Disclosure to Promote the Right To Information

Whereas the Parliament of India has set out to provide a practical regime of right to
information for citizens to secure access to information under the control of public authorities,
in order to promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority,
and whereas the attached publication of the Bureau of Indian Standards is of particular interest
to the public, particularly disadvantaged communities and those engaged in the pursuit of
education and knowledge, the attached public safety standard is made available to promote the
timely dissemination of this information in an accurate manner to the public.
1 +, 1 +

01 ' 5

The Right to Information, The Right to Live

Step Out From the Old to the New

Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan

Jawaharlal Nehru

IS/ISO/IEC GUIDE 41 (2003): Packaging - Recommendations for

addressing consumer needs [PGD 7: Industrial Engineering]

! $ ' +-
Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda

Invent a New India Using Knowledge

! > 0 B

BharthariNtiatakam

Knowledge is such a treasure which cannot be stolen

ISIISOIIEC Guide 41 : 2003

~

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Indian Standard

PACKAGING - RECOMMENDATIONS FOR

ADDRESSING CONSUMER NEEDS

': ' BI S 2(}C9

BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS

M.A NAK 8 HA VAN. 9 B AH AD U R S H AH Z AFA R MA R G
~';EW DELHI 1100Q2

Jure 2009

Price Group 3

National Mirror Cornnuttee ot CO p a lCO. SPCAD 0 1

NATIONAL FOREWORD
This Indian Stan dard which IS Identical with ISOIIEC GUide 41 : 2003 'Packaqinq - Reco mmenda tions tor
addressing consume r needs ' Issued by the Internati ona l Or ganizati on fo r Standa rdization (ISO ) and
Inte rnational Elect rorechnica l Commission (IECl JOintly was adop ted by the Bureau of Indian Standards on
the recommendation of the National Mirror Committee of COPOlCO and approval of the Director General ,
Bureau of Indian Standards under Rule 8(3)C of BIS Rules, 1987.
The text of ISO /IEC Standa rd has been appr oved as suitable for publ icat ion as an Indian Standard without
deviations. Certain co nventions are, however. not Identical to those used in Indian Standards. Attention is
particu larly drawn to the tc llowinq:
a) Wherever the words 'International Standard ' appear referring to this standard, they should be read
as 'Indian Standard'.
b) Comma (,) has been used as a dec imal marker in the International Standard while in Indian Standards,
the current practice IS to use a point (.) as the decimal marker.

IsnSOIIEC Guide 41 : 2003

Indian Standard

PACKAGING - RECOMMENDATIONS FOR

ADDRESSING CONSUMER NEEDS

Scope

This Guide gives the general recommendations to be taken into consideration when determilWlg the most
suitable type of packaging to be used at the point of &ale to protect goods. It is not applicable to packagtng
solely intended to protect goods in bulk when being transported between manufacturers and retailers

The objectives of this Guide are to maximize the direct and indirect benefits to purchasers of goods and
services by:
eliminating unnecessary packaging so as

to reduce the price of goods and the amount of waste ;

ensuring that goods reach consumers In the condition intended by the manufacturer:
protecting consumers from any potentiafty harmful.freda of the peck8ging or its contents;
enabling consumers to store the goods and their packaging ~propriately and to keep . dispose of. or
recycle them. in a manner that minimizes their environmental impact.

Human and environmental safety of packaging material

In atorage

2.1
2.1.1

The packaging material should not be potentiaIy harmful by C8USing:

a)

the emission of substances which may endanger or be twmfuI to heaIttl or to the environment;

b)

the contamination of ita contents or the c:om.mination resulting from the inter8Ction of the packaging
material with its COlItenta.

The contents should not leak through the pKttaging . Of greatest concem is the leakage of potent&.aty
hazardous materials. In particuI_. the following posaible causes should be con$idflfed. where appropnate

2.1.2

a) lack of a seal;
b)

deterioration of the packaging caused by outside intluences. such as temperature. light Of foreseeable

mechanical forces :
c)

deterioration of the packaging cauaed by the contents.

