Packaging Materials and Manufacturing

Start with packaging functions

Begin with a map called “Packaging” that covers the functions of packaging. It describes protecting a product, preventing contamination and damage, keeping the product together, and identifying it. Use those functions as headings in your notes, then look for examples of each as you study the other resources.

There are several maps called “Packaging”, so use their contents to choose between them. One covers materials and environmental impact, including overpackaging. Another covers protection, preservation, containment and communication, alongside types of packaging.

Move on to materials and manufacturing

“Manufacturing of packaging” is a useful next step. It introduces paper and card as materials, including their light weight and different thicknesses and strengths. It also covers printing. Read it alongside “Plastic packaging”, which considers characteristics of plastic and distinguishes flexible and rigid types by their manufacturing process.

For more material-focused study, the page also lists “Box Materials” and “Packaging Materials” mind maps, as well as the “Paper & Board” flashcards. You can compare what each resource includes with the points in your notes.

Use flashcards with the maps

After reading a map, write down the main functions or material characteristics you remember, then return to the map to check them. The “GCSE Product Design flash cards” deck includes questions about what labels mean. “Nets and Packaging” offers another flashcard option.

This topic is one section of the Packaging Design unit in Design and technology. Use the maps to organize what you have studied on this page, then use the flashcards for recall. Pick a resource that fits your next study session and make your own notes as you go.