Packaging Engineering: Science, Engineering, or Something Else Entirely?

When most people hear the word “engineering,” they picture bridges, planes, circuit boards, or perhaps a poor soul debugging code in the early hours of the morning. Rarely do they imagine someone losing sleep over the oxygen transmission rate of a film structure, torque testing a cap to ensure ease of opening, or performing a series of specific drop and distribution scenarios to ensure a package will perform and protect that chicken-flavored kibble. 

In my work with pet food brands, I’ve seen packaging decisions hinge on details as small as one-thousandth of an inch of material thickness, which can determine whether a product lasts just six months or reaches its intended shelf life. And yet, those of us in the packaging world know better. We engineer shelf life. We design for logistics. We test toward optimal packaging formats the way civil engineers test buildings. And in pet food, often with materials more likely to be chewed on by a Labradoodle or Ragdoll. 

So, the question is: Is packaging engineering truly engineering? Is it material science? Or is it some wonderfully weird blend of both, with a dash of consumer psychology and supply chain pragmatism for good measure? 

What Makes It “Engineering”? 

To qualify as “real” engineering, a discipline typically involves designing systems to solve problems using math, physics, and other hard sciences under real-world constraints. By that definition, packaging engineering ticks every box: 

• We solve physical problems: How do we prevent oxygen ingress? How can we reduce breakage during distribution? 

• We work with constraints: Cost, sustainability, machinability, shelf appeal, and regulatory compliance 

• We run calculations: Seal strength, torque specs, stack pressure, material yield, COF (coefficient of friction), etc. 
• We optimize systems: Not just materials, but entire packaging lines, pallet patterns, and logistics workflows 

Deeply Rooted in Science 

Where engineering often focuses on solutions, science seeks understanding. And let’s be honest, packaging professionals do a lot of science: 

• We rely on lab testing: Drop testing, freezer or ambient storage testing, burst and puncture tests, and barrier property degradation under direct UV sunlight exposure 

• We conduct experiments with a hypothesis and adapt based on data: How do fats in pet food affect seal integrity or film lamination over time and under certain temperatures? Et cetera. 

• We are constantly validating assumptions with real-time data, then summarizing and providing recommendations on improvement.  

Packaging engineers often live in the testing lab as much as the CAD (computer-aided design) software. In fact, one of the most unique aspects of the field is how much validation goes into every packaging decision, especially for food and pharmaceutical applications. Often, the data forces a rethink. What performs beautifully in a lab doesn’t always survive real-world distribution or consumer use, reinforcing why disciplined, science-based testing is essential. 

The Unsung Third Discipline: Communication 

Packaging isn’t just a subset of engineering or science. It is somewhere between where those two worlds collide. It is the one field where tensile strength and shelf appeal matter equally, and where success is measured not just in Newtons, but in brand loyalty.   

And here is where packaging engineering stands apart: it’s arguably the most cross-functional engineering discipline there is. We work with marketing to ensure the look, feel, and functionality meet consumer expectations.We collaborate with supply chain and operations to ensure the packaging works on actual lines, at actual speeds. We interface with regulatory teams to stay compliant across markets and with evolving and rapidly changing recycling mandates. And we often become the in-house translator of technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders. 

That ability to tell a story—such as why this zipper matters versus another, why this pouch material won’t enable you to achieve 18 months of shelf life, or why one film is more recyclable than another—is an art form.Much of the work isn’t choosing the right material; it is explaining, sometimes repeatedly, why a seemingly minor change can have outsized impacts on shelf life, procurement costs, recyclability, or line efficiency. 

So, What is Packaging Engineering, Really? 

It’s a little bit science. It’s a lot of engineering. It’s part psychology, part logistics, part art, and occasionally, part therapy (especially when a packaging line goes down during a critical trial test week). 

Packaging engineers don’t just choose materials. They design user experiences, solve invisible problems, and safeguard product quality from factory to pantry and ultimately to the time it’s consumed. I’ve seen sustainability-driven material changes introduce unexpected risks to shelf life or machinability, requiring careful reengineering to balance environmental goals with production efficiency. It is one of the few disciplines where physical material strength and brand identity are equally important, and where success can be measured in both net weights and Net Promoter Scores.  

Final Thought 

Is packaging engineering “real” engineering? Absolutely. But it’s also something more: a shape-shifting role that draws from science, engineering, and the messy, creative, cross-disciplinary space in between. And that is exactly what makes it so fun, challenging, and vital. 

Next time someone raises an eyebrow when you say you’re a packaging engineer, just smile and say, “I’m in the business of protecting products and making them irresistible.”  

Because at the end of the day, your job might not be building bridges, but you’re definitely building the thing that gets products across rivers of uncertainty. 

Packaging decisions rarely happen in a vacuum. In practice, packaging sits at the intersection of nutrition, product formulation, regulatory requirements, manufacturing systems, and consumer expectations. At BSM Partners, our packaging engineers work alongside nutritionists, veterinarians, regulatory specialists, product developers, and systems engineers to help brands navigate that complexity. This integrated, cross-functional approach allows us to evaluate packaging not as a standalone component, but as part of a complete product system, supporting performance, compliance, and long-term brand success from development through distribution. 

Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest updates on all things happening here at BSM Partners.

About the Author

Oksana Lylak is the Director of Packaging Engineering at BSM Partners, offering over 20 years of experience across industries like automotive, consumer packaged goods, and pet food. Oksana specializes in developing innovative, cost-effective packaging solutions. Passionate about sustainability and pet food packaging, she combines technical expertise with a solution-driven approach to drive industry advancements.