Packaging Design: Sustainability and Visual Culture

Modern life could hardly be imagined without packaging. Consumption, packaging and plastic waste are issues that have gained traction in connection with the increasing impact of climate change. The purpose of this sabbatical is to write a book that answers the following questions: • What role does packaging play in contemporary visual and material culture?

• What are the main social, cultural and environmental sustainability issues in regard to packaging? • What different meanings do packages convey during their life cycle?

What this book will bring to packaging research are cultural and aesthetic aspects that are mostly lacking in previous research, where technical functionality and market appeal are the main priorities. However, packages are part of the visual and material culture of everyday life and they affect us more than we are often aware of. They are ephemeral, yet have a considerable effect on consumption habits.

Many of them are design objects in which a considerable amount of creativity and ingenuity has been invested, and they often carry references to popular culture and to media culture. The sabbatical will include a one month visit to Oslo School of Environmental Humanities and the group Critical petroaesthetics. In addition to chapters dealing with the circulation and use of packaging, two chapters will be devoted to strategies for reducing the environmental impact of packaging. In this way, the whole life-cycle of packages will be covered in the book.