ISO 18601:2013

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 18601
First edition
2013-01-15
Packaging and the environment —
General requirements for the use of
ISO standards in the field of packaging
and the environment
Emballage et environnement — Exigences générales pour l’emploi des
normes ISO dans le domaine de l’emballage et l’environnement
Reference number
©
ISO 2013
© ISO 2013
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ii © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Rationale and methodology — General Principles . 4
4.1 Purpose . 4
4.2 General approach . 5
4.3 Levels of application . 5
4.4 Assessment of environmental impact of the four heavy metals and other substances
hazardous to the environment in packaging . 6
5 Requirements . 6
5.1 Selection of appropriate assessment procedures . 6
5.2 Heavy metals and other substances hazardous to the environment . 6
5.3 Documentation of assessment data . 6
Annex A (informative) Partial list of the functions packaging may perform .7
Annex B (informative) An example of a form for suppliers to use for indicating that the
requirements of these standards have been met . 8
Bibliography . 9
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.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International
Standards adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting.
Publication as an International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies
casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 18601 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 122, Packaging, Subcommittee SC 4, Packaging
and environment.
iv © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved

Introduction
Packaging plays a critical role in almost every industry, every sector and every supply chain. Appropriate
packaging is essential to prevent loss of goods and, as a result, decrease impact on the environment.
Effective packaging makes a positive contribution towards achieving a sustainable society by, (e.g.):
a) meeting consumers’ needs and expectation for the protection of goods, safety, handling and information;
b) efficiently using resources and limiting environmental impact;
c) saving costs in the distribution and merchandising of goods.
An environmental assessment of packaging may include the manufacturing and distribution system,
the wastage of packaging material and goods, the relevant collection systems, as well as recovery or
disposal operations. This group of ISO standards and supporting reports provides a set of procedures
which aim to:
d) reduce environmental impact;
e) support innovation in products, packaging and the supply chain;
f) avoid undue restrictions on the use of packaging;
g) prevent barriers and restrictions to trade.
Packaging is designed to provide a number of functions for users and producers such as: containment,
protection, information, convenience, unitization, handling, delivery or presentation of goods. A major role
of packaging is prevention of damage to or loss of goods. (See Annex A for a list of the functions of packaging.)
ISO 18601 defines the interrelationships within the family of ISO standards which cover the environmental
impact of packaging throughout its life cycle (see Figure 1). These standards will help define whether
the selected packaging can be optimized and whether the packaging needs to be modified to ensure it
can be reused or recovered after use.
Demonstration that the requirements of these standards are met can be performed by a first party
(manufacturer or supplier), a second party (user or purchaser), or by the support of a third party
(independent body).
Public claims on the environmental attributes of packaging may be addressed by different methods.
Some of these are technical aspects on reuse or recovery, others relate to access by the population to
reuse or recovery systems or the amount of packaging placed on the market for recovery. This series
of standards addresses the technical aspects of the packaging. It does not address the requirements of
ISO 14021 needed to support a claim or label.
This International Standard does not use the term “and/or” but, instead, the term “or” is used as an
inclusive disjunction, meaning one or the other or both.
ISO 18601
Packaging and the environment - General
requirements for the use of ISO standards in
the ield of packaging and the environment
ISO 18602
Packaging and the environment - Optimization
of the packaging system
OPTIMIZE
Annex C
Assessment and minimization of substances or
mixtures hazardous to the environment
REUSE
ISO 18603
Packaging and the Reuse
Decision
environment - Reuse
End of functional life
RECOVERY
ISO 18604 ISO 18605 ISO 18606
Packaging and the Packaging and the Packaging and the
environment - environment - environment -
Material recycling Energy recovery Organic recycling
Figure 1 — Relationship of the Packaging and environment standards
vi © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved
Recovery
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 18601:2013(E)
Packaging and the environment — General requirements
for the use of ISO standards in the field of packaging and
the environment
1 Scope
This International Standard specifies requirements and procedures for the other International Standards in
this series on packaging and the environment: ISO 18602, ISO 18603, ISO 18604, ISO 18605, and ISO 18606.
This International Standard is applicable to a supplier responsible for placing packaging or packaged
goods on the market.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
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
ISO 21067, Packaging — Vocabulary
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 21067 and the following apply.
3.1
chemical recovery
process to recover valuable chemical substances by chemical treatment of used packaging by hydrolysis,
glycolysis, methanolysis, catalytic reaction, thermal reaction, and other chemical processes - process to
substitute used packaging for natural resources
1)
Note 1 to entry: See ISO/TR 16218 .
3.2
combustion
incineration
oxidation reaction covering both organic materials and metals
Note 1 to entry: Modern incineration plants are able to generate and recover energy efficiently. The term
“incineration” in normal usage means the process of reducing solid waste volume by combustion with or without
energy recovery. For the purpose of this International Standard, they refer only to the incineration process with
energy recovery.
[SOURCE: ISO 18605:2012, definition 3.9]
1) To be published.
3.3
composting
aerobic process designed to produce compost
[SOURCE: ISO 18606:2012, definition 3.2]
3.4
energy recovery
production of useful energy through direct and controlled combustion
Note 1 to entry: Solid-waste incinerators producing hot water, steam or electricity are a common form of
energy recovery.
[SOURCE: ISO 15270:2008, definition 3.11]
3.5
material recycling
reprocessing, by means of a manufacturing process, of a used packaging material into a product,
a component incorporated into a product, or a secondary (recycled) raw material, excluding energy
recovery and the use of the product as a fuel
Note 1 to entry: References to recycling in this document refer to material recycling. Other options for recycling
or recovery are not considered in this document.
[SOURCE: ISO 18604:2012, definition 3.3]
3.6
organic recycling
through microbial activity, the controlled biological treatment of the biodegradable components of used
packaging which produce compost and, in the case of anaerobic digestion, also methane
Note 1 to entry: Landfilling is not considered as organic recycling.
[SOURCE: ISO 18606:2012, definition 3.9]
3.7
packaging
any product to be used for the containment, protection, handling, delivery, storage, transport
and presentation of goods, from raw materials to processed goods, from the producer to the user or
consumer, including processor, assembler or other intermediary
[SOURCE: ISO 21067:2007, definition 2.1.1]
3.8
packaging
operations involved in the preparation of goods for containment, protection, handling,
delivery, storage, transport and presentation of goods, from raw materials to processed goods, from the
producer to the user or consumer
Note 1 to entry: The term includes preservation, packing, marking and unitization.
[SOURCE: ISO 21067:2007, definition 2.1.2]
3.9
pack, noun
package, noun
packaging (3.7) and its contents
[SOURCE: ISO 21067:2007, definition 2.1.3]
2 © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved

3.10
pack
package
create a package (3.9)
[SOURCE: ISO 21067:2007, definition 2.1.4]
3.11
packaging component
part of packaging that can be separated by hand or by using simple physical means
3.12
packaging constituent
part from which packaging or its components are made and which cannot be separated by hand or by
using simple physical means
3.13
packaging optimization
process for the achievement of a minimum adequate weight or volume (source reduction) for meeting
the necessary requirements of primary or secondary or transport packaging, when performance and
user/consumer acceptability remain unchanged or adequate, thereby reducing the impact on the environment
[SOURCE: ISO 18602:2012, definition 3.1]
3.14
packaging system
complete set of packaging for a packaged good, encompassing one or more of the following that are
applicable (depending on the packaged goods): Primary packaging, Secondary packaging, Tertiary
(distribution or transport) packaging
[SOURCE: ISO 18602:2012, definition 3.6]
3.15
packaging waste
packaging that ha
...