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LCA conducted the assessment with consulting firm Trayak and overseen by the Pet Sustainability Coalition.
Alongside its 100% recyclable packaging, they also analyzed Tyler Packaging’s PET/PET MET/CLEAR PE, its compostable pouch, poly woven sack, and paper laminated bag.
The 100% recyclable packaging however was found to rank lower than PET/PE in all seven environmental indexes measured, giving it a considerably lower environmental impact than its rival option. It found that if a customer switched from Tyler Packaging’s PET/PE solution, they could potentially use 16% less fossil fuel, make a 21% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and use 26% less water.
And in fact, the PET/PE ranked higher in most categories compared to other packaging solutions, with the highest impact in water use. Second to this was the poly woven sack, largely due to having more mass per bag.
The total environmental impact of each packaging solution was measured against the material phase (extracting and processing materials), the manufacturing phase (manufacturing or conversion processes that companies use to add value and create the product), the use phase (consumption of resources such as electricity, fuel or other consumables), the transportation phase (road, rail air, and sea, as well as the distances travelled), and the end of life phase (typical waste management).
The environmental impacts of the products were calculated in 7 different categories: fossil fuel use, GHG emissions, water use, freshwater eutrophication, mineral resource use, human impact, and freshwater ecotoxicity.
Adam Kay, Sales and Technical Director at Tyler Packaging, says, “This LCA has allowed us insight into which direction to take our packaging innovations in future when moving towards a circular economy and reducing packaging waste. It has also allowed us to share our findings with customers to help them navigate the world of packaging, and give them scientific data on which is the best path forward, and not just assumptions.”
