An environmental comparison of paper and plastic labels
Chris Edwards & Gary Parker Intertek Expert Services Introduction
To provide retailers with an understanding of the carbon footprint of paper and plastic labels, Papico and Brigl & Bergmeister commissioned Intertek Expert Services to conduct a streamlined comparison. The study compared results based on (1) draft WRAP data (2) existing Ecoinvent data (3) data from a ‘best in class’ paper mill In each case the study included the production, transportation, disposal and recycling of both labels. Ecoinvent data is the standard data used by most life cycle assessment studies around the world. WRAP data is being developed from Ecoinvent and other data sources to reflect UK conditions and the specific requirements of WRAP. In particular, the WRAP data will form the basis of the Courtauld II commitment, which is how UK retailers will be measuring their carbon footprint. For example Asda is developing its own sustainable packaging scorecard, and the carbon footprint data in that will be based on WRAP’s data. The ‘best in class’ data is based on Brigl & Bergmeister’s Austrian ‘eco-mill’ using renewable energy (hydro power and thermal recovery) to produce paper. The following slides outline specific issues regarding the methodology used and the results of the assessment conducted.
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Carbon footprint
A carbon footprint is an output of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) which analyses the impact of a product or service from the extraction of raw materials to the disposal of generated waste through landfill and incineration.
This study provides a streamlined ‘cradle to cradle’ assessment of paper and plastic and includes the production and delivery of materials, polymerisation, extrusion and thermoforming, transportation and waste processing.
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Carbon footprint
Over the last decade a number of standards have been created, such as PAS2050, to ensure that carbon footprints can be comparable. The Courtauld II commitment, which aims to reduce the carbon emissions of packaging by 10%, is based partially around this methodology and has two important rules regarding: • Biogenic CO2 • Recycling and recycled content The following slides outline the importance of these issues and the rules surrounding them.
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Biogenic CO2
Biogenic CO2 is the absorption and release of greenhouse gases by paper (and other biomass) during the short term carbon cycle. However, whether biogenic CO2 is included in data generally depends on the product.
CO2 absorbed from air CO2 released during degradation
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Biogenic CO2
For long term products, such as wooden building materials or furniture, it is likely that the material will last a long time without biodegrading. In these cases the benefit of the absorption of CO2 by growing trees is included in the data but the release of CO2 during biodegradation is not. This gives these products a net carbon benefit.
CO2 absorbed from air CO2 released during degradation
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Biogenic CO2
In some other cases, where material is sourced unsustainably for short term products, the absorption of CO2 is not included in the lifecycle and the degradation is, providing a net burden.
CO2 absorbed from air CO2 released during degradation
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Biogenic CO2
However, the methodology used by WRAP assumes that the source is sustainable and the lifecycle is short. Therefore, biogenic factors are excluded as they are assumed to be balanced (the amount absorbed as trees grow equals the amount released at the end of the paper product’s life).
CO2 absorbed from air CO2 released during degradation
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Recycling and recycled content
The way recycling is counted in the data also affects results. The inclusion of recycled material in a product reduces the requirement for virgin material. Therefore, the closed loop recycling process used to generate this material is used to represent the recycled content of the material.
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Recycling and recycled content
However, in some cases materials are not recycled for use in their original application. When this occurs, the recycled material avoids the use of the virgin material used in some new application.
Therefore, the impact of that avoided virgin material is subtracted from the system of the original product to show a benefit.
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Recycling and recycled content
In the case of paper recycling, the methodology assumes that all recycled material is recycled back into the original product. For example, if your recycled content is 40% and the national recycling rate is 80%, the system will assume that the 40% that isn’t recycled into your product is recycled into very similar products, avoiding the same material. In other words, credit for paper recycling is already built into the data. Therefore, you gain no benefit for the use of recycled material unless your recycled content is higher than the national recycling rate of 80%.
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Recycling and recycled content
However, plastics are handled differently. In the case of plastics the methodology assumes that the open loop recycling of plastics results in the avoidance of lower grade materials such as wood. This is because recycled plastic is generally recycled into lower-grade materials such as plastic wood substitutes. This means that the inclusion of any recycled content in plastic provides a reduction in carbon footprint.
Original product Landfill
Virgin Plastic Production Use Disposal Incineration 95%
Recycled Plastic Closed loop Recycling 95% recycling 5% 23%
Open loop recycling 18%
Plastic lumber
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Results
The assessment compared wrapping paper labels with extruded polypropylene labels on a gram for gram basis. This part of the study compared results gained using two datasets: • Data derived from draft data developed by WRAP to generate initial carbon footprints for the Courtauld II commitment. • Production and end-of-life material data from Ecoinvent 2.1.
The following sheets present the results and analysis of this assessment.
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Carbon Footprint
The Global Context
If no action is taken to reduce global emissions, average temperatures are likely to rise by more than 2 degrees Celsius.
This change will increase severe weather such as tropical storms, droughts and extreme heat waves and heavy precipitation.
Stabilisation would require emissions to be at least 25% below current levels by 2050.
