ISO/IEC Guide 41:2018 provides general recommendations to be taken into consideration when determining the most suitable type of packaging for products intended for consumers. The functions that packaging can perform include, but are not limited to, containment, protection, handling, transport, storage, convenience, information and presentation.

This document also considers the sustainable use of resources covering optimization, reuse and recovery of packaging.

This document provides guidance to:

— product designers, manufacturers and others engaged in the process of making decisions concerning packaging;

— those drafting standards to meet the packaging needs and requirements of consumers as prospective purchasers of products;

— committees preparing standards for consumer products or services;

— regulators.

This document is not applicable to bulk packaging, which is solely intended to protect products in bulk when being transported between manufacturers and retailers, and it is not intended for industrial packaging.