 Frontiers in artificial intelligence and applications
Article Tier 2

Life Cycle Assessment of Selected Single-Use Plastic Products towards Evidence-Based Policy Recommendations in Sri Lanka

Researchers applied life cycle assessment to common single-use plastic products in Sri Lanka, quantifying their environmental impacts across production to disposal and providing evidence-based recommendations to guide national plastic pollution policy.

2022 Sustainability 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Life cycle assessment based optimization of scenarios of reusable glass bottles using context-specific key parameters

Researchers analyzed the environmental trade-offs of switching from single-use to reusable glass bottles, finding that reusable systems can cut both carbon emissions and microplastic pollution, but only when designed with context-specific factors like local energy sources and trip distances in mind.

2024 Cleaner Environmental Systems 3 citations
Article Tier 2

A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Electronic Retail of Household Products

A life cycle assessment of online versus in-store shopping for household and cosmetic products found that parcel delivery has significant environmental impacts depending on packaging choices and delivery logistics. While not focused on microplastics, the study addresses plastic packaging as a key driver of environmental cost.

2020 Sustainability 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Life Cycle Assessment of Single versus Multiple Use Medical Products: A Case Study of Steam Sterilization Packaging

Researchers conducted a life cycle assessment comparing single-use versus reusable steam sterilization packaging for medical devices, evaluating energy use, material consumption, and emissions across the full product lifecycle. Reusable packaging had lower environmental impact when sterilization cycles were used to near-end-of-life, though single-use systems performed better when reuse rates were low.

2024
Article Tier 2

Product Packaging by E-commerce Platforms: Impact of COVID-19 and Proposal for Circular Model to Reduce the Demand of Virgin Packaging

Researchers surveyed e-commerce consumers about packaging waste during COVID-19 and proposed a circular model to reduce virgin packaging demand, estimating that the shift to online shopping generated 2,705 kg of CO2 equivalent per metric tonne of mixed packaging waste — with most households discarding rather than recycling packaging.

2022 Circular Economy and Sustainability 14 citations