Certificate in Sustainable Food Packaging

This course is designed to aid and support the development of a sustainable business strategy.

Course Objectives:

  • Support the development of a sustainable packaging strategy.
  • Develop a sound foundation and understanding of packaging.
  • Build and develop sustainable thinking and apply this to your business.
  • Develop a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and functionality of their packs to support the making of informed decisions on the material and format for the circular economy.

Qualification

  • Ireland eq. Level 7 – UK Level 5

Programme Aim:

This course is designed to aid and support the development of a sustainable business strategy. Its focus is on Packaging, a key component of manufacturing/sourcing and part of any good sustainable solution.

The contents will provide a sound foundation and understanding of packaging. From this, we will build and develop sustainable thinking, and help the student apply this new knowledge to their job and to a practical course project. A key goal for us all is to help enable, the development of a circular economy, to retain material value, enhance resource efficiency and address growing resource scarcity concerns.

We will be studying various materials and formats, the alternatives, the reuse, or the recyclability and the best sustainable choices for your product type, business, and the environment. This course will help the students understand the challenges and required functionality of their packs and upskill them to make informed decisions on the material / format, and understand the implication, for the circular economy.

Trainer:

FDI Skillnet are collaborating with The Irish Packaging Society and Leonard Little & Associates Ltd

Target audience:

The course is ideal for those responsible for making sustainable packaging choices, such as
Packaging Managers or Specification Officers and those working with packaging and NPD
(new product development), from the Supply Chain, Production, Marketing, Packaging
Technology and Procurement Departments.

Key learning outcomes from programme:

The key outcome for participants, will be the ability to critically evaluate their current packaging formats and reflect on the required functionality of that packaging, with a view to making good sustainable choices. Having identified needs they will be able to diagnose and apply the knowledge to create a pack change plan, for those less sustainable packaging choices and consider the next step for the more difficult format challenges.

The course will raise attendees’ general packaging knowledge and understanding of the goals and challenges around sustainability. Their chosen project will copper fasten these learnings, and help apply them to real-world examples, while creating a plan / process to make changes, that will benefit their company and the environment.

Program Content

N

Sustainable Packaging Overview – Choices, challenges, and issues.

N

Functions of Packaging, Hazards of Distribution and Food Safety

N

NPD process – Stages, Keylines, Origination, Proofs, Timelines etc

N

The Importance of Specifications. Working with Suppliers.

N

Project Brief – Product Choice, Methodology, Learning Outcomes

N

Materials and Conversion Processes

N

Student Project Support

N

Sustainability & Legislation

N

Sustainability – Fit for Purpose Packaging

N

Carbon Footprint, Life Cycle Assessment and Systems

N

Packaging for a Circular Economy

N

Student Project – Presentation to Group, Marking and Feedback

Programme Format

  • 11 sessions (on-line) (10 classes + 1 day project presentations)
  • Timings: Wednesday’s 0930-1300
  • Course approach is based on limit 14 attendees per session.
  • Student assessment, through a quiz or multiple-choice format and project research with interactive oral presentation (Dragons Den) and infographic.
  • 1-2 Lecturer’s (dependent on session).
  • Course notes will be provided.
  • Attendance Certificate provided.
  • Additional Certification tba.
  • The course is equivalent of 5 ECT Credits, with 40 contact hours and 85 independent learning hours.

Dates:

Contact us for the latest dates

Price:

TBC

To book your place, or for more information, contact Mark Skinner on (01) 6051615 or mark.skinner@ibec.ie