Citation: Sastre, R.M.; de Paula, I.C.; Echeveste, M.E.S. A Systematic Literature Review on Packaging Sustainability: Contents, Opportunities, and Guidelines. Sustainability 2022, 14, 6727. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116727 Academic Editor: Elena Cristina Rada Received: 2 May 2022 Accepted: 26 May 2022 Published: 31 May 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). sustainability Review A Systematic Literature Review on Packaging Sustainability: Contents, Opportunities, and Guidelines Ricardo Marques Sastre * , Istefani Carísio de Paula and Marcia Elisa Soares Echeveste Industrial Engineering and Transport Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul 1, Porto Alegre 90035-003, Brazil; istefani@producao.ufrgs.br (I.C.d.P.); echeveste@producao.ufrgs.br (M.E.S.E.) * Correspondence: ricardo.sastre@ufrgs.br; Tel.: +55-51-99141-0767 Abstract: The relationship between packaging and sustainability has caused the evolution of literature towards the minimization of environmental damage. The task of packaging professionals is becoming more demanding, as they need to collect information from distinct topics to stay up to date. The aim of this research is to gather information on packaging in the sustainability context to provide a systemic view of the contents, to identify opportunities, and define guidelines for packaging design. A systematic literature review of 472 papers was performed. The first step was a bibliographic search using Pack *, Sustainab *, and eco * as keywords. Secondly, the content analysis revealed the emergence of nine categories grouped in four clusters. These categories and nineteen subthemes were considered research opportunities. Going beyond the coding units of the content analysis, we have used context units to propose (i) the gathering of technical procedures to support the design phases of sustainable packaging; and (ii) the proposition of a framework based on the life cycle stages and design phases. At last, we have provided insights and guidelines that can be useful for packaging professionals. Keywords: packaging; sustainability; circular economy; systematic literature review; design guidelines 1. Introduction Packages are envelopes, containers, or any form of covering, removable or not, in- tended to enclose, protect, maintain the products in use for longer periods, or facilitate their marketing. Packaging is a complex technical and commercial system whose objec- tive is to protect a given content from the production process to consumption, aiding its identification, promotion, and negotiation [1–3]. Sustainability has become one of the functions of packaging, along with ensuring prod- ucts’ quality and safety, enabling product communication, and facilitating transportation and logistics [4]. Considering the development of sustainable packaging, the environmental sustainability pillar is especially relevant [5]. Moreover, sustainable packaging contributes to minimizing the ecological footprint of companies and saving their resources [6]. In 2019, the total value of packaging worldwide was estimated to be approximately USD 917 billion Smithers [7]. A study published in “The Future of Global Packaging to 2024” shows that demand for packaging will grow 2.8% per year and peak at USD 1.05 trillion in 2024 Smithers [7]. According to studies of the World Packaging Organization, the food sec- tor alone will reach USD 400 billion in packaging production by 2025 WPO [8]. The Global Packaging Trends 2020 from Mintel [9] listed two sustainability-related packaging trends. The first trend is that packaging manufacturers and brands must continue developing and commercializing innovations with recyclable materials. The second trend is in-store refills; with the rapid growth of independent package-free stores. This is leading retailers in the entire sector to consider creating opportunities to refill products instead of using disposable packaging Mintel [9]. The same study reveals that ‘responsible’ packaging will reinforce the ‘sustainable’ packaging concept, since there is a relationship between responsibility and Sustainability 2022, 14, 6727. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116727 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability