Evaluating the sustainability impacts of packaging: the plastic carry bag dilemma

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used by practitioners and policy‐makers to help them understand the sustainability impacts of packaging. LCA is useful because it quantifies the impact of a product throughout its life cycle, from raw materials extraction through to disposal or recovery. However, it can only ever be one input to decisions about the design or procurement of packaging. LCA has limitations as a tool to measure environmental impact and it does not currently evaluate social or financial impact. This paper provides a critical review of the role of LCA in evaluating packaging sustainability. It does this by evaluating the results of LCA studies that compare different types of carry bags and their implications for policy and practice. The benefits and limitations of this type of analysis are discussed. The case study of plastic carry bags demonstrates that while a scientific understanding of life cycle impacts is essential to support informed decision‐making, a broader sustainability analysis is required to ensure that all relevant issues are considered. These include the functionality of alternative bags, their relative cost, convenience for consumers and retailers, and the availability of reuse and recovery systems. An alternative approach, which evaluates packaging design within a broader sustainability framework, is presented and discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A sustainability-oriented multi-dimensional value assessment model for product-service development

In the product-service system (PSS), products are carriers of functions and media of services. Currently, value creation in PSS is directly related to the capabilities of the product-service solutions provided to serve customer demands and supplier business interest over time. There is a need for an evaluation approach that can identify in what manner and to what extent products and services should best be bundled in the development of a company’s value proposition. Furthermore, with an increasing focus on the sustainability profile of business operations, it is necessary to incorporate environmental impact measures with technical performance and cost measures to present a more comprehensive value assessment of product-service development. In this paper, a sustainability-oriented value assessment model is proposed as an attempt for product-service development decision support based on life cycle thinking. In this proposed approach, the fitness for extended utilisation indicators, the net present value (NPV) approach and life cycle assessment (LCA), are applied as the measures of life cycle performance, life cycle cost, and life cycle environmental impact, which are used for value assessment. A case study on a solar heating system will be presented to show how the assessment model can be used to support the evaluation and selection of different product-service development alternatives.     

Framework for Sustainable Food Packaging Design

The environmental impacts of packages have been found to be relatively small compared with the food items they contain. Furthermore, from the environmental and operational point of view, the most significant task of the package is to protect the product, which is important to acknowledge in the packaging design process. This study introduces a guiding framework for designing sustainable food packaging. In this approach, the entire life cycle of the product–package combination is taken into consideration. The emphasis is on the prevention of food losses in packaging design as a major environmental criterion. Consideration of the properties of both the package and the product itself when designing the final package will lead to a better end result with smaller product losses and environmental impacts. By using different assessment methods in the different stages of the packaging design, the sustainability of the package can be enhanced. The decision making of the packaging designer is facilitated with methods that are introduced step by step and in a certain order that will also allow for corrective measures through back‐loops in the design process. The purpose is to integrate sustainability aspects at all stages firmly into the design process. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Role of Household Food Waste in Comparing Environmental Impacts of Packaging Alternatives

This paper examines the environmental impacts of food waste and the influence that packaging alternatives can have on causing food waste. This paper presents the results of three life cycle assessment case studies on packed food products. The life cycle assessments were conducted for ham, dark bread and Soygurt drink (fermented soy‐based drink). In each case study, the environmental impacts of the products were assessed with different assumptions about the packaging sizes and alternative materials. The studies especially considered the environmental impacts resulting from food waste generated by consumers as a function of the variable packaging options. The food waste of other parts of the production chain of the studied products was also taken into account. A consumer survey was carried out to estimate the amounts of product waste generated in Finnish households connected to the three investigated products. The environmental impacts of the food products, household food waste and packaging were modelled by scenarios with varying rates of household food waste and different waste management options. The results indicated that the significance of the production and post‐consumer life of packaging was relatively low for climate change, eutrophication and acidification, in comparison with the production chain of the ham, dark bread and Soygurt. According to the results, packaging solutions that minimize the waste generation in households as well as in distribution and retail will lead to the lowest environmental impacts of the entire product‐packaging chain. Therefore, it is important to design packages that protect the food properly and allow the consumer to use the product fully. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Choice of Life Cycle Assessment Software Can Impact Packaging System Decisions

