Transport packaging tests and test programs

The main function of transport packaging is to protect its contents against risks encountered throughout the distribution circuit, from the manufacture or harvesting of the contents to their use or consumption, and then to the place where the empty packaging is recycled. This function means that the packaging must retain its integrity, preserve the properties and characteristics of the contents, and protect the product from its sensitivities.

Distribution logistics circuits are highly varied. They depend in particular on the modes of transport used (land, sea, air), the destinations (France, Europe, outside Europe), the types of products (food, pharmaceuticals, household appliances, etc.) and the players involved in distribution.

Designing packaging adapted to a product and its intended distribution circuit requires a thorough understanding of the stresses to which packaging and its contents will be subjected, both in terms of nature and intensity. These stresses encountered during transport, handling and storage are mainly of mechanical origin (compression, vibration, handling) and climatic origin (air humidity, water splashes, immersion). Other stresses can also be identified.

Laboratory simulation of the identified stresses enables us to verify the suitability of the transport packaging for its protective function as a logistical means. Numerous standardized tests simulate individual mechanical or climatic stresses, generally on a full, complete package. While the test methods are clearly described in the standard documents, the performance criteria which will influence the level of severity of the test must be specified, as must the acceptance criteria which will enable us to conclude on the level of adaptation of the packaging.

Tests can be carried out one after the other to simulate an entire logistical distribution circuit, within the framework of a test sequence associated with mechanical severity and climatic conditions. These are referred to as test programs. The main test programs are described in the French standard NF H 00-060, in the American standard ASTM D 4169 and in the technical reference manual of the International Safety Transit Association (ISTA). Customized programs can also be developed.

While tests carried out on full and complete packages enable us to assess the fitness for use of a packaging solution, tests generally carried out on the constituent materials or on empty packages enable us to quantify the characteristics and properties of the materials used in order, in particular, to describe the packaging deemed fit for use.

In addition to the objectives of assessing packaging function, identifying the causes of damage, and comparing several...