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8 The Packaging Fact File , INDUSTRY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

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The Carton Packaging Fact File 9 KEY FACTS Annual European carton sales are around 8 billion Euros. Over 1,100 printers with 60,000 employees use 5.4 million tonnes of cartonboard. Cartons make up one third of and board packaging and 15% of all packaging

Market research shows that Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) cartons are perceived as being is a technique to analyse the most environmentally and assess the environmental friendly packaging material effect of the manufacture compared with plastics, tins and use of products, such and as folding cartons

Folding cartons are used for a very wide range of products both food (62%) and non-food (38%). They are seen in supermarkets and shops of all kinds, in catering, hospitals, schools, vending machines and mail order

10 The Carton Packaging Fact File CARTONS, INDUSTRY AND FOLDING CARTON END-USES THE ENVIRONMENT Foods 62% Non foods 38%

3% pet foods 4% detergents 4% beer and soft 14% tobacco drink multipacks 5% pharmaceuticals 21% other foods 11% dry foods 7% cosmetics 9% frozen foods 8% other non foods 8% confectionary 6% biscuits & bakery

Facts about cartons, the electrical, engineering, gardening and cartons in Europe, including Turkey, carton industry in Europe, DIY products. with a total number of employees of eco-credentials and Life 60,000, (ECMA, 2005). Cycle Analysis Components are: Pet foods 3 The total turnover of carton sales was Detergents 4 What are folding cartons? Pharma 5 8 billion Euros in 2004. The carton Folding cartons are small to medium Cosmetics 7 making industry is very fragmented. sized “ ” made from Tobacco 14 Whilst the top 10 European folding Beer and soft drinks multipacks 4 carton groups own a market share of cartonboard. They are referred to as Biscuits and bakery 6 folding cartons because they are usually Chocolate and sugar confectionary 8 40%, each having a converting delivered to the packer in a flat form, Frozen foods 9 capacity well in excess of 50,000 either as a side seam glued carton, Dry foods 11 tonnes, the average output per carton Other foods 21 which is folded flat, or as a flat piece of Other non foods 8 plant overall is only just over 3,500 printed board cut around the perimeter tonnes per annum. to a carton profile. This feature provides Foods 62% and Non Foods 38% a major space saving benefit in storage Cartons account for a third of all paper and transportation prior to packing. Where are products sold in and board based packaging and nearly folding cartons? 15% of all packaging. The term folding is used to distinguish Folding cartons are most commonly it from the rigid carton or which is seen in supermarkets and shops of all What does a typical of “set-up” by the manufacturer and kinds. They are also used in mail order, cartonboard look like? delivered in its three dimensional shape vending machines, in hospitals, schools, Cartonboard is either purchased in to the packer. catering, and in the dispensing of sheets or reels depending on the medicines. Cartons are increasingly requirements of the or What types of product are packed used at “events”, such as sporting conversion processes. The sheet or reel in cartons? events, and in travelling situations, dimensions depends on the requirements They are used to package a wide such as at petrol stations and airports, of the printing press and the layout of range of products from foodstuffs, such where they are used to pack the printed copy. as cereals, frozen and chilled foods, convenience foods. chocolate and sugar confectionery, cakes and biscuits, coffee, tea and What are the key statistics for other dry foods. They are also used the European cartonboard and to pack non food products such as carton industries? pharmaceuticals, medical and 5.4 million tonnes of cartonboard were healthcare products, perfumes, produced in Europe in 2004 out of a cosmetics, toiletries, photographic total European production of paper products, clothing, cigarettes, gifts and and board of 99 mt. (CEPI). souvenirs, toys, games and leisure There are over 1100 printers who are products, household, cups/tubs, significant manufacturers of folding

The Carton Packaging Fact File 11 WHAT DOES 1 TONNE OF CARTONBOARD LOOK LIKE?

1 tonne approx

What does 1 tonne of cartonboard look like? This depends on the size of the sheet.

How many cartons will one tonne make? 11,000 cereal cartons (500g) cereal carton 150,000 cigarette cartons (20’s).

