Problems associated with ecological assessment of packaging

Current trends in the development of the world packaging market and the place of ecological tendencies in them suggest the need to analyse the present status of studies on the ecological assessment of packaging materials and packaging. The aim of this study is to present some aspects of ecological assessment of packaging. The methods and criteria of ecological assessment of packaging, including Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and ecological classification of packaging proposed by COBRO (Polish Packaging Research and Development Centre) in Warsaw were used. The considerations presented in the paper related to the general assumptions of ecological assessment of packaging materials and packaging point to the complexity of the problem and, at the same time, to the immediate interest and importance of studies in this field, particularly in terms of implementing a specific environmental protection policy.