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FEDEMCO The life cycle assessment of wood packaging (LCA) accredits it as the most sustainable packaging
Wooden packaging has a lower environmental impact, especially in the categories of greenhouse gas emissions, pollution and ecotoxicity, food safety and water footprint.
The technical work has been developed by the consulting firm Géminis Tools, in collaboration with researchers from the group of Information and Communication Technologies against Climate Change (ICTvsCC-ITACA) of the Universitat Politècnica de València, with the maximum scientific-technical expertise, being a pioneering study in the sector.The scope of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) compares two types of single-use packaging used in the international refrigerated transport of fruit and vegetable products by road, specifically wooden packaging and corrugated cardboard packaging.
The LCA is based on the most representative functional unit defined by the exporting companies: a packaging system for storing and transporting 1,000 tons of mandarins from the market of origin in Valencia to the destination market in Germany, over a distance of 2,000 km by truck.
For this study, the most representative sales unit was chosen as the packaging system, commonly known as Pitufo®, a denominative brand registered by FEDEMCO, whose specifications are determined by the UNE 49051 standard. Among its possible formats, the Pitufo® selected has a base of 300 x 200 mm, with a load capacity of 2 kilograms.
The study has developed an exhaustive classification of all production and logistics processes in the entire value chain, both for wood and cardboard packaging, including all processes related to materials, semi-finished products and final products, from cradle to grave, being agreed and corroborated by the most representative companies in the sector.
A complete analysis of inventories, data collection and processing and calculation procedures based on widely recognized, accepted and used methodologies, as well as on current international regulations, have been developed, with which a rigorous quantification and evaluation of the most relevant inputs and outputs of the product system for the whole life cycle has been achieved, integrating the data obtained directly from the companies in the whole value chain and published databases.After a complete analysis of all impacts following ISO 14044:2006 and 14040:2006 and using the ReCiPe 2016 methodology, the main results in the comparison between wood packaging and cardboard packaging in the functional unit analyzed are as follows:
GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIAL. Cardboard packaging has a significantly higher global warming potential than wood packaging, mainly due to the higher energy consumption required to recycle paper and cardboard compared to wood.
- WATER CONSUMPTION. Water footprint is also marked by the greater impact of cardboard packaging compared to wood packaging, due to the greater water consumption needed in the recycling and manufacturing process of paper and cardboard.
- WATER EUTROPHICATION. In terms of the eutrophication of fresh and marine water, the impact is clearly greater for cardboard packaging compared to wooden packaging, mainly due to the use of chemicals required for the recycling of paper and cardboard.
- TERRESTRIAL ACIDIFICATION. Cardboard packaging has a significantly higher impact on land acidification than wood packaging, mainly due to the use of chemicals in the paper and cardboard recycling process.
As an overall conclusion of the LCA, the final results of the study show that wooden packaging has a lower environmental impact than its corrugated cardboard counterpart.
The Observatory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions of the Universitat Politècnica de València recognizes after this analysis the wood packaging as the most sustainable by presenting a lower environmental impact in the categories of greenhouse gas emissions, pollution and ecotoxicity, food safety and water footprint.
Other factors highlighted in the study are the contribution of wood packaging to the use of natural forest resources, its high recycling rate and its valorization. An example of bio-circular economy, as one of the pillars of the European Green Pact in its aim to achieve the decarbonization of the packaging and logistics sector. A natural and renewable material that actively contributes to fight climate change in line with the European Forestry Strategy 2030.
Life Cycle Assessment is the scientific key in the transition towards a bio-circular economy in the packaging sector that contributes to the European Union's sustainability policies and industrial regulations.European wood industry is leading the way in achieving circularity and carbon neutrality through resource efficiency, circular design, prioritizing recycling over early energy recovery through cascading. Aware of this and committed to lead the sector in Europe, FEDEMCO has developed and promoted the European ECOWOOX® certification mark that certifies the eco-design and total recyclability of wood packaging to meet national and European regulatory requirements. A certification that ratifies the commitment of the wood packaging sector to the environment and demonstrates its recyclability.
MORE BENEFITS OF WOODEN PACKAGING
•The use of wooden packaging is a great advantage in the refrigerated transport of fruit and vegetable products, as it preserves better the properties of the transported product due to its resistance and strength.
•Its physical and mechanical properties stand out, as well as the protection it provides to the product against changes in the hygrothermal conditions of the environment (temperature, relative humidity and possible water soaking of the products and/or the exterior).
•The use of wood in this type of packaging is beneficial for promoting sustainable forest management and the rural economy, especially in the Mediterranean forests where the raw materials, mainly pine and poplar, come from.
LCA CRITICAL REVIEWERS
The study has been critically reviewed by a panel by three qualified, external and independent expert reviewers in accordance with the international standards of ISO 14044: 2006.
Dr. Knut Kappenberg: Doctor of Forestry Engineering. Doctor in wood technology, Former Head of International R&D at Sonae. Head of the research center of Lower Saxony (Germany).
Dr. Francisco Blasco Mollá: Doctor in Chemical Sciences. Specialized in chemical characterization of materials and solution of industrial problems in the wood sector. Responsible for the Environmental Laboratory and responsible for the Department of Technologies and Chemical Analysis.
Dr. Rafael Mossi Peiró: Doctor by the Faculty of Biology of the University of Valencia. Director of the Competitiveness Area of the Valencia Chamber of Commerce.
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