Cartons leading the way on sustainability

Winfried Muehling, Marketing and Communications

Director of Pro Carton, the European association for carton and cartonboard manufacturers, talks through new research highlighting that the European cartonboard industry has reduced its carbon footprint by just under a quarter and a European study offering a snapshot into consumer sentiment towards packaging sustainability.

Cartonboard has rapidly become the de facto choice for brands looking to improve their environmental credentials, while retaining strong identity and design aesthetics.

The validity of that choice is underlined by our new, authoritative report which has proved that the European carton and cartonboard industry has reduced its carbon footprint by 24% in just three years from 2018 to 2021.

The European industry average carbon footprint of cartons now comes in at 249 kgCO2e cradle-to-grave and 148 kg CO2e cradle-to-gate per tonne of cartons. The findings demonstrate that carton packaging not only meets the demands of a bio-based and circular economy but is the key to a successful transition to a low-carbon economy. The extensive study covered 60 production sites from pulp and cartonboard production all the way to folding carton producers.

Cartonboard’s improved environmentalfriendly benchmark is revealed in The Carbon Footprint of Carton Packaging 2023 (available at www.procarton.com/ media-section/publications), a study, carried out by RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden) Bioeconomy and Health Unit for Pro Carton. It tracked both the cradle-tograve and cradle-to-gate carbon impact of cartonboard from January to December 2021, taking into account fossil and biogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals, plus emissions from direct land use change (dLUC).

Fossil GHG emissions arise from non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels, while biogenic emissions are the result of the combustion of biofuels and the degradation of bio-based products. Biogenic removals refer to CO2 uptake from the atmosphere through photosynthesis during biomass growth. For instance, in forest management as a source for paper fibre.

The double-digit reduction of the cradleto-grave carbon footprint to 249kg CO2, and the cradle-to-gate carbon impact of 148kg CO2 equivalents per tonne of cartons was achieved by improving resource efficiency during the production process. It was also bolstered by significant investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy sources at the pulp and cartonboard mills and converting operations since carbon emissions were last measured in 2018. The cradle-togate calculation is important because it corresponds to the impact the industry has direct control over, until the product leaves the converting plants.

The results are most relevant because they underline the circularity leadership of cartonboard, backed by science-based studies, something that is particularly important to cartonboard and folding carton producers and the brands and retailers they supply, as consumers place increased emphasis on the sustainability of all products they buy.

The results are also important because they enable our members to compare their own data against industry averages and evaluate how their tremendous efforts to further improve energy efficiency, use renewable energy sources and upgrade internal processes to the latest state-ofthe-art, have paid off. The cradle-to-gate value of 148kg CO2 is a substantial improvement on our way to a low or even carbon-neutral, bio-based economy and mirrors process improvements and the investments taken by the industry.

Cartonboard’s carbon footprint improvement comes as a Pro Carton study of 5,000 consumers across the m aison du chocolat’s stunning ad vent calendar was one of the big winners at the eu ropean car ton e xcellence awards.

UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy reveals that despite a cost-of-living crisis, shoppers recognise to the importance of living sustainably.

The study benchmarked consumer attitudes towards the environment and packaging – exploring everything from deforestation and transportation, against other global concerns, such as the war in Ukraine, Covid-19, and the economic crisis.

It found that two in three European consumers (63%) are intent on creating a more sustainable lifestyle, with more than half (58%) putting recycling at the top of the list to reduce the impact of climate change and 55% saying they have concerns about the environmental impact of plastic packaging.

The importance of recycling has also increased amongst survey respondents, rising from second position in the same Pro Carton 2019 study to first place in 2022. It was closely followed by planting more trees - the previous first-place winner - and using more natural, renewable materials, which held steady in third place.

Circularity is an issue that consumers are taking seriously; 58% of European consumers are recycling more than 12 months ago, while more than half (54%) say the environmental impact of a product’s packaging has become more important in the last 12 months. This attitude change is also impacting brands: one in two shoppers say they have switched brands or products because of the packaging used.

When faced with a choice of packaging, consumers prefer cartons. The preference rating for the economically and ecologically balanced packaging medium moved from 81% in 2019 to 86% in the 2022 study.

Demonstrating the virtues of cartonboard, the importance of packaging recyclability was very much in evidence. ‘Easy to recycle’ was highlighted by 85% as the most important packaging feature. Packaging made from natural, renewable materials also ranked highly, with 81% of respondents balancing this with the role of packaging to protect the product (81%). Interestingly, cartonboard material fulfilled the three most desirable packaging characteristics in the eyes of consumers. Consumers say they are also willing to pay for these benefits. almost threequarters (72%) say they would pay more for their desired product if its packaging had less impact on the environment. a quarter said they would be prepared to pay between 5-10% more, with 8% going one step further and prepared to pay between 10-20% more.

