Concern about the harm that industrial activities may cause the environ­ ment, means that all are now being scrutinised to assess their impact. Packaging is no exception. It is now high on the political agenda, in terms of the environmental issues which are targeted for immediate attention in industrially developed countries and is often perceived as a wasteful drain on non-sustainable resources and an unnecessary indulgence on the part of affluent societies. This book seeks to understand and respond to the variety of pressures packaging now faces, and to review and correct the many misconceptions that exist in relation to its environmental impacts. It has been structured to address the topical and critical areas for attention; it identifies and explains what are seen to be the main issues and discusses the responses being made to them in different parts of the world. More specifically, this book is intended to: . clarify the facts and dispel many of the myths surrounding the environmental aspects of packaging . explain and emphasise packaging's essential role in the workings of human society . review legislative and regulatory developments, the trends and the extent to which they are converging . consider what constitutes environmentally responsible packaging manufacture . discuss and compare the relative environmental merits and differ­ ences between the various packaging materials and systems . address the requirements for identifying and controlling manufac­ turing impacts and the role of environmental auditing in this process