August 5, 2016
The Corrugated Packaging Alliance (CPA) reviewed IFCO’s recently published “Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Reusable Plastic Containers and Display- and Non-Display-Ready Corrugated Containers Used for Fresh Produce Applications,” which was conducted by Franklin Associates and compares the environmental impact of reusable plastic containers (RPCs) to corrugated containers.
Unfortunately, we have not had access to the actual report that identifies the boundaries, key assumptions, and methodologies used in the study, and we are disappointed in the approach used by IFCO to announce the report’s findings. Transparency is a key life-cycle assessment (LCA) requirement, and publishing the full facts allows them to be fairly and accurately understood. For the LCA’s most popular environmental impact indicator, global warming potential (GWP), IFCO uses a baseline assumption of 15 percent recycled content for corrugated. “Life Cycle Assessment of U.S. Industry-Average Corrugated Product” (PE Americas and Five Winds International, December 2009), “Life Cycle Assessment of U.S. Average Corrugated Product” (NCASI, April 2014), and many other publications note corrugated containers’ average recycled content of approximately 50 percent, which advantages corrugated containers by almost 40 percent over RPCs for CO2 emissions or GWP.
The recycled content of corrugated boxes is tied to total system fiber usage and therefore is linked to many variables in an LCA. The amount of virgin fiber required in the system is offset by the recycled content, which affects energy consumption and emissions at the mills. The demand for recycled fiber also drives the high recovery rate of old corrugated containers (OCC), currently 92.9 percent in 2015, and reduces waste to landfills and subsequent methane generation.
IFCO acknowledges that a higher recycled content percentage (such as 52.7 percent) for corrugated packaging generates superior GWP results for corrugated, as compared to RPCs. However, this analysis is buried in the last section of the report’s executive summary.
The CPA will publish the corrugated industry’s third LCA—including baseline assumptions and documented statistics—in October and expects continued improvements for several environmental impact indicators. The 2014 study revealed a 32 percent reduction in the GWP from the first-ever corrugated industry LCA, published in 2009, along with double-digit reductions in eutrophication, respiratory, and fossil fuel depletion indicators.
What Is GWP?
The mechanism of the greenhouse effect can be observed on a small scale, as the name suggests, in a greenhouse. These effects are also occurring on a global scale. Shortwave radiation from the sun comes into contact with the Earth’s surface and is partly absorbed—leading to direct warming—and partly reflected as infrared radiation. The reflected part is absorbed by so-called greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the troposphere and is reradiated in all directions, including back to Earth.
This results in a warming effect at the Earth’s surface. In addition to the natural mechanism, the greenhouse effect is enhanced by human activities. Greenhouse gases that are considered to be caused, or increased, anthropogenically are, for example, carbon dioxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The illustration on Page 18 shows the main processes of the anthropogenic greenhouse effect. An analysis of the greenhouse effect should consider the possible long-term global effects. The global warming potential is calculated in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2 equivalent). This means that the greenhouse potential of an emission is given in relation to CO2.
Why Does the Recycled Content of Corrugated Lower the Industry’s GWP?
Removal of carbon from the atmosphere, primarily due to biomass—trees grown to produce containerboard—offsets a large proportion of all GHGs (biogenic CO2 and others). Live trees absorb and capture carbon from the atmosphere (carbon sequestration). That carbon remains trapped in the harvested wood fiber and manufactured corrugated product through its entire life cycle, right up to end-of-life (EOL). The captured carbon, having been removed from the atmosphere, offsets that which is emitted at EOL. As long as that fiber is in play (in existing corrugated or recycled into new corrugated and paper products), its sequestered carbon is withheld from the atmosphere—lowering GHGs and, therefore, global warming potential.
Why Is IFCO’s Error Important?
The answer to that is simple. All LCAs are based on critical facts—and reasonable assumptions in cases where those specific numbers are not available. The corrugated industry’s recycled content average has been calculated and verified—and made public—for many years. By using inaccurate data for the recycled content of corrugated boxes, IFCO was able to tip the scales to favor RPCs. The corrugated industry’s LCA, in contrast, used very conservative statistics for RPCs’ key assumptions. We used publicly available data from the RPC industry. We also made the fundamental assumptions available in the LCA report when it was released, allowing for objective scrutiny. Transparency is a core requirement for LCA that substantiates the report’s credibility.
By using inaccurate data for the recycled content of corrugated boxes, IFCO was able to tip the scales to favor RPCs. The corrugated industry’s LCA, in contrast, used very conservative statistics for RPCs’ key assumptions.
What Can You Do About This?
The best thing you can do is to share the facts. Links to the corrugated industry’s LCA, a 26-page summary report, and a fact sheet are available for download (see “Resources”). Even spreading the word about corrugated’s true recovery rate and recycled content average will help. Follow CPA on Twitter and retweet our content, or tweet your own. Inform your customers and employees about the facts. FBA issued a press release detailing the discrepancy in IFCO’s claims, which is also available for download.
The corrugated industry has a great story to tell, and it has always maintained very high standards for integrity. Your participation in the LCA, your committee work, and your companies’ sustainability efforts all contribute to the integrity of the entire industry, so don’t be shy. Share the truth.
Dennis Colley is the executive director of the Corrugated Packaging Alliance and president of the Fibre Box Association. He can be reached at 847-364-9600 or
