Overview

Our method and procedure take into consideration Six Pillars of Standards that guide the entire process. We conduct a complete Life Cycle Assessment of the entire packaging process using an open LCA tool. Identifying, quantifying, and assessing sources of environmental impact throughout a product’s life cycle. We examine all the activities involved in producing, using, and disposing of the product then compare the environmental impact of different packaging products to determine which option makes the most sense. We will prioritize the improvements. Emissions are then measured against scopes 1,2 and 3 as defined by the GHG’s protocol.

Packaging Re-engineering

Packaging re-engineering adds value to your supply chain management.
Cost savings can be achieved in the following way:

Logistics
For example, the cube and weight of the packaging can be reduced without sacrificing the integrity of the packaging.
Storage
Every square foot used for storage is a direct cost of manufacturing. Well-designed load-bearing packaging can be a good source of storage on a bare floor even without the use of a racking system.
Safety Factor
Gone are the days of designing packaging with safety factors (considering mishandling/abuse during logistics). The changing technology in material handling makes it possible to design packing (packaging?) that suits logistics conditions.
Aesthetics
Packaging is not merely an extension of production but has engulfed its importance in the supply chain. It is no more looked at as a product but has become a part of logistics service. Hence it is necessary for manufacturing companies to start looking at packing re-engineering as a constant process for adding value to their products and eventually to the business.
Packaging is no longer an end activity with the least priority that needs to be executed as a formality to push the products out. Increased necessity for safe delivery with undeterred quality of product to end
customer with the optimized cost is gaining more importance for
packing re-engineering.

Packaging Performance

Compression testing is a useful tool to measure performance.
It must protect products throughout their entire cycle from the manufacturing plant to the consumer’s hands without over-specification.

Packaging as a protector
During product development, the packaging will be chosen for its ability to protect, preserve and promote. Promotion is typically through colour, shape, and branding. Preservation can be tested through shelf-life trials and on evaluation of the suitability of the packaging to the food. However, when considering how the packaging will aid protection, the movement of the product through the distribution chain must be taken into account. There are several tests that are employed by packaging manufacturers during the design and manufacture of packaging to test its ‘fitness for its purpose. These tests can also be used by food manufacturers and independent test houses as investigatory tools as part of research into packaging performance. One of the tests commonly used in the packaging industry is compression testing.

The resistance to the compressive force applied to a board container is related to a number of factors. Strength properties increase with thickness but can be reduced by an increase in moisture content. All paper and board products will seek to achieve moisture content in equilibrium with ambient conditions. This is known as hypersensitivity. With corrugated containers, the board type and flute type will also influence the strength properties. Corrugated board samples range from the single face (comprised of the one-liner and one flute layer) to triple wall (made up of four liners and three flute layers) with strength increasing respectively.

Flutes provide rigidity and can make the board more economical. The flute profile will affect strength; higher flutes (B flutes) provide a physically stronger stack with softer cushioning characteristics. Lower, more dense flutes (E flutes) provide greater flat crush resistance, smoother print surfaces, and crisper score lines. The most common flute type used in the UK is ‘B’.
More and more companies are looking to include higher proportions of recycled content in their packaging, but this too can affect strength. Flute manufactured from the recycled board is used for general performance but when more strength is required or the packaging is to be stored in humid conditions, it is recommended to use virgin material. It is understood that products manufactured from a high content of recycled material boards tend to have an unpredictable structure and inferior functional properties to virgin-based fiber boards.

Compression testing can be a useful tool to measure the performance of packaging. It ensures that products are protected without the packaging being over-specified and therefore unnecessarily expensive. There is hard evidence that performance is linked to the strength properties of a material. In the case of board packaging, strength is increased with thickness, flute type, and the origin of the material. Compression testing can help food and packaging manufacturers select the best packaging for the job. This test can also be used to evaluate the performance of metals, glass, plastic, and composite containers.

Paper Consumption

Using a lot of paper more than what is needed in packaging happens very often because the paper being used is of low quality. The amount of paper can be significantly reduced by using a higher-grade paper, paper with more virgin fiber content to replace low-quality paper without compromising the protection of the product. Another way of reducing the amount of paper is through re-engineering the box. Inserts can be redesigned to add more protection to the product and at the same time reduce the amount of paper being used.

Life Cycle Assessment

If your company is interested in sustainability, a life cycle assessment of your packaging is a meaningful place to start. An LCA identifies, quantifies, and assesses sources of environmental impact throughout a product’s life cycle. It examines all the activities involved with making, using, and disposing of a product. This tool can help you compare the environmental impact of different packaging products and determine which option makes the most sense.
An LCA helps prioritize how to make improvements on processes or products. An LCA of packaging takes into account the following criteria:

  • Supply of raw materials for all packaging components
    • Use of the packaging (including the full supply chain from product factory to end user)
    • Disposal of the packaging after use

LCA is the determination of a package’s impact on the environment throughout its lifetime from start to finish. It aims to quantify the environmental impacts that arise from inputs and outputs, such as energy use or air emissions, over a product’s entire life cycle to assist consumers in making decisions that will benefit the environment.

The 5 steps of a product lifecycle are:
1. Raw material Extraction
2. Manufacturing & Processing
3. Transportation
4. Usage and Retail
5. Waste Disposal

The 4 stages of lifecycle assessment are:
1. Goal and scope definition
2. Life cycle inventory analysis
3. Life cycle impact assessment
4. Interpretation of the results

CO2

The carbon footprint of a packaging system is the total amount of carbon dioxide emission.

How to tackle CO2 apart from LCA or in complementary/connectionwith LCA…
Packaging is obviously required to protect virtually all products in transit and storage until they reach consumers. Most of us have experienced over-packaged products and the inefficient use of packaging materials is an area that is ripe for optimization. Recycling rates have generally plateaued in most countries, and in any case, end-of-life recycling alone cannot move us toward sustainable packaging.
Packaging systems must be designed with care, using the least amount of materials/energy, maximizing recycled content, and increasing the potential for reuse. Understanding the full life cycle of these systems is critical for optimizing their environmental performance. A life-cycle carbon footprint analysis of packaging systems — for both consumer and industrial products – is a crucial analytical tool that can help advance the cause of sustainable packaging.
What are Packaging Carbon Footprints?
The carbon footprint of a packaging system is the total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases emitted over the life cycle of that product or service, expressed as kilograms of CO2 equivalents. This includes all greenhouse gases generated in the manufacture of the raw materials, fabrication of the packaging system, transport of materials and finished systems, the use phase including refurbishment and reuse, and end-of-life disposal. This carbon footprint is often included in the
analysis of the larger production system that uses the packaging, but it can also be seen as a distinct environmental performance metric that can be calculated and optimized separately.