Students and teachers of the master degree course in eco-packaging design at Politecnico di Torino were welcomed by Sipa, a company based in Vittorio Veneto (Treviso, Italy), as part of an open-house event organised for schools and universities with a view to the exchange of experiences between the company and the students. Sipa considers the relationship between school and industry essential to give substance to concepts that would otherwise remain theoretical, and therefore, is aiming to make students aware of technological innovation and the environment by offering collaboration and internships.

The company has always been open to innovation and the environment, which is the reason why it is important that the figures who will attend the master course in eco-packaging design be acquainted with Sipa and envisage a collaboration with the company in the future, in order to bring fresh and sustainable ideas for the design of functional and recyclable packaging. During the open house event, the designers of the new generation had the opportunity to get to know this industrial company and the machinery producing the packaging items they will design, following their path from the initial concept to industrial production.

The students appreciated this aspect, fully grasping the principle that packaging design is not an end in itself but must ensure manufacturability on an industrial scale and, obviously, the least possible impact on the environment. According to Sipa, today the sustainability of packaging influences 43% of consumers in the choice of products and 48% of them say that they stopped buying consumer goods that showed over-packaging, while 23% increased their purchases of bulk products. However, 41% are not willing to pay a higher price for environment-friendly packaging. In this scenario, the designer plays a fundamental role in taking into account the whole life cycle of packaging: therefore, not only its primary function but a complex ecosystem made up of social impacts, relationships, messages to be transmitted, behaviours to be promoted.

During the master classes, the students will develop technical, communication and economic skills: from the methodology at the basis of a packaging project as part of a complex and sensitive system, to the insights into physical, material and ergonomic properties; from communication in its different forms to the management of the environmental, social and economic impacts of the information and material flows. The master classes, organised according to a systemic design-oriented approach, are based on the principle of constant and constructive collaboration, with the ultimate goal of providing a complex vision of the investigated phenomena. With this in mind, a monthly course at the company’s lab will also start within a short time in constant dialogue with Sipa's tutors. The students will also be offered an opportunity of internship at the company.