Supporting sustainability with LCA expertise in the paper packaging industry

The paper packaging industry faces growing demands to demonstrate environmental responsibility and reduce the overall environmental footprint of its products. With increasing consumer awareness and regulatory pressure, companies need to provide transparent data on the lifecycle impacts of their products. One of the main challenges for companies in this sector is conducting accurate and comprehensive Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) for a wide range of products while managing large volumes of data from multiple production sites. The customer needed a solution that could streamline the process of collecting, analyzing, and reporting environmental data, ensuring both scientific accuracy and compliance with sustainability standards. 

Additionally, creating and publishing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for a diverse product portfolio presented another challenge. EPDs require a high level of detail and consistency, and for a company producing hundreds of products, this becomes a time-intensive and resource-heavy task. Without the right expertise and tools in place, meeting these challenges could lead to delays, inconsistencies in reporting, and missed opportunities to highlight sustainability progress. The industry required expert guidance to manage this complexity and create a structured roadmap for delivering reliable and actionable environmental data. 

Knowit developed a structured approach to address the challenges in conducting a large-scale LCA project for the paper packaging company. The first step involved thoroughly understanding the production processes across more than 150 products from several different paper mills, each with its unique production characteristics and sustainability considerations. Through close collaboration with product experts, mill managers, and sustainability managers, Knowit gained a detailed understanding of the lifecycle of various packaging products, ensuring that every variant and production process was accurately captured. 

A consistent data collection framework was then established to gather reliable and comparable data from the different mills. This framework standardized the process, ensuring that all data points were relevant and aligned with the industry’s sustainability goals. For the LCA modelling, Knowit utilized Sphera LCA for Experts (formerly GaBi) to assess the environmental impact of standard products, while external calculations were conducted for products with unique technical differences or valuable by-products. This dual approach allowed for flexibility in modelling, ensuring that both standard and non-standard products were evaluated with precision. 

Finally, Knowit supported the publication of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for the analysed products. These EPDs, verified by accredited professionals, provide transparent and reliable data on the environmental performance of the products, meeting both industry standards and regulatory requirements. By managing the entire process from data collection to LCA modelling and EPD publication, Knowit helped this paper packaging company streamline its sustainability reporting and elevate its environmental transparency. 

This large-scale LCA project provided the company with accurate, data-driven insights into the environmental impacts of their products, from raw material sourcing to production and distribution. By leveraging the standardized data collection framework, the company was able to gather consistent and reliable information from all mills, improving reporting efficiency and significantly reducing the time spent on data consolidation.  

The detailed LCA results allowed the company to identify which parts of their value chain were most harmful to the environment, offering clear visibility into areas such as resource use, energy consumption, and emissions. With this data in hand, the company can now set targeted actions and reduction strategies to optimize both their suppliers and production processes, significantly improving their overall environmental performance. This capability allows for the implementation of more sustainable practices across their operations, aligning with long-term sustainability goals. 

With the publication of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for their product portfolio, the company gained a competitive edge by providing verified, transparent data on the environmental performance of their products. This increased transparency not only improved customer confidence but also enhanced the company’s ability to meet regulatory requirements and sustainability objectives. The collaboration with product experts, mill managers, and sustainability professionals throughout the project also fostered a deeper internal understanding of product sustainability impacts. By integrating these insights into their business processes, the company is now better positioned to drive continuous improvements, optimize their value chain, and confidently meet future regulatory demands. 

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