Design and Development of Innovative Packaging for Agricultural Products

The main goal of this study is to design new and innovative packaging for agricultural products with the use of eco-friendly raw materials, processes and practises. The products considered in this study were local Greek produce like olive oil, tsipouro, raki, fruits and vegetables. These products are currently packaged in a very conventional way and it is generally recognised that the current packaging solutions do not reflect the quality of the produce or the ecological trends worldwide. The whole study was based on the use of Computer Aided Design programs and other digital technology. Glass and wood was used for the packaging of the fluid produce (olive oil, tsipouro and raki) and the raw material for the packaging solutions for the fruits and vegetables (crates) was olive tree pruning and wood wastes with the use of ecological glues. Other ecological aspects that were considered and utilised in the current proposal/study were 1. the re-use of the packaging. 2. the use of less raw material than current practises, 3. Ease of assembly and disassembly (separation) of materials.