The findings unequivocally demonstrate that when it comes to recycling and respecting the planet, consumers are willing to do their bit. The research points not only to the impact of current global crises but the steadfast attitudes of consumers since the sustainability debate came to the fore.

Consumers are clearly willing to play their part, but also expect brands, producers and retailers to offer more environment-friendly packaging, along with clear recycling guidance, obviously both integral to the cartonboard industry. Surprisingly enough, against a backdrop of a tsunami of EU regulations, 92% of consumers in Europe trust that packaging producers and brand owners will be able to manage the situation. Only 8% see the responsibility with the respective governments.

The high recycling rate for European paper and cartonboard packaging of 82%, combined with the strong resilience of the fibres used to produce cartonboard, make it a true circularity champion.

This trust in cartonboard means more opportunities for converters and packaging designers in new areas. We have already seen cartonboard used as a dependable, safe and hygienic packaging option for a wide range of products. The industry is working on improving coatings made of renewable materials which will make recycling even easier than it is already. This will allow brand owners to use low-carbon cartonboard as a packaging material in categories which are still dominated by fossil-based materials today.

There is also an ongoing discussion around single-use vs reusable packaging in HoReCa (Hotel, Restaurant, Catering) channels today. Trials are ongoing in different countries, and we will see where the preferences lie for consumers in the coming 12 months. From my perspective, there is no black-or-white solution in these discussions. It is vital Europe’s legislators take scientific knowledge and experience into account. This will ensure that it is possible to see whether one solution or the other is superior, depending on usage occasions, consumer preferences, hygienic standards, transportation distances, and other criteria considered in independent LCa analyses. Reasoned, rather than instinctive solutions must be the mandate going forward.

Finally, it is important we include consumers in the decision-making process. Penalties or imposed taxes are not sustainable solutions. Demonstrating environmental benefits and being transparent will be favourable in the long term.

Cartonboard’s circularity is no better demonstrated than by the fact that its fibres can be recycled more than 25 times with little to no loss of integrity. a 2021 study, conducted by Graz University of Technology in austria, repeatedly recycled folding cartonboard to understand what effect, if any, there would be on its mechanical property, including its innate strength and crush resistance. “no negative effect on the mechanical properties in question can be demonstrated in this study. The swelling capacity of the fibre also showed no negative trend,” the university reported.

The findings resolutely draw a line under a common myth that fibre-based packaging can only be recycled four to seven times before it loses integrity. They highlight that paper and board fibres are much more durable than previously considered, while stressing the eco-benefits of the increased number of recycling loops. “The more often the same item of packaging can be recycled, the more positive its impact on the environment,” states the study.

‘25 is not the limit’: In fact, Dr Rene Eckhart, Senior Scientist at TU Graz, who led the research, believes that the limit on how many times paper, carton and cartonboard can be recycled is actually dictated more by the stock preparation process and achieved collection and recycling quota.

In all discussions on recycling today, the focus very much remains on the recyclability of the packaging material. While this is a valid consideration for materials which already enjoy high collection rates, it is misleading for those that do not. Therefore, we must place greater emphasis on securing high collection rates. You will only be able to recycle what consumers put forward for recycling, and thus, low collection rates will result in low recycling rates.

The European paper industry has set itself a target of a 90% recycling rate by 2030, and to keep our circular business model running, we will always need a sound mix of virgin and recovered fibre. Some customers have specific product requirements allowing only virgin fibre; for instance, those requiring packaging intended for direct food contact with moist or greasy food like chocolate. Other examples include luxury packaging with special requirements regarding the ‘whiteness’ or ‘stiffness’ of the material which will certainly need virgin fibres. For our industry, it is crucial to collect, sort and recycle all fibre materials in the market. Separate collection of cartons and paper will ensure that the quality of the recycling material remains high. Some European countries are more advanced than others, but it is widely accepted that separate collection simply delivers the best results for all recycling materials. Virgin and recovered fibre are equally important for the circular economy, which is something many brands and retailers are looking to support. There is a good balance between the use of both virgin and recycled fibre material in Europe - a clear example of a circular economy in action.

It’s also vital to point out that the cartonboard industry cannot succeed in isolation. It is important that the new EU PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation) supports the industry with ambitious collection targets in each and every EU country. Collection, especially from households, is in the hands of municipalities, and that is the basis of any circular business model.

Consumers must be free to decide on their preferred packaging substrate by voting with brand loyalty and repeated purchasing decisions. Politics needs to provide a level playing field, only getting involved if the market mechanism is not working. It is working today.

The fibre-based industry in 2023 plays the leading role in circular packaging. This is built on a trusted collection and recycling system. Our supply chains are local: more than 90% of the wood we use in our mills originates from EU forests. This circular business model has evolved over decades and has seen continuous improvement. We are on track, and further investments to drive the transition to renewable energy sources will further improve our track record in the years to come.

This gives us a solid foundation to reach the ambitious targets of the EU Green Deal. The fibre-based industry is here to support. We are ready for the future, today.