Cardboard packaging generates less environmental impact than other packaging, throughout its life cycle
Carton packaging has a lower climate impact than other, more common, alternative material packaging such as plastic, glass and even metal, as it is made up mostly of cardboard from responsibly managed forests and plant-based polyethylene. This was determined through a life cycle analysis performed for our supplier Tetra Pak .
This Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), also known as Cradle to Grave Analysis, Environmental Balance, Ecological Balance or Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), is a design that investigates and assesses the environmental impacts of a product during all stages of its existence: extraction, production, distribution, use and end of life (reuse, recycling, recovery and disposal / disposal of waste / disposal) .
Cardboard packaging: The best alternative
A renewable resource is a natural resource that can be restored by natural processes at a speed greater than that of its consumption by humans. Wood, where our FSC-certified packaging comes from, for example, is a renewable resource, because cutting the trunk of a tree immediately plants a new tree seed to preserve the natural resource.
To better illustrate the reduction of the impact of our packaging, we show a sheet that presents each of them and their comparison with other emissions such as the residuals of driving a vehicle for 1 km or a simple energy saving light bulb lit for 24 hours.
Comparative graph: CO2 emissions per container life cycle
Furthermore, renewable materials are better for the climate because they absorb CO2 in the atmosphere, unlike fossil materials that release new CO2.
How to measure sustainability?
Life Cycle Analysis (CVA) takes into account all stages of the value chain, including energy production, extraction and use of raw materials, as well as manufacturing, transportation, handling, recycling and waste.
The LCA used by our supplier, Tetra Pak, was performed by an independent research institute and reviewed by an international panel of experts. This method has been used to investigate the environmental impact of this brand’s cartons since the mid-1980s.
The ifeu CVA 2020 analyzes different aspects of environmental impact, divided into 11 categories. Some examples are: climate change, acidification, air pollution, eutrophication, and energy use.
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