A number of software packages are available that are designed to facilitate making environmental comparisons between different packaging options, to facilitate ‘green’ packaging design and assessment of the environmental aspect of sustainability. Some of these (e.g. SimaPro and GaBi) are full‐fledged ISO 14040/14044‐compliant programs for life cycle assessment (LCA). Others are more limited, but are designed to be much simpler to use (e.g. COMPASS and Package Modeling). A systematic comparison of the evaluation of several packaging systems using COMPASS, SimaPro, GaBi, and Package Modeling found significant discrepancies in LCA results from different software systems. Availability of common impact categories among the software limited comparisons to four categories: greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel/non‐renewable energy, eutrophication, and water depletion. Given a common set of basic packaging containers as input, results from the LCA software systems being studied disagreed on which container had the greatest environmental impact, and in some cases results were more than an order of magnitude different between software. Discrepancies in results occurred in all four impact categories, and all four software systems disagreed with each other at multiple points in the comparisons. If there is to be increasing use of LCA analysis in guiding packaging design, this issue must be fully understood and resolved. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于SOR模型的包装展示性可持续设计研究

目的 从人文角度出发,基于可持续发展理念,以用户群体为切入点分析消费者对包装的心理需求和行为反应,探索包装可持续使用的设计方法,从而提高消费者对包装的循环使用率,达到减少资源浪费和保护环境的目的。方法 通过马斯洛需求理论,总结出消费者对包装的接受需求;引入“刺激–机体–反应”（Stimulus-Organism-Response,SOR）理论,提出包装可持续性使用方法模型,将包装展示性贯穿其整个生命周期（销售—使用—回收）,并通过化妆品包装改良设计案例进行方法实践。结论 包装外观、便捷性、操作性影响用户的感知结构,进而使用户产生满意心理和可持续性使用行为。以此为导向的设计方案在满足商家与消费者需求的同时,延长了包装的使用周期,实现了资源的可持续利用。     

Systematic packaging design tools integrating functional and environmental consequences on product life cycle: Case studies on laundry detergent and milk

This study presents systematic packaging design tools integrating functional and environmental consequences on product life cycle. To design packaging for sustainability, the trade-offs between functional and environmental aspects of packaging throughout the product life cycle should be considered. However, it is difficult for packaging designers to understand the overall trade-offs because the extent of the design consequences on the entire life cycle of packaging and its contents is unclear. We developed two tools for packaging design: the Life Cycle Association Matrix (LCAM) and the Function Network Diagram (FND). The following three steps, based on literature reviews and interviews with industrial experts, were applied. Firstly, we listed the product functions and design variables related to the functions as the attributes allocated to the product life cycle. Secondly, the attributes were connected appropriately based on causal relationships. Lastly, we identified the factors to support decision making in the packaging design procedure. As a result, the LCAM depicts the design consequences on the life cycle, and the FND determines the stakeholders affected by the design consequences. Two case studies were demonstrated to analyze the trade-offs by using our tools. In the case studies, a liquid laundry detergent bottle and a milk carton were redesigned. The tools identified the design consequences and stakeholders affected by the redesign of the usability and protective function for the detergent and milk cases, respectively. The results showed the significance of understanding the design consequences on the product life cycle by integrating the functional and environmental aspects.     

Realizing Product‐Packaging Combinations in Circular Systems: Shaping the Research Agenda

Recent years have shown a shift in the focus of sustainable development from eco‐efficiency (minimizing negative impacts) towards eco‐effectiveness (optimizing positive impacts). Currently, a focus on circular models can be identified; Cradle to Cradle and circular economy are main examples of such models. However, the current number and variety of models and tools focusing on circular systems are limited with regard to packaging development. This paper explores packaging development models and tools in relation to circular systems, in order to identify the current status of the circularity focus. A range of identified models and tools is structured into two categories (generative and evaluative tools) which cover three types (protocols, diagrams and evaluations). This is in line with the distinction between early and later phases of development and the cumulative nature of environmental lock‐in. Protocol‐type models and tools come in different forms, such as principles, guidelines and checklists (e.g. Cradle to Cradle and DfE). Aside from these, eight diagram‐type models are analysed, focusing on packaging development, sustainable development and sustainable packaging development. In contrast to generative design tools, evaluation‐type models and tools (e.g. LCA) are most useful in the later stages of development processes. Resulting from the analysis of the models and tools, three types of integration – integrated product‐packaging development, the cross‐functional integration of actors and the front‐end integration of sustainability considerations – are appropriate for the development of product‐packaging combinations for circular systems. This leads to an agenda which shapes research directions towards achieving this development. © 2016 The Authors Packaging Technology and Science Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Effect of Active Packaging on Minimizing Food Losses: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Essential Oil Component‐enabled Packaging for Fresh Beef