2.1.3

In cases where the contents are potenti8lty hazMSous. the pKttagtng should be dearty labeled with
relevant warnings and instJuctions for storage and disposal of both pec:Uging and ita contents . Spec:iaI
consideration should be giwn to the guidelines specified in ISO 3864-1 and ISO 3864-2. and in particulaf 10
certain consumers in need of tactile warning symbols spedfiecl in ISO 11683. The p8dtaging should also be
child resistant in 8C.XX)I dance with ISO 8317.

2.1.4 In cases where the pas. of time affecta the safety -.JIor degl8dIltion of the product. the
peckaging Ihoc*S be cIearty labeled to thia effect.

ISilsonEC Guide 41 : 2003

2.2 In ....
2.2.1

For contents which are potentially harmful:

a)

the packaging should not be misleading in that it should be clearly distinguishable, in colour and shape or
by other means. from packaging used for food or beverages;

b)

the packaging should be clearly labelled with relevant wamings and instructions for use :

c)

any relevant wamings and instructions for use , such as "Keep out of children's reach", should be
repeated where technically feasible on any inner packaging :

d)

child-resistant packaging according to ISO 8317 should be used .

2.2.2

In cases where the packaging or its contents are potentially harmful upon opening , or upon removal of

the contents. the following considerations should be made.

a)

The opening instructions should be clearly given and should be appropriately placed on the packaging.

b)

The means of opening should be suited to the contents. to the type of packaging and to the potential

users. In some cases. two or more groups of users may have different. possibly conflicting requirements
with respect to the means of opening. If an auxiliary device is required for opening. it should be drawn to
consumer's attention as well as be available at the time of purchase.
EXAMPlE Packaging of "potentially harmful" pharmaceuticals, which may come with in reach of children. should
have child-resistant closures , while the same dosure should be easy to open for a person with disabilities, possibly
WIth the help of an auxiliary device.

c)

Wammgs should be given as to whether the product should be removed from the packaging once opened
and guidance should be given for the conditions of storage of the contents.
EXAMPlE Tmned food

d)

The packagtng should facilitate the safe removal of its contents.

Further guidance can be found in ISO 3864-1 and ISO 3864-2 and in ISO 14021 .
2.2.3

In cases where the contents may deteriorate or become harmful if the packaging is left open. clear

closing instructions should be given .

EXAMPLE

Materials gNe

0" noXIOUS fumes Keep bghtly cJosed

2.3 Dtspoeal
2.3.1
Padtaging should be minimized and that used should be , in order of preference. reusable, recyclable.
and/or btodegradable. Further guidance can be found in IEC Guide 109 and in ISO Guide 64. In some cases,
energy-recoverable padtaging might be the most reasonable solution, taking into account ecological as well
as economic aspects and existing national waste management systems The use of reusable packaging is
encouraged.
2.3.2 Clear InstructIons should be given on disposal of packaging and/or contents whenever normal means
of disposal are lnappropnate

ISIISOI1EC Guide 41 : 2003

Suitability for Intended pUrpoH

3.1 Protection
The packaging should protect the contents without reducing either their . .fely perlormance or Itletr reliability
which would be expected from normal wear during transportation and storage and for the anticipated ktettme
of the packaging .
The contents should be protected against:

as impact or vibration:

a)

outside mechanical forces such

b)

contamination by potentially damaging substances, for example water or air,

c)

climatic conditions, for example extreme temperatures;

d)

radiation, for example ultraviolet light, except for packaging designed to degrade after a certacn time

3.2 Safe opening

The design of packaging should make it possible for it to be opened sa fely by the consumer. i e wrthou1
personal injury or damage to the contents.

