Sustainable package design

Companies have a vast number of different package design options available. But today the important question is how sustainable they are? Should they use paper or plastic? When does it make sense to use material combinations and what are their environmental impacts?

Answers to these questions are provided in a Life Cycle Assessment study (LCA) that PE INTERNATIONAL has conducted for Wipak. The Wipak Group is part of the Finland-based Wihuri Group and holds a leading rank in the development and manufacture of multilayer films (in particular barrier films) and high-end packaging solutions in Europe

LCA compared film packages with paper composite solutions

“Energy consumption, ozone production or global warming – material combinations based on paper and plastics can be more sustainable than plastics solutions”, Dr. Annett Kaeding-Koppers, the Wipak Group’s Sustainability Representative explains. On behalf of Wipak, the PE INTERNATIONAL sustainability experts compared film packages, such as used in Germany for sausage and cheese, with paper composite solutions offering identical functionality, including different amounts of paper in the top web and in the tray web.


One result: The use of paper in general has a positive influence on the reduction of carbon emissions. This means that the impact on the greenhouse effect is smaller than it is for the reference systems made of pure plastics that were also examined in the study. There were also clear improvements in terms of ozone production, i.e. the reduction of summer smog.
 

Paper cannot replace plastics

There is no silver bullet. Paper cannot fully replace plastics since it does not meet the high demands in terms of optimum product protection. The ideal material mix depends on the food products to be packaged as well as on the functions to be provided by a package.

Broad range of packaging solutions

Consumers expect a responsive use of resources. This expectation also influences package development. Using paper composites, the Wipak Group has responded to the trend towards sustainability at an early stage, complementing the product range of high-quality multilayer and barrier films with more innovative paper composites later on. A selection of composite concepts will be presented by Wipak at the FachPack exhibition. The “Paper Top“ version e.g. replaces paper polyester as a print carrier. The amount of renewable resources reaches approximately 35 percent so that the use of fossil raw materials has been reduced by about 30 percent. With the “Paper Bottom“ version, the amount of paper can reach more than 50 percent, depending on the composite structure.

New marketing approaches

While paper composite solutions are still niche products, their market share grows constantly. Paper composites offer new unique selling propositions at the POS. Using the knowledge of how sustainable a packaging really is, companies are able to differentiate themselves from the competition, assuming a more credible position in the customer’s view. It is therefore worthwhile taking a closer look even just for the marketing aspects alone.

PE INTERNATIONAL confirms the advantages of the disposal system for agricultural packaging

The disposal system for agricultural packaging PAMIRA is not only more profitable than alternative ones; it also causes the least ecological damage in the overall perspective. This is certified by a comprehensive eco-efficiency analysis, whose result was reviewed by PE INTERNATIONAL.

“The results of this analysis demonstrate that we are following the right way with PAMIRA. The German plant protection industry considers itself responsible for its products and the disposal of the packages is an important aspect in this regard”, comments Volker Koch-Achelpöhler, chief executive officer of the industrial association Agrar, on the survey.

The eco-efficiency analysis on PAMIRA was ordered to evaluate possibilities of system improvement and estimate alternative approaches concerning logistics and further processing. In the course of this analysis, six hypothetical alternative models were compared with the actually realised collections of the years 2007 and 2008 and were examined by BASF SE with regards to costs and environmental impact. Afterwards, the results were reviewed by PE INTERNATIONAL.

The actually applied PAMIRA system includes the possibility for farmers to return their packages to the 273 collection points, which are established within the trade sector, once a year for four days. Within the eco-efficiency analysis, the data which was collected in the course of these collections was compared with alternative scenarios, such as two collection dates in a year, collections throughout the year and two models which contain that disposal companies fetch the packages from the farmers, etc. But the eco-efficiency analysis revealed that, by applying these alternative models, not only the system costs would almost increase fivefold due to a great number of additional trips, but that the environmental impacts would seriously aggravate as well.

PAMIRA is a voluntary redemption system which is successfully applied nationwide by the German plant protection industry in collaboration with the trade sector since 1996. Through PAMIRA, the industry wants to ensure that its packages only get into controlled disposal channels. In this way, in 2009, a total amount of 2400 tons of package material was redeemed through the system and led to further processing. The rate of return of the packages sold accounted for approximately 75 percent.