Packaging plays an important role in ensuring food safety and quality, and the development of active packaging, especially antimicrobial packaging, enables actively inhibiting/killing the microorganisms causing food spoilage and thus extending the product's shelf life. A survey of the publications revealed that generally 50% shelf life extension is possible. The goal of this study is to assess the overall environmental performance of the food and packaging system considering the effect of food loss reduction by using active packaging. A comparative life cycle assessment has been carried out, focusing on a case study: essential oil component‐enabled packaging for fresh beef. Different scenarios were set up to contrast the situations of food using conventional packaging (current situation) and food using novel active packaging (containing active coating). Additionally, a sensitivity analysis has been integrated, aiming to identify the breakeven point of the balance. In the scenarios using the best‐performance active packaging, it was shown that a breakeven point can be achieved across the four impact categories evaluated, including global warming, fossil energy demand, acidification potential and eutrophication potential. It is expected that the obtained results would serve as guidelines for active packaging development striving for a positive eco‐profile of the food and packaging system. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multidimensional life cycle assessment on various moulded pulp production systems

Moulded pulp has been used as an alternative to plastic in certain packaging applications, but some problems in the production system lead to higher costs including energy consumption. Industry tends to operate on the basis of experience rather than through scientific evaluation and systematic design methods. The research aims at detecting the problems in the production system by a multidimensional life cycle assessment (MLCA) with transparent analysis. The MLCA measures the performance of the moulded pulp production system with regard to technical, economic and environmental aspects and produces quantitative results (in monetary units), and finally indicates the overall efficiency of the production system using a sustainability index (SI). A life cycle impact assessment method based on endpoint modelling (LIME) is mainly adopted in the MLCA. Three existing moulded pulp production systems for industrial packaging in China were assessed in this study. The results show that the main environmental impacts of the three production systems are the atmospheric emissions and landfill waste; the drying stage in the production systems, which is dominated by consumption of resources and environmental impacts, is the key to controlling costs; steam should be the first preferred heat source in the drying process for achieving sustainability in the moulded pulp production system. The optimum for the three cases is identified by calculating the newly developed SI. The MLCA approach can be used to assist in identifying potential improvements and practical new packaging designs. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Packaging throughout the value chain in the customer perspective marketing mix

Lauterborn has suggested that McCarthy's 4 P marketing mix classification be viewed by suppliers as the customers' four Cs, i.e. customer value, cost to satisfy, convenience and communication (the 4C perspective). 1 This paper seeks to illustrate the impacts of the four Cs on packaging value in the area of fast‐moving consumer goods throughout the whole value chain from the packaging producer to the end‐user, the consumer. Findings from two separate studies regarding trade‐offs in package values between different actors in the value chain, created through development of value‐adding package solutions, are presented and elaborated on. The positive effects of brand advertising can be acknowledged, but they cannot compensate for less efficient packaging. The market need will easily be affected and turned into a higher demand chain pull when creating packaging solutions that will attract retail business. Dynamics in values and trade‐offs were identified, even though requirements from the whole value chain were considered. The packaging solutions created gave the majority of stakeholders in the value chain great advantages, but the lack of dynamism in available infrastructure demanded adaptation that diminished value addition for all actors in the value chain. The contribution of this article is to theorize the 4C concept in the process of package design, taking value chain actor needs and value optimisation into consideration. Furthermore, a suggestion of an evaluation model from the 4C perspective on all value chain actors is presented and elaborated on. Copyright­© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sustainability considerations of biodiesel based on supply chain analysis

