scope:

This document provides requirements and recommendations in designing consumer packages, independent of material, to increase accessibility with regard to handling and manipulation of consumer packages taking into account the needs from a widest range of users who have diverse human abilities and also the needs in diverse context of use.

Handling and manipulation include human physical abilities of holding, lifting, carrying, pulling, pushing, sliding, grasping, twisting, tearing, and any combination of those actions related to portability, opening, re-closing and taking out contents of packages as well as to storage and disposal. Requirements and recommendations with regard to those abilities are provided for people with special needs including older people and people with disabilities in their handling and manipulation of packages. This standard focuses on physical handling and manipulation which necessarily includes the processes of opening and closing which are specifically detailed in ISO 17480. It applies to reclosable and non-reclosable consumer packaging without using any other mechanical means.

This document is primarily for designers, developers and evaluators of packaging and is also useful for other disciplines.

Handling and manipulation for transportation of packaging is not covered in this standard. For products regulated for safety or other reasons (e.g. toxic or dangerous goods and substances, medicinal products, and medical devices), those regulations take precedence.