A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analyses a product or service throughout its entire life cycle, giving us a holistic view of its overall environmental impacts.
Why? Well, imagine if a car manufacturer only considered the environmental impact of producing the car itself. This would then disregard the environmental impacts of driving the car around for years, and of course, the way the car is disposed of at the end of its life.
See what we mean? A Life Cycle Assessment is essential in promoting sustainability as it helps businesses and consumers understand the total environmental impacts of their activities – and then work to reduce them.
This article will explore:
What Is a Product Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) looks at the environmental impacts throughout the entire life cycle of a product – including all the energy and materials needed across the industry value chain.
At BioPak, our analysis is based on the “cradle-to-grave” principle – a term referring to the entire lifecycle of a product or process, starting from inception (the "cradle") to its end-of-life (the "grave").
Considering the full impact of a product or process throughout its entire lifecycle is essential to understanding what stage in the cycle places the greatest burden on the environment.
What Is Carbon Footprint and Eco-Costs? How Do They Fit Into LCA Methodology?
When we talk about a Life Cycle Assessment, we also have to consider what we’re analysing.
In many cases, a Life Cycle Assessment calculates carbon footprint – that is, the greenhouse gas emissions over the entire lifecycle.
But in other cases (and at BioPak) we also use LCA methods to calculate ‘eco-costs.’
Eco-costs are defined as environmental costs expressed in a currency that are not yet reflected in the market price of a product. These can be broken down into four main categories: carbon footprint, impact on biodiversity, impact on human health, and impact on material scarcity (four categories requested by European legislation).
At BioPak we use the LCA-based method from Pickler – a leading environmental impact calculation software for the packaging industry.
What Is The Purpose of a Life Cycle Assesment?
By taking a holistic view of a product’s environmental impact, businesses can:
- Make informed decisions – they can identify the areas with the biggest environmental burden, and work to reduce this impact.
- Set goals and targets – the information can be used to set sustainability strategies, goals and targets, and then track your progress.
- Embrace transparency – by giving consumers information, it empowers them to make more sustainable choices and holds businesses accountable.
- Regulatory compliance – some regulations require businesses to account for and report on their social and environmental impacts. Life Cycle Asssesments can keep businesses compliant.
What Are the Phases of a Life Cycle Assessment?
A product’s life cycle stages include:
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Raw material acquisition: The extraction and transportation of raw materials, such as wood, paper, and bagasse.
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Manufacturing: The processing and transformation of raw materials into intermediate and final products. It also includes the packaging of the products and their transportation to the next stage.
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Use phase: The use of the product by the end-user, including energy consumption and any maintenance required. Take note, BioPak doesn’t factor in this phase – the use phase of our products does not create any additional emissions (unlike other products, like cars or electric appliances). Plus, the footprint of the food or drink served in our packaging is out of scope and can’t be tracked.
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End of life: The disposal of the product, either through recycling, landfill, incineration, or any other means of waste management.
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Transportation: Transportation can occur in different stages of the life cycle. There are also several factors to consider, such as distance travelled, mode of transportation (like truck, train, ship, plane), fuel type, and vehicle efficiency.
The specific stages considered in an LCA study may vary depending on the scope and goal of the study, as well as the nature of the product or process being evaluated.
There are several ways companies approach the LCA methodology. But until now, there has been no consistent guidelines for packaging. That’s why BioPak are choosing to work with Pickler – they use the same independent method, updated database and guidelines for everyone using the tool. That means we can finally draw accurate product comparisons – something that previously hasn’t been possible (more on this below).
Where Can I See Your Product’s Life Cycle Assesment Results?
At BioPak, we’re taking huge steps to embrace transparency through carbon footprint and ‘eco-costs’ labelling.
Soon, every product on the BioPak website will have a dedicated ‘Environmental Impact Label’ showing the product's eco-cost and carbon footprint. When you click on the “read full report” link, you’ll be taken to the environmental impact report. Here, you’ll find a summary of the environmental footprint of the packaging.
Take note: for BioPak, the environmental impact report will consider a carton of products rather than a single item, as this is how our products are sold.
How Credible Are Your Life Cycle Assessment Calculations?
At BioPak, we value continuous material and technology innovation – and that includes partnering with leaders in environmental impact calculations for the packaging industry: Pickler.
While many impact reports rely on guesswork, Pickler is an environmental impact calculation software that uses transparent LCA-based methods to make science-based and credible calculations. Claims consumers can trust.
The Pickler methodology encourages data used in the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to be honest, reliable, up to date with any new environmental research, and in line with the latest EU Green Claim Directive (a directive that will require companies to substantiate the green claims they make).
So through Pickler, BioPak is required to provide substantiated proof for our input data.
If you’re interested in learning more about the nitty gritty of our calculations, follow the source links in the Pickler Environmental Impact Report.
What Will BioPak Do With Our Product Impact Data?
To continue creating compostable packaging that puts the planet first, environmental impact data is essential.
From a business perspective, we’ll uncover the biggest impact categories for our packaging products and which part of the product's lifecycle caused it (for example, certain production processes or raw materials). This information is called 'impact hotspots'.
These impact hotspots show us exactly where we can reduce our impact most effectively, and what type of impact we need to reduce. This will guide our future focus and actions. For example, "how can we best reduce the carbon emissions in our packaging's material phase?"
For customers, the environmental impact data will help them make informed decisions based on scientific evidence and help them decide what type of packaging is best for them – not only for functional and operational purposes, but to make more sustainable choices.
Making Product Comparisons Using Environmental Impact Data
With many countries cracking down on greenwashing, it’s become clear that ‘unfair comparisons’ can be used to mislead consumers.
For example, if a product comparison places two entirely different products and methodologies side by side – it’s hard to truly compare them. They’ve not been measured against the same criteria. If companies aren’t transparent about precisely what’s being compared, or detailed information is omitted, this can mislead consumers into thinking they’re making an informed decision – when they’re actually not.
This is where Pickler comes in. Pickler uses a consistent LCA-based methodology and system boundaries to calculate the impact of packaging products – which in turn allows for accurate comparisons when both products are using the Pickler methodology.
In saying that, making comparisons between the environmental impact results (LCAs) of products isn't easy.
There are still strict comparison rules to ensure credible and fair comparisons – it’s crucial to use the same:
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Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method
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Database – this ensures the same secondary impact references are used
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System Boundaries – using system boundaries in a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) allows fair comparisons between products. That's because the environmental impacts of a product can vary depending on which methodology and stages of its life cycle are included in the assessment. For example, if one product's system boundaries are assessed from cradle-to-grave (from raw material extraction to disposal) and another product is only assessed from cradle-to-gate (until the product leaves the factory), the environmental impact of the two products may not be comparable.
Using Pickler, companies can establish consistent system boundaries that assess the environmental impact of a product throughout its entire life cycle. The tool calculates the emissions for each life cycle stage of the product, ensuring that the same method, database, and system boundaries are used across all products.
This allows for fair and accurate comparisons between products, helping businesses and consumers make more informed purchasing decisions and sustainable choices.
The Importance of Environmental Impact Data
To slow climate change and its impacts, protect biodiversity, preserve our natural resources, and encourage human health – environmental impact data (via Life Cycle Assessments) is essential.
Life Cycle Assessments give us invaluable data to help individuals, companies and industries understand their impact – and this is the first step to reducing it.
We urge more companies and industries to jump on board and embrace transparency. By doing so, you’ll uncover areas where you can reduce your impact and allow consumers to make informed purchase decisions.
