The objective of the project was to identify new techniques and sustainable management strategies for industry, which would lead to the minimisation of packaging waste going to landfill by promoting the use of alternatives chosen with regard to their optimum levels of environmental impact and taking into account their economic costs. The project comprised seven steps:

1. identification of the various packaging materials through audit and life-cycle assessment in order to identify the environmental impact at every stage in the supply chain.
2. a minimisation programme involving consideration of the available options, economic costs and technical and environmental implications. Acceptance of the various alternatives by management was to be a feature of this stage. A re-evaluation of current practices in material supply, collection, handling and delivery practices was also to be carried out.
3. the identification of packaging for re-use, including trial use of re-usable containers for component distribution. This also covered the exploitation of available market routes for recovery and re-cycling of packaging waste. Strategies for segregated waste streams were to be developed with full written procedures, monitoring of target levels and growth potential identified.
4. disposal to landfill and the economics of dumping packaging waste requiring final disposal was to be re-examined with Fingal Co. Council.
5. a wide ranging examination of sustainable emerging technologies for packaging waste treatment for possible use by industrial partners and by extension to industry in general.
6. the establishment of a set of guidelines and strategic principles suitable for application by industry. Their transferability across industrial sectors would be subject to cost effectiveness and acceptance by managements.
7. continuous information exchange between the partners was to be a feature of the project.