Developing clean and renewable energy resources ranks as one of the greatest challenges facing mankind in the medium to long term. The issues associated with developing non-fossil energy are intimately connected with economic development and prosperity, quality of life and global stability, and require smart strategies for sustainable development. This study presents a relative sustainability assessment of biodiesel, taking into account its full life cycle with the main goal of comparing alternative feedstocks, either currently used or promising for future use such as microalgae. A set of sustainability metrics relevant for biodiesel is identified using only the data available in the literature and taking into account all the three dimensions of sustainability: environmental, societal, and economic. Although this study does not attempt to identify which feedstock or process is the best, its procedural suggestions may be valuable to practitioners and policy makers seeking to identify the best alternatives. The conclusions, however, are limited by the availability and the quality of the data used in the analyses.     

A simplified environmental evaluation tool for food packaging to support decision-making in packaging development

Packaging developers in the food industry must consider several, sometimes conflicting, environmental requirements on packaging along with an already complex combination of marketing, logistics and production requirements. Existing methods for the environmental evaluation of packaging either focus on a limited amount of environmental packaging criteria (such as recyclability or renewable content) or rely on life cycle assessment methodology requiring expert competence. To support the food industry in their efforts toward developing product and packaging combinations that reduce the total environmental impact in food supply chains, this article presents a simplified environmental evaluation tool for food packaging. The presented tool was developed through an iterative process in a collaborative research project with the food industry. It evaluates packaging systems based on packaging criteria sorted into four areas that represent the life-cycle steps packaging material production, transport, household and end-of-life. A comparison of the tool results and screening LCA results for three packaging cases showed no major differences. From the practitioners' perspective, the main advantages of the suggested tool are that it does not require LCA-competence, that the required input data is commonly available in packaging development projects and that its overall structure invites several functions of the company to participate. The theoretical benefits of the suggested tool are that it allows for a parallel assessment of eco-efficiency and eco-effectiveness criteria in a life cycle perspective and that it considers littering risk as well as the influence of packaging on food waste in households     

应用于冷链运输相变蓄冷技术研究进展

目的 研究化妆品销售包装盒的环境影响,优选包装材料、优化包装设计及其生产系统,达到绿色生产的目的。方法 基于生命周期评价(LCA)方法论,采用eFootprint软件及数据库量化分析由白纸板和聚丙烯2种不同材料设计生产的化妆品销售包装盒。以规定尺寸(长57 mm、宽52 mm、高60 mm)和结构的单个化妆品销售包装盒盒坯为功能单位,设定系统边界包括该包装盒生产加工过程的主要工序和各物料运输环节。分析清单后进行生命周期影响评价。结果 评价对象产生的9类环境影响中,全球变暖潜值(GWP)、初级能源消耗(PED)和水资源消耗(WU)贡献值较大,白纸板化妆品销售包装盒结果分别为17.8 g,185 kJ,57.8 g,聚丙烯化妆品销售包装盒结果分别为45.3 g,1.16 MJ,147 g。聚丙烯化妆品销售包装盒在生产过程中消耗的能量和对环境产生的影响均大于白纸板化妆品销售包装盒,故两者中首选材料是白纸板。结论 材料种类和生产过程能源消耗是影响环境的主要原因,可通过LCA优选包装材料、控制包装印刷设计和改善生产系统等方式,提高包装的环境效益。     

Development of impact assessment methodologies for environmental sustainability

Despite years of discussion on the merits of sustainability, there is still no consensus on how to determine if environmental sustainability is achieved or even if progress is made. The Brundtland Commission statement that sustainability “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (World Commission on Environment and Development, Our common future, Oxford University Press, New York, 1987)” establishes the long-term focus of sustainability goals. Impact categories, such as land and water use, that can cause large spatial and long-temporal scale impacts are important for sustainability assessments, and may require detailed spatial analysis to capture all the important input parameters. Environmental sustainability impact assessments can use life cycle impact assessment methodologies, but can also be supplemented with impact assessments conducted from a variety of perspectives. Having this flexibility of perspective can allow more detailed site-specific assessments that may represent unsustainable situations. While it is necessary to provide decision support with a comprehensive assessment, aggregation of impact categories has the disadvantage of obscuring the individual vulnerabilities of each impact category, which can be critically important to the overall sustainability picture. An outline of a sustainability assessment case study focused on biomass-based alternatives required under the renewable fuel standard will be provided to demonstrate a more comprehensive view of sustainability.     

