Environmental concerns are very important in packaging selection and design.
Packaging is a large, international industry, an extremely dynamic, rapidly growing field.
On the basis of gross sales, it is the third largest industry in the United States. Virtually everything grown or manufactured is packaged in some fashion. The food industry is the largest user of packages, but non-food packaging is essential also. The basic curricula are the same, but students selecting the Food Packaging option are required to take more food-related courses. Those selecting the General Packaging option can concentrate in other areas of specialty, such as environmental science or graphic communication.