What does 1 tonne of cartonboard Indeed, because it is discarded when Can environmental factors be look like? the product contained by the packaging measured? This depends on the type of cartonboard has been used, its impact on the The amount of resources, the ways in and on the dimensions of the sheet, environment can sometimes be which they are used in the manufacture or, in the of reels, on the width very visible. of a product and the residual materials and diameter of the reel concerned. generated during processing and at the The main environmental issues end of the products life can all be How many cartons are obtained surrounding carton packaging are: measured by means of life cycle analysis. from 1 tonne of cartonboard? This mainly depends on the size of the • The source and use of the raw More specifically, life cycle analysis carton and the amount of cartonboard materials, e.g. forestry issues, fibre (LCA) is defined as an audit of the which is not used as a result of the separation (pulping), bleaching, and resources used by a product, or way the cartons fit together on the the manufacture of cartonboard process, and an assessment of the sheet. As an approximate example, • The source and use of energy in impact it has on the environment. 1 tonne of cartonboard would make manufacturing and distribution - around 11,000 large cereal cartons or whether renewable (wood) or fossil How are LCAs carried out? 150,000 small cigarette cartons. (oil, gas and coal) fuel based Initially, the product or process “life • - , cycle” must be defined. It could be a In practice 1 tonne would be too large energy recovery and composting complete “cradle to grave” cycle starting or heavy to handle as a single unit. with the extraction or procurement of A medium sized pallet of board would The forests from which the wood is the basic resources and ending with have dimensions of, for example, obtained for the paper and cardboard the disposal or recycling of residual 720x1020mm and would have a industries are managed as a material left when the product is height of about 1350mm, of which sustainable resource. Cartonboard discarded at the end of its useful life. 150mm would be the height of the and carton manufacturers seek to On the other hand the cycle chosen wooden platform (pallet base) on reduce environmental impact through could simply be a stage or process in which the sheets were stacked. their use and processing of resources. the course of the life of a product. The number of sheets would depend Major investments in manufacturing on the thickness of the cartonboard. have ensured that all environmental Whatever the cycle when the The weight of cartonboard on the legislation is complied with within large boundaries are set, an audit is made pallet described could weigh from safety margins. These and other of everything crossing the boundary around 540kg to 680kg depending environmental issues are discussed in which is needed in the processing and on the type of cartonboard. subsequent sections of this Fact File. use of the product, i.e. the “inputs”, such as raw materials, energy, water, How are cartons involved in chemicals etc., and everything leaving environmental issues? the cycle, i.e. the “outputs”, including All products have an impact on the the product and all by-products environment. Packaging is no exception. generated by the processing.

12 The Carton Packaging Fact File WHICH PACKAGING DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY?

Plastic Cartons Tin Glass None Don’t know 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Source: Audience Selection

The environmental impact of the and so is also naturally renewable. product and all the by-products Emission risks in processing and use generated by way of emissions to air, have been significantly reduced to low to water or as solid waste is then and benign levels. assessed. Many of the measureable features are already subject to Finally, cartons can be recycled, environmental statutory controls in the composted or their inherent, non-fossil manufacture of cartonboard and based, energy, can be recovered. In folding cartons. Europe the proportion of recovered paper and board used in cartonboard Is there a standard LCA manufacture was 41.5% in 2004 (CEPI). methodology? It is most important that for the results Do consumers regard cartons as and conclusions from LCAs that they eco-friendly? be carried out in accordance with Yes! Market research carried out by internationally agreed methods. Audience Selection showed that Standards have been issued for LCAs consumers consider cartons to the by the International Organisation for most environmentally friendly Standardisation (ISO), following liaison packaging option. between the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) This is because cartons are made and the European Commission. from a naturally renewable resource, Copies can be obtained from national they consume less energy in Standards Organisations. manufacture and use and are recyclable as fibre, compost or by Are cartons eco-friendly? energy recovery. Yes! Cartonboard is based on wood, the only naturally renewable packaging raw material. The wood used to make cartonboard comes from sustainably managed forests. These and all the forests in the world are essential for the regional and global environment. No rain forest wood is used.

Furthermore, the energy used to process the wood in the paper and board industry is derived from the non-cellulose constituents of the wood

The Carton Packaging Fact File 13