note | 18.08.2020

Life cycle assessment - life cycle analysis of packaging

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The environmental performance of packaging

In particular life cycle assessments for packaging systems have been and still are the subject of a large number of such analyses. For example, we have assessed the environmental effect of various standard packaging materials in classic food packaging or the use of renewable raw materials for the production of plastic and paper packaging.

From this work, several fundamental findings can be deduced for the life cycle assessment of packaging. As a rule, production of the necessary original packaging materials has the greatest influence on the overall ecological balance by far.

This contribution is determined by two factors:

  • material-specific ecological backpack of the respective packaging material
  • specific quantity or weight of packaging material required for the packaging

This means, a reduction in the weight of the packaging materials required reduces, almost directly proportionally, the environmental burden of the packaging.
In addition, recycling of the used packaging at the end of its life has a significant influence on the life cycle assessment. Incineration of packaging would increase its environmental burden significantly. On the other hand, recycling the material reduces the environmental burden of the packaging, as secondary material is produced, which makes the primary material superfluous in the next life cycle. Analysis of a life cycle assessment on the basis of the contribution to climate change or the carbon footprint, often the only aspect discussed nowadays, can lead to wrong conclusions in the assessment of bio-based plastics at the latest. We therefore recommend that a comprehensive impact assessment always be carried out on the basis of various output indicators