Packaging standards: Measuring transportation loads

In March 2013  NEN-EN 16210 for transportation loads was published. This standard specifies the documentation of measurements for climatic and other loads (such as sunlight, sand, dust and electromagnetic radiation) during transport, handling and storage.
This standard obtains a significant meaning in order to fulfil the requirements of the European Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste (Directive 94/62/EC dated 20th December 1994). These requirements ask for avoidance or reduction of packaging waste, and that the required amount of packaging material be tuned to the expected transportation load, in order to protect the transported item adequately. However, this presumes some knowledge of the climatic and other loads which occur during shipment. The standard contains annexes for the different transportation modes, for example road, rail and in-plant (World Packaging Standardisation Newsletter, April 2013).