{"id":66969,"date":"2022-08-19T14:07:12","date_gmt":"2022-08-19T12:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/?p=66969"},"modified":"2022-09-09T10:39:40","modified_gmt":"2022-09-09T08:39:40","slug":"what-can-life-cycle-assessments-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/was-koennen-oekobilanzen\/","title":{"rendered":"What can life cycle assessments do?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Life cycle assessments have experienced a real boom with the sustainability debate, as they provide information on how environmentally friendly and sustainable packaging, a manufacturing process or a service is. However, the results often lead to misjudgements, says the bifa Umweltinstitut, which has been focussing on this method for 25 years.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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If you follow the news from the packaging industry, you will often come across the term \u201elife cycle assessment\u201c. Paper processors, for example, use it to prove that their paper performs better than plastic, while plastic manufacturers see it as confirmation that their film packaging is the best solution for certain applications. And the consumer? They are confused. It's not that simple with life cycle assessments either<\/strong>, says Thorsten Pitschke, project manager at the bifa Umweltinstitut. Good professional practice is described in DIN standards 14040 and 14044, but: \u201eLife cycle assessment is not is not a protected term, and every accountant sets different priorities<\/strong>. Therefore, even results that appear to contradict each other may well be correct.\u201c<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Ecological assessment based on gut feeling is not a good idea<\/strong>, This is because an ecological assessment of products, processes or services along the entire life cycle requires a targeted approach. However, good models for life cycle assessments are highly complex. bifa therefore works with professional software, extensive databases, our own data sets and a wealth of experience<\/strong>.<\/p>

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According to the Environmental Institute, the actual ecological significance of issues is often overestimated if they are discussed intensively in public for a long period of time. One example: In the public perception, the advantages of reusable products are seemingly obvious. In fact, an ecological Comparison of single-use and reusable solutions for each individual case<\/strong>. The results are sometimes surprising, as reusable solutions can also perform worse or the differences to disposable packaging may not be that great.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Life cycle assessors take a similarly differentiated view of recycling. The Recycling packaging makes an important contribution to reducing the consumption of raw materials<\/strong>. However, when analysed, non-recyclable packaging made of composite film, which uses less material, can certainly perform better ecologically than recyclable packaging, for which much larger quantities of material are used.<\/p>