3.3 Handling
The packaging design should facilitate the folowing :
a)

the transportation. the storage, and the use of the product from the moment of purchase until the eventual
disposal of the packaging ;

b)

the protection of the product prior to use end during subsequent storage;

c)

the opening and the keeping of the packaging open when needed, in order to en8bIe the user to have
easy and safe access to the contents:

d)

the dosing and the keeping of the packaging dosed when not in use : all cIosmg ~ should be SUIted
to contents, to packaging and to potential users;

e)

the removal of the contents from the packaging without damaging the contents .

f)

the removal of the contents without damag ing the packaging when intentions are to reuse the packaging .

g)

the complete emptying of the package.

h)

the filling of a reusable package from the producer's associated refill pack

3.4 Sizing
Neither the size nor the shape of the packaging should mislead the potential purchaser as to the amount 01 Its
contents . Where settling may occur, this information should be c1earty stated on the outside of the packaglO9

The number of packaging sizes should be kept to a minimum for each product line . Each size should be a
simple multiple of the previous size .

Isnsonec Guide 41 : 2003

4

Conservation of resources and economy

4.1

General considerations

Before the decision is laken to package goods. careful consideration should be given to the costs involved in
dOing so. Unnecessary packaging is a waste of resources .

4.2

Conservation of resources

When the decisIOn has been taken to package goods. the packaging should . as far as possible. be designed
in order to conserve resources. In particular:
a)

the material should be in common supply;

b)

the method of manufacturing the packaging should be low in energy consumption and should minimize
environmental impact;

c)

the packaging materials should be reusable or recyclable and/or biodegradable;

d)

if the packaging is intended to be reusable. it should be easy to clean and refill.

Additional guidance can be found in ISO 14021 .

NOTE

4.3

4.3.1

Economy
Direc:t cost to the consumer

The cost of packaging should add as little as possible to the price of the product. Care should be taken in the
design of the packaging so as to minimize shipping and storage costs. Excessive packaging should be
avoided and , where not in conflict with other requirements. the least expensive packaging materials should be

chosen.

4.3.2 Cost to the convnunity

When determining costs. those relating to the disposal of the packaging should be taken into account.

ISilSonEC Guide 41 : 2003

Bibliography

[1)

ISO 3864-1 . Graph ical symbols - Safety colours and safety signs safety signs in worl<places and public areas

Part 1: Design pnnaples for

[2)

ISO 38642. Graphical symbols product safety labels

Part 2 Design pnnaples for

[3]

ISO 8317. Child-resistant packaging- Requirements and testing procedures for recIosabie PltCkages

[4]

ISO 11683. Packaging -

[5]

ISO 14021. Environmental labels and declarations environmental labelling)

[6]

ISOIIEC Guide 14. Purchase information on goods and selVices intended for consumers

(7)

ISO Guide 64. Guide for the inclusion of environmental aspects in product standards

[8]

ISOIIEC Guide 71. Guidelines for standards developers to address the needs of older /fSOOS and
persons with disabilities

[9)

IEC Guide 109. Env ironmental aspects -Inclusion in eIectrolechnicaJ product standMds

Safety colours and safety signs -

Tactile warnings of danger -

Requil'BlTtftnts
S4t"-declared environmental claims (Type /I

GMGIPN-159 BISINDIOt-3OO

Bureau of Indian Standards

BIS is a statut or y institutio n estab lish ed unde r the B u rea u o f tn ci e n S ii i : (; ~i r. I S AJ 1 D56 teo pi :'.::
harm oniou s deve lopment 01 the act ivitie s of sta nda rc .zauo n. marking anc '-;: :J !lry certific ation at
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Copyright
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Review of Indian Standards

Amendments a re issued to standards as the need arises on th e basis of com ments . Stan dar ds a re
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that no changes ar e need ed; il the review ind icates that change s are needed , it is tak e n up lor revision.
Users of Ind ian Standards should asc e rta in that they a re in possess ion of th e lat est amendme nts or
edition by refe rr ing to the latest issu e of 'B IS Cata logue ' and 'S ta ndard s: Monthl y Add itio ns' .
Th is Indian Standard has been developed from Doc No.: SPCAD 01 (003) .

Amendments Issued Since Publication

Date of Issue

Am end No.

Text Affected

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