Comparative Life Cycle Assessment
The corrugated industry has completed a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) study to bring a scientifically robust and transparent environmental assessment of corrugated containers and reusable plastic containers (RPC) to the produce industry and the public.
The LCA shows neither corrugated containers nor reusable plastic containers (RPC), have an advantage in all environmental impact categories.
The LCA compares the environmental impact from extraction of raw materials to end-of-life for the two commonly-used produce container systems across eight of the highest volume produce items. The assessment shows that the two container systems have different environmental impacts which create value-based trade-offs. To minimize the footprint of delivering products to market, grower/shippers and packers should evaluate individual commodities, transport distances and other variables rather than rely on a one system fits all perspective.
Information about the new study results is available below:
- News Release – LCA Shows Balanced Environmental Results for Produce Container Systems
- Comparative LCA Executive Summary – Includes graphs and diagrams detailing the study findings. (Downloadable PDF)
- Full LCA Report – (Downloadable PDF)
- 2019 Comparative LCA Frequently Asked Questions
- 2019 White Paper on the comparative LCA
- 2019 Webinar slides and recording
To view results from the 2017 corrugated industry LCA, click here.
