Sustainability

The pressure on the packaging sector to examine its environmental footprint has never been higher. There has always been a belief in the packaging sector that the environmental impact of packaging has been greatly exaggerated and this seems to have been proven by a new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of food products commissioned by Flexible Packaging Europe. The LCA, also known as eco-balance, creates a picture of flexible packaging for food from field to plate.

The Study "LCA of Packed Food Products: the function of flexible packaging", conducted by ESU-services, takes into account processing, packaging, and transportation to final production and packaging; transport to retailers and households; and consumption in the home.

It shows that the environmental impact of the packaging used in the investigated sample products is minor in comparison with the impact of food production, processing and consumer behaviour.

In fact packaging contributes to minimising environmental impact by reducing spoilage and over consumption.
To reach these findings a series of case studies were undertaken including flexible packaging for coffee, spinach and butter.

Download here the Executive Summary "LCA of Packed Food Products: the function of flexible packaging."

The ‘carbon footprint' and sustainability -
Creating a more inclusive approach through Life Cycle Assessment

Download the FPE Postion Paper here.