Why Conducting A Packaging’s Life Cycle Assessment Is Vital
QR codes linking to information about the brand, bespoke letter boxes for unique gifts, and efficient packaging designs to reduce unnecessary waste – packaging has become significantly innovative as brands aim to create a memorable and unique unboxing experience for their customers.
However, with the production, use, and disposal of plastic contributing to 1.8 billion tonnes of carbon emissions annually, various industries have a lot to answer for.
Good packaging ensures that the product or food gets to the delivered location fully intact. However, great packaging takes a step further, considering its environmental impact once it has been opened and disposed of.
Considering packaging designs that are eco-responsible throughout its life cycle can take your brand a step closer to reducing unnecessary waste, providing single-use products with another purpose. This is where conducting a packaging’s life cycle assessment (LCA) comes in.
In this article, we will explore why it matters and how you can do so.
What is an LCA?
An LCA offers brands a standardised approach to calculate and assess their packaging’s environmental impact through its life, from production and transportation to use and disposal. The assessment takes into account every aspect at each stage. Hence, it is also regarded as the “cradle-to-grave” analysis.
However, why conduct an LCA in the first place? The aim is to identify potential points for future improvements. Through the process, you are able to gain insight into how you can improve your package designs, such as using environmentally friendly materials or sourcing local materials to reduce shipping costs.
What are the benefits of conducting a packaging’s LCA?
Brands today are constantly looking for new methods to improve customer experience and their image and, ultimately, boost sales. In order to stand out from the competition, many brands adopt digital technologies, such as workforce management, inventory management, or order management.
Analysing their packaging’s LCA is often the least priority. However, it should not be. In fact, research has shown that more than 60 per cent of customers are willing to pay more if brands come up with sustainable packaging.
If you are not convinced of its benefit, then let us take a look at additional benefits of conducting a packaging’s LCA:
● Be proactive: Prepare packaging designs for future regulatory changes around waste restrictions and recycling.
● Demonstrate your value: Show customers that your brand cares for the environment and is socially responsible.
● Get accurate recommendations: Gain insight into where improvements can be made, be it reducing carbon emissions during the manufacturing process or switching to sustainable materials, such as biodegradable plastic and Kraft paper.
● Analyse your environmental impact: Identify excess waste, resource-intensive materials, and energy consumption throughout your brand’s packaging process.
Stages of a packaging’s life cycle
The idea of an LCA is to identify the various steps and how they affect one another, allowing you to adjust them accordingly for improved results. After all, your brand packaging should not be an afterthought; it should be a vital aspect of your brand’s marketing strategy.
Let us explore the five stages in greater detail.
1. Resources extraction
The primary stage of manufacturing packaging is the extraction of raw materials. For example, it can be drilling for oil to manufacture plastic packaging, felling trees for cardboard and paper packaging, and mining ores for aluminium. At this stage, your brand should consider ways to reduce the amount of raw materials they can use.
2. Material processing and product manufacturing
The extracted raw materials must be processed before manufacturing the packaging. Once it is processed, the packaging can be wrapped, cut, and shaped around the intended product. At this stage, your brand should consider the packaging’s carbon footprint and how it can be reduced. Can leftover materials be recycled?
3. Distribution
The distribution stage considers how your packaging is transported to customers and retailers. What are your current transport emissions, and how can you reduce them? Can your packaging design be improved or redesigned so that it becomes easier to transport them?
4. Retail and usage
This stage involves the storage and usage of your packaging. For example, how much space is needed to store them?
5. Waste disposal
The last stage focuses on the end-of-life of your packaging. Is it recyclable? Can your packaging be repurposed and reused?
Four steps of conducting an LCA
The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) states the steps a brand should observe when conducting an LCA. The aim of conducting the assessment is to increase transparency and reliability.
Step #1: Defining your scopes and goals
Firstly, define your packaging’s LCA goals and create a solution with the aim of achieving them all. For example, your goal might be to understand the impact of your brand’s food packaging. Here are some factors to consider:
● Why are you conducting an LCA?
● Who is the study for – customers, corporate management, or package designers?
● How are you using the information?
The first step is vital. So, do not skip it, as it will impact what data you are looking out for during the following three steps.
Step #2: Analyse your inventories
An inventory analysis will help you to examine your packaging’s environmental input and output, such as the usage of energy and raw materials, waste streams, and emissions. During this process, you should determine your calculation procedures, identify the sources and types of information and data you need, and create a flow chart of the LCA process to enable better visualisation.
Step #3: Impact assessment
Assessing the impact of your packaging will help your brand draw conclusions and make sounder decisions. Look at how you can effectively address your targeted audience to present your derived results. Create an assessment result report that includes any details, such as delayed emissions, production, fuel, and delivery.
Step #4: Interpretation
The final step helps to tie everything together, checking if your conclusions are factually correct. This can include on-site checking, independent verification methods, and re-calculation.
Conclusion
Now that you are clear on what an LCA is and how it is significant to your packaging, there is no better time than now to start conducting your packaging’s LCA. You will soon realise that investing in sustainability will help to build confidence in your brand and its product.
Looking for sustainable cutlery and food packaging for your business? Look no further than SKP. We offer a wide range of sustainable packaging, from paper food packaging to biodegradable plastic packaging. In fact, our product’s manufacturing plant is solar-powered, ensuring that our products’ life cycle is as sustainable as possible. Contact us to find out how else we can help with your packaging needs.