Cartonboard’s green credentials
5 October 2010Carbon footprints are increasingly recognised by the packaging industry and consumers alike, primarily as a benchmark against which a reduction in carbon emissions can be measured. M-real, as Europe’s leading provider of primary fibre cartonboards, has invested millions of euros in its mills to develop lighter weight products, but was concerned that this effort would not have a proportionate effect on the carbon footprint of packaging produced by its customers.
As a result of its concerns, M-real commissioned an external research institute to produce life cycle assessments for three different weights of board of the same grade. Carbon footprints were calculated for 10,000 biscuit cartons produced in 250, 270 and 295g/m2 weights, to discover if they reduced proportionately when a lighter weight board was used. Calculations assessed energy used in forestry, transport and manufacturing at all stages from harvesting the wood to making the cartons.
The institute found that, within the same grade, a 15% reduction in board weight can equate to a 18% reduction in carbon footprint. For users concerned about sustainability it means they can specify a lighter weight board and their own carbon footprint will diminish accordingly.
Matthew Terry, of M-real Consumer Packaging, comments: “By making packaging more effective and less wasteful, sustainability goes hand in hand with cost savings, achievable by both the choice of lightweighted materials and by a designhat has the right impact.”
Box compression
In further research commissioned by M-real, box compression tests were used to assess the performance of cartonboard packaging in ‘real-life’ situations such as stacking and palletising. The tests confirmed that lighter weight boards can be specified without compromising the quality or performance of finished cartons.
Results showed that the bending stiffness of a board shows the best correlation with box compression strength. Higher bending stiffness improves a board’s resistance to bulging and cracking, creating cartons with higher rigidity. This is particularly desirable when cartons are loaded onto on top of each other and secondary packaging, such as a corrugated case, is not being used.
Energy efficiency
M-real has not neglected its own carbon footprints. Its target to implement an Energy Efficiency System (EES) in all production units was achieved by the end 2009, making it one of the first companies in the world to adopt such a management system.
“The EES proves we are taking measures to cut down our own energy consumption and fulfil our share in combating climate change,” says Matthew Terry.
Between 50-100 energy efficiency projects a year are underway, so far making savings equal to the energy consumed annually by a small town. M-real’s carbon dioxide emissions have already decreased by almost 20,000 tonnes a year.
International Year of Forests
With 2011 designated as International Year of Forests by the United Nations, M-real is keen to remind everyone that using wood as raw material for packaging helps maintain the world’s forests via sustainable management. When trees are growing, forests freely support a multitude of ecosystems, with many side benefits for the environment, for local communities and for the planet.
Forests provide a wealth of eco-system services, including filtering ground water, cleaning pollutants and sediments from surface water, maintaining the local watern cycle and, critically, sequestrating CO2 from the atmosphere. They also help prevent soil erosion and flooding.
Forests maintain bio-diversity and create living spaces for many different animals, insects, birds, plants and fungi. People, too, can enjoy them for recreation, for their scenery and the hobbies they support.
But a forest’s eco-system services also include wood production and the income derived from it by local communities. Sustainable forest management allows for both economic activities and for protection - leaving valuable retention trees, conserving key habitats, establishing set aside areas and keeping the forests healthy.
“It is vital board and paper makers can prove their wood comes from sustainably managed forests via sophisticated and certified wood origin tracking systems,” says Matthew Terry. “Over the years many challenges have been faced over the sustainability of wood supply. But sustainable forest management not only ensures a supply of good quality raw material into the future, but it is equally valuable for everyone to enjoy all the other benefits that forests provide.”
M-real conducted LCAs on different grades of cartonboard. M-real
