Advancing Sustainable Packaging Practices: Benchmarking and Standardization in Ghana’s Food Industry
Adam Rahman 
, Ebenezer Odji & Abraham Opata Azu
Issue: Vol.6 No.8 Article 35 pp.1761 – 1776
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256835 | Published online 30th July, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
This study investigates the state of packaging standards and benchmarking practices within Ghana’s food packaging sector, with particular attention to the sustainability implications of regulatory compliance. Using a cross-sectional survey of 530 respondents, including consumers, manufacturers, and packaging experts in Accra and Kumasi, the study assessed awareness, knowledge, and adoption of key packaging standards, including the Codex Alimentarius and Ghana’s LI 1541 labelling law. The findings revealed low compliance levels among SMEs, stemming from limited regulatory enforcement, knowledge gaps, and cost-related barriers. In contrast, multinational firms demonstrated stronger alignment with international standards. The study identified consumer distrust in local product labeling as a significant hurdle to market competitiveness and outlined how proper adherence to packaging benchmarks could enhance product credibility, public health, and export potential. Drawing on the Sustainable Development Goals (particularly SDG 12.3 and 12.5), the paper offers policy recommendations to bridge the compliance gap and proposes collaborative efforts between regulators and industry. The study contributes to sustainability discourse by linking packaging standardization to circular economy principles, responsible production, and trade inclusion for developing economies.
Keywords: Sustainable Packaging, Benchmarking Standards, SMEs and Regulatory Enforcement, Ghanaian Food Industry.
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Dr. Adam Rahman is a Senior Lecturer and the Head of the Department of Communication Design at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. With over 16 years of experience in higher education, he coordinates the technical production of Open Educational Resources (OER) at KNUST and plays a key role in advancing design-led education in Ghana. Dr. Rahman’s research focuses on packaging design, interaction design, and visual culture, particularly in the context of consumer behavior and sustainable branding. He has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and presented at both local and international conferences. He was a recipient of the University of Michigan African Presidential Scholarship (UMAPS) and has earned several awards from academia and industry. Dr. Rahman is the Ghana Chapter Leader of the Interaction Design Association (IxDA) and a member of the Institute of Packaging, Ghana (IOPG), DesignGhana, and the Ghana Design Network (GDN). He serves on multiple academic and industry-related boards and has extensive experience collaborating with international agencies, design professionals, and packaging experts.
Dr. Ebenezer Odji is a lecturer at the Federal University of Technology, Nigeria. His research interests span multidisciplinary domains, including Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR), sustainability, product design, photography, project management, and graphic design. His work explores the intersection of emerging technologies and design innovation, with a particular focus on sustainable development and immersive user experiences. Dr. Odji is actively involved in academic research, design practice, and collaborative knowledge production within creative industries across Africa.
Mr. Ebenezer Opata Azu is an education and assessment professional currently serving at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in Accra, Ghana, within the Arts & Business Subjects Department (ABSD) of the Test Development Division (TDD). Mr. Azu holds a background in Communication Design, which he integrates with a systems-oriented approach to educational assessment. His professional interests lie at the intersection of design thinking, learning technologies, and evidence-based evaluation, contributing to innovative test development strategies within WAEC.
Rahman, Adam, Ebenezer Odji, and Abraham Opata Azu. “Advancing Sustainable Packaging Practices: Benchmarking and Standardization in Ghana’s Food Industry.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no. 8 (2025): 1761–76. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256835.
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