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Carbon Footprint
Plastic 3.5 carbon footprint: 3
2.8 – 3.2 2.5 grams CO2eq 2 Recycling per gram of PP Disposal Transport 1.5 Production
1
Paper CarbonCarbon FootprintFootprint (grams(grams CO2CO2 eq.eq. perper gram) gram) 0.5
carbon footprint: 0 Plastic Paper Plastic Paper 1.1 – 1.2 Ecoinvent Courtauld In carbon footprint terms grams CO2eq paper is a far better performer per gram of paper per gram of material
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Carbon Footprint
The carbon footprint of the plastic label was found to be 3.5 2.8-3.2 grams CO2eq per gram of material, while the paper 3 label was found to be between 2.5 1.1 and 1.2 grams CO2eq per gram of material. 2 Recycling Disposal Transport 1.5 Production The range is due to the fact that Ecoinvent data was found to 1
give slightly higher figures than CarbonCarbon FootprintFootprint (grams(grams CO2CO2 eq.eq. perper gram) gram) 0.5 the draft data produced by WRAP (for both materials) due 0 Plastic Paper Plastic Paper to somewhat different Ecoinvent Courtauld assumptions and underlying In carbon footprint terms datasets used. paper is a far better performer than plastic per gram of material
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Carbon footprint
350
300
The study found that the 250 difference between 200 Ecoinvent plastic Ecoinvent and WRAP data Ecoinvent paper WRAP plastic was minimal. 150 WRAP paper
100 Both datasets showed that, CarbonCarbon footprintfootprint(grams(grams eq) eq) CO2CO2 gram for gram, paper had a 50 62% lower carbon footprint 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 when compared to Weight (grams) polypropylene. Gram for gram, paper has a carbon footprint 62% lower than plastic
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Carbon footprint
300 If a paper label weighed 65 grams, a 250 PP label would have to weigh less than 200
WRAP plastic 150 24.9 grams WRAP paper to have a superior 100 carbon footprint. CarbonCarbonfootprintfootprint (g(g CO2CO2 eq) eq)
50
0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Weight (grams) 24.9 gram PP label 65 gram paper label 70.1 grams CO2 eq. 70.1 grams CO2 eq.
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Recycling
The results show that even if it was possible to make a plastic label from 100% recycled PP, gram for gram it would still have a larger carbon footprint than paper. 3
2.5
2
Plastic 1.5 Paper
1
CarbonCarbonFootprintFootprint (grams(grams CO2CO2 eq.eq.perper gram) gram) 0.5
0 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Percentage of recycled content
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Renewable energy
Additional information from the 1.4 label paper manufacturer
Brigl & Bergmeister (B&B), 1.2 indicates that their ‘eco-mill’ in Niklasdorf, Austria, uses renewable 1 hydro power and thermal recovery 0.8 Recycling on site. Disposal Transport 0.6 Production Using the Nikasdorf production data instead of WRAP’s production data 0.4
(which is based on typical mills CarbonCarbonFootprintFootprint CO2CO2 (grams (grams eq.eq. perper gram) gram) 0.2 rather than ‘best in class’ mills), the carbon footprint of paper is reduced 0 by 19% to 0.873 grams CO2 eq. per Ecoinvent paper WRAP paper B&B paper gram of paper. That is nearly 70% lower than a plastic label of the same weight.
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Carbon footprint
300 Therefore, if a B&B paper label 250 manufactured in 200
Niklasdorf weighed 65 WRAP plastic 150 WRAP paper grams, a PP label B&B paper would have to weigh 100 less than 20.1 grams CarbonCarbon FootprintFootprint (g(g CO2 CO2 eq.) eq.) to have a superior 50 carbon footprint. 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Weight (grams) 20.1 gram PP label 65 gram B&B paper label 56.7 grams CO2 eq. 56.7 grams CO2 eq.
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Recycling
Apart from the carbon footprint issue, it should also be remembered that paper is inherently a more recyclable material, as well as being recycled far more in reality. The WRAP figures show the UK recycling percentage for paper is 80%, while the figure for plastic is 24%. This means that paper scores best under any corporate metric that focuses on recycled content or recyclability. For instance, a leading retailer’s recycling metric scores paper high (best) and plastic low (worst), on a three grade scale where materials can score high, medium or low.
The majority of paper is recycled The majority of plastic is not recycled
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Conservation of resources
A streamlined study was also conducted to analyse the 0.040 resource depletion (use of 0.035 non-renewable resources such 0.030 as oil, coal, gas, minerals) 0.025 when paper and PP 0.020 production, disposal to landfill and incineration are 0.015 considered. 0.010 Abiotic Abiotic Abiotic resource resource depletion depletion (grams(grams eq.eq. SB SB per per gram) gram) 0.005
This showed that the paper 0.000 Paper Plastic used 84% less resources when compared gram for gram with PP. Paper causes 84% less depletion of resources than plastic
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010 Conclusion
To conclude: • The carbon footprint of the paper label is 62% lower when compared gram for gram with a plastic label using WRAP data • The environmental performance of paper gets even better if Brigl & Bergmeister’s ‘best in class’ paper production is considered, in which case paper’s carbon footprint is 70% lower than plastic • The results shows that even if a 100% recycled plastic label was possible, the paper label would still be superior gram for gram • If the paper label weighs 65 grams the plastic label would have to be 40 grams lighter to have a lower carbon footprint (and 45 grams lighter if ‘best in class’ paper is considered).
Carbon Footprint of Paper and Plastic Labels September 2010