Sustainable packaging design: a holistic methodology for packaging design

This study describes a holistic methodology for sustainable packaging design. This methodology studies the combined systems of packaging and the packaged products across the whole distribution chain from manufacturer to end consumer and the life cycle from raw material extraction to the waste phase. It contains a number of indicators that are grouped into the following main categories: environmental sustainability, distribution costs, product protection, market acceptance and user friendliness. The methodology integrates a number of different analytical methods. It is intended to be used in packaging design and optimisation, for idea generation, decision support and as documentation of properties of existing packaging systems. The study describes experiences with the methodology from one case study in the Norwegian Food Industry. The experiences show that the methodology is very comprehensive, and gives a good overview of the properties of a packaging solution. It enables quantitative comparisons between different packaging solutions throughout the design process. The methodology reduces the risk of implementing sub‐optimal packaging solutions. An additional benefit of the methodology is gained by working in cross‐functional teams. One potential drawback is that the methodology can be resource and data intensive. The methodology can be used as a tool box in packaging design, i.e. it is not necessary to use all methods and quantify all indicators to gain benefit. However, all indicators and requirements should be evaluated and considered. In all cases, it should be considered to include additional indicators if important sustainability issues have not been addressed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Environmental impact assessment of an automotive component using eco-indicator and CML methodologies

The environmental conscious manufacturing and climate change made automotive manufacturing organisations to recognise sustainability as a vital concept for survival in the global competitive scenario. Many components of automobiles are manufactured using plastics which play imperative role in ensuring sustainability. This research article deals with the application of Life Cycle Assessment on instrument panel of an electric car which is made of ABS (Acrylonitrile–Butadiene–Styrene). The case study has been conducted in an Indian instrument panel manufacturing plant. First, a life cycle model of ABS sheet which is particularly used in instrument panel manufacturing was built, and the environmental impact assessment of the instrument panel was done using Eco-indicator and CML methodologies. In life cycle perspective, the environmental hot spots have been found out. Later the results have been interpreted based on environmental impact assessment factors. The relative comparison of impact factors at different stages in the life cycle enables the generation of improvement options. The sustainability index of instrument panel before and after implementing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been computed. The results are statistically validated, and the managerial implications have been derived.     

南荻生态包装箱的全生命周期评价比较研究

目的 对南荻生态包装箱和传统木质胶合板包装箱的全生命周期进行环境影响比较分析,探索前者对后者的生态替代性。方法 文中基于生命周期评价(Life Cycle Assessment, LCA),使用ReCiPe 2016方法对2种包装箱的18种环境影响类型展开全生命周期的LCA研究。结果 南荻生态包装箱全生命周期环境影响单一分值为3.08 Pt,包装箱生产、运输和废弃物处置阶段占比分别为68%、8%、24%;传统木质胶合板包装箱全生命周期环境影响单一分值为3.61 Pt,包装箱生产、运输和废弃物处置阶段占比分别为75%、6%、19%;前者较之后者每功能单位减少14.7%的环境影响。结论 结果表明南荻生态包装箱整体环境表现优于传统木质胶合板包装箱,南荻刨花板用量的减少带来的环境效益最大,循环利用包装箱及其生物质,以及改进包装箱尺寸设计也是减少化石资源消耗的可能途径。在洞庭湖造纸业全面退出情境下,研究为决策者在技术和环境层面选择南荻的利用方式提供了依据。     

Nachhaltigkeitsaspekte unter der Lupe – Ökobilanzen im Gebäudevergleich

Checking out sustainability aspects – life cycle assessments in building comparisons The topic of life cycle assessments at building level plays an increasing role in environmental and socio‐economic terms. This article analyzes the aspect of climate protection in the context of sustainability assessments of buildings. A summary of five life cycle assessment studies accepted by experts (LCEE, RUB, KÖNIG, FIW, STEINBEIS) is given with reference to building‐related life cycle assessments. In particular, the assumptions and framework conditions made in these studies and their effects on the results are assessed. Similarities as well as essential differences of the individual studies are shown in form of a comparative analysis.