Independently verified research commissioned by SIG Combibloc has shown that carton packs for UHT milk offer “significantly better” environmental performance than the most common competing packaging formats in the sector.
The research, carried out by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IFEU) in Heidelberg, consisted of a Europe-wide life-cycle assessment in accordance with the ISO Standards 14040ff, comparing carton packs with disposable HDPE and PET bottles – respectively, after the carton pack, the two UHT milk packaging solutions with the greatest market relevance in Europe.
The IFEU research results showed that compared to 1-litre HDPE multilayer bottles, the carton pack “generates 34% less CO2, uses 56% less fossil resources and consumes 30% less primary energy.”
Compared to PET bottles, the figures were 45% for CO2 emissions, 57% for fossil resources and 36% for primary energy.
“Our objective was to obtain valid facts about the environmental performance throughout the life-cycle of all current market-relevant packaging solutions for UHT milk,” says SIG Combibloc head of group environment, health & safety, Michael Hecker.
“The results…show us that the carton pack in its current composite structure has clear advantages over other packaging solutions for UHT milk.”
Above all, the company says, the resource-efficient use of raw paperboard, manufactured using a high fraction of renewable energy, and the low weight of a carton pack “contribute significantly to its favourable environmental performance”.
In the ‘Use of nature’ category of the study, carton packs performed very well compared to HDPE and PET (manufactured from fossil resource-based raw materials), as the carton structure consists of about 75% pulp fibres obtained from renewable wood resources.
And the specific properties and composite structure of the carton pack were shown to have a beneficial effect in nearly all of the study’s environmental impact categories, notably in all the important ones such as ‘Consumption of fossil resources’, ‘Use of primary energy sources’, and ‘CO2-emission/climate change’.
Hecker says: “In its guidance documents [the IFEU] is recommending the carton pack to business and consumers as a packaging solution whenever environmental considerations are a factor in decision-making.
“But that doesn’t mean we can sit back and rest on our laurels. In fact, we’re working continuously to further improve the environmental performance of our carton packs for UHT milk, so that they continue to be one of the most environmentally friendly packaging solutions around.”
One possibility, adds Hecker, is to further the fraction of the sustainable, renewable raw material used in the composite structure of SIG’s carton packs, so that the company can improve the environmental footprint of the carton pack while at the same time offering consumers “the convenience they have come to expect and value”.
Following on from Europe-wide life-cycle assessments of food packaging in 2009 and of NCSD packaging in 2011, SIG Combibloc says the recent IFEU study completes an up-to-date, valid data set covering the environmental life-cycle evaluation of carton packs compared to packaging alternatives from every market segment.
“The wider view across all studies shows that carton packs offer a significantly better environmental performance than the competing packaging systems,” the company says. “This applies above all for the key indicator CO2 and fossil resources categories, and for the consumption of energy category.”
The results of the life-cycle assessment conducted by the IFEU were monitored, critically reviewed and confirmed by independent LCA and packaging experts Hans-Jürgen Garvens, Dr. Philippe Osset and Dr. Mercedes Hortal.
IFEU carries out studies and analyses for, among others, government ministries, international environmental organisations, Germany’s Federal Environmental Agency, and various companies and corporations.
Part of the New Zealand based Rank Group, SIG Combibloc is one of the world’s leading system suppliers of carton packaging and filling machines for beverages and food. In 2010 the company achieved a turnover of €1,360 million with around 4,650 employees in 40 countries.
SIG Combibloc: UHT milk cartons
