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Life-cycle assessment: small CO2 footprint In life-cycle assessments (LCA), the potential environmental impact of products during their entire life is recorded and evaluated. LCAs also help to identify those factors in products and production processes that have a significant impact on the climate. Relevant life-cycle assessments are conducted to internationally binding standards (ISO 14040) and are monitored by independent supervisory project groups (Critical Review). The environmental profile of carton packs has already been investigated a number of times in the course of life-cycle assessments. Based on a comprehensive LCA conducted by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IFEU) on behalf of Germany’s Federal Environment Agency, the beverage carton was qualified as being equal to the reusable system and designated 'an ecologically advantageous package due to its low environmental impact. Clear advantages for climate protection Another lifecycle assessment published in Germany confirms that carton packaging offers clear advantages for climate protection. The study compares the environmental impacts of carton packs and disposable plastic bottles in the juice, nectar, iced tea and fresh milk drinks beverage sectors. In ‘Greenhouse Effect’ and ‘Fossil Fuels Consumption’, the environmental impact categories with particular ecological significance, carton packs are shown to have a significantly lower environmental loading than PET. Disposable plastic containers generate two to three times more harmful environmental gases than carton packs. Overall, beverage cartons for fruit juices and fresh milk drinks are shown to have ecological advantages over PET in six out of eight environmental impact categories investigated. The study was conducted by the IFEU on behalf of the Fachverband Kartonverpackungen für flüssige Nahrungsmittel (FKN) [trade association of manufacturers of carton packaging for liquid foods]. Europe-wide comparative analysis of ambient food packaging A Europe-wide life-cycle assessment for food metal cans, glass, carton packs and pouches has now confirmed that carton packaging saves CO2 emissions and fossil energy resource use by up to 60 per cent. The recent, independently reviewed study conducted by the Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung (IFEU/Institute for Energy and Environmental Research) sees the overall weight and the material composition of the packaging as the main drivers for the environmental impacts of a packaging system for long-life foods (such as soups and tomato products). ;)
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