The work aims to discuss the carbon footprint accounting process, accounting methods, data collection and other aspects of the production cycle of packaging and printing products, summarize the problems in the carbon footprint calculation of the packaging and printing production cycle, and put forward feasible strategies and suggestions to reduce the carbon footprint of the production cycle, so as to provide reference for product carbon footprint calculation and "carbon neutrality" of packaging and printing companies at home and abroad. On the basis of the actual production data of packaging and printing enterprises and the international accounting standards for carbon footprint of printing products, the carbon footprint calculation of the packaging and printing production cycle was researched with cosmetic packaging boxes as an example. From a technological perspective, most of the carbon footprint in the production cycle of packaging and printing products came from the processes of papermaking, printing, and laminating, followed by post-printing processes such as gluing and varnishing. From the perspective of raw and auxiliary materials, most of the carbon footprint came from paper, electricity, and glue. Energy saving, consumption reduction of production equipment, selection of low-carbon raw and auxiliary materials instead of high-carbon raw and auxiliary materials, and innovative design of product structure are effective measures to reduce the carbon footprint of packaging and printing production cycle.