In this article:
Overview of packaging emissions
HowGood’s Carbon Life Cycle module has been designed according to the GHG Protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard (referred to as the Product Standard) guidance for GHG emissions measurement and reduction, as well as ISO 14067. It measures the carbon footprint of an individual product for its entire life cycle, from farm through processing, transport, manufacturing, packaging, product use and disposal.
Packaging contributes an average of 5% to a food product’s carbon footprint (Science, Poore & Nemecek 2018), but can vary by material type, weight, production process, packaging design, number of uses and recyclability. The Packaging stage of the Carbon Life Cycle module allows you to account for each layer of packaging that is used in your products, and achieve a more accurate assessment of your product carbon footprint. Packaging emissions are incorporated into the Packaging stage of the Carbon Life Cycle in Latis, and individual product assessments where packaging details have been included.
How to update the Packaging details on an individual product
To update the Packaging details on an individual product:
Navigate to the Formula Profile page.
Go to Other Details > Packaging > + Add Packaging.
Select the Packaging Type, Material, Region, and Material weight.
Packaging field definitions
Field | Description / Definition |
Packaging Unit Type | The following options are available:
|
Consumer Units | The number of Consumer Units per packaging layer. |
Material | The material the selected Packaging Unit is made from. Choose from 80+ packaging material options. See Common packaging materials and shapes. |
Region | The region in which the Material was manufactured. It takes into account the manufacturing type of that particular layer of packaging, and the grid mix in the region in which it was manufactured. |
Material Weight | The weight of the packaging layer (kg/unit of packaging). |
Uses | The average number of times that Packaging Unit Type can be reused. |
Packaging field calculations
The emissions associated with each layer of a product's packaging are allocated to the product based on the number of consumer units. For each layer of packaging, enter the total number of consumer units contained within.
Example:
The following example of a yogurt pouch product assumes that 1x pallet contains 4x trays, which each contain 24x selling units made up of 4x consumer units each.
Consumer Units = 1 (An individual 99g pouch of yogurt)
Selling Units = 4 (A cardboard box containing 4 x 99g pouches of yogurt)
Tray/Crate = 96 (A cardboard shipping box containing 24x smaller boxes of yogurt pouches)
Pallet/Transportation Unit = 384 (A pallet used to stack four trays of yogurt pouch products into a refrigerated truck)
Note: the units of measurement used in the Packaging module need to match the Unit Size in the Sales & Distribution tab on the Formula Profile page (ie. kg).
Common packaging materials and shapes
Packaging Material in Latis | Examples |
PP (bottle, blow molding) | milk bottle, squeeze bottle, ketchup and syrup bottle |
PP (caps, injected) | bottle caps, jugs caps |
PP (cups, thermoforming) | yogurt container, deli food container, hot food container, ready to eat meals, cream & cheese containers, sour cream containers. |
PP flexible, extrusion | pack biscuits, snack foods and dried foods, drinking straws, potato chips bag |
PET film | frozen dinners packaging, printable films |
PET caps, injection | Cold drinks jugs, water gallons |
PET flexible, extrusion | prepared food trays |
PET bottle | water bottle, soda bottle, juice bottle, peanut butter jar, salad dressing bottles |
HDPE bottle blow molding | milk jugs, juice jugs, chocolate syrup bottles, squeeze bottles, non-carbonated drinks bottles |
HDPE caps, injected | bottle caps, jugs caps, rigid food container |
LDPE film | supermarket bags, ziploc bags, sandwich bags, cereal box liner, bread bag |
LLDPE caps, injected | jugs caps, fruit container |
PS cup, thermoforming | Meat trays, (grocery and restaurant meat containers) Food service containers (to-go coffee cups, plastic plates, and bowls, disposable cutlery) Egg cartons |
PS flexible, extrusion | Hard containers, plastic boxes |
PVC film | wrap film, layers, lid |
PS, Hips cups | Meat trays, (grocery and restaurant meat containers) Food service containers (to-go coffee cups, plastic plates, and bowls, disposable cutlery) Egg cartons |
PLA, cups, thermoformed (FFS) | Clear cups, tea cups, bubble tea cups |
PET jugs, injected | Cold drinks, water gallon |
PA6 film | multilayer film, greaseproof bag |
PA6, thermoforming | pack meats and cheeses 3D shape |
PVdC, film | wrap, packing poultry |
PVdC, thermoforming | Hard containers, plastic boxes |
PE, film | Vacuum seal bags, single use pods, seal packaging for fruits and vegetables |
PE, thermoforming | Bakery box, clear trays |
LDPE thermoforming | food storage container, hot and cold cups |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why isn't tape included in the list of common packaging materials?
Why isn't tape included in the list of common packaging materials?
Packaging tape has not been included in the list of common materials due to its insignificant contribution to a product's overall packaging emissions.
HowGood's research methodology prioritizes the materials that are going to have the most impact on a product's footprint. For further questions, please contact your Customer Success Manager at [email protected].