The environmental performance of food packaging products in a European study
What is the environmental performance of paper food packaging in the European Union, and how do disposable and reusable packaging compare?
These are some of the questions answered by the comprehensive and exhaustive study “Exploring the environmental performance of alternative food packaging products in the European Union”. The study was carried out by JRC – Joint Research Centre –, a research institute that performs independent studies on behalf of the European Union, working closely with different research institutes in EU countries.
One of the research aims is to provide data to support the goal, set by the European Union, of reducing food and non-food packaging waste, in an increasingly evident transition towards the circular economy.
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Disposable paper packaging in takeaway
EPPA – European Paper Packaging Alliance – of which Burgo Group is a partner, summarised some of the study’s highlights, starting with the distinction between food packaging for businesses that serve food on-site and businesses that serve take away food.
About takeaway, for example, one of the most important factors in favour of disposable paper packaging is its lower impact on climate change, as shown by the results from “Scenario 1” of the study, which took into account hot and cold beverage containers.
Getting into detail, paper-based disposable packaging showed a significantly lower impact mainly in the categories “Use of mineral resources and metals”, “Use of fossil resources” and “Water ecotoxicity”.
These data support the removal of mandatory reuse targets for take away food and beverage paper packaging (the European Parliament has already requested such removal).
Disposable paper packaging in activities with on-site consumption
The study held by JRC then examined the environmental impact of paper packaging in restaurants and other businesses with on-site food consumption.
Again, disposable packaging performed very well: considering up-to-date data on carton production, a recycling rate of just 50% would be enough to make disposable packaging better in terms of climate impact than reusable packaging.
These data support the amendments to Article 22 (Annex V) of the PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation), which aim to remove bans on single-use packaging for the Hospitality sector.
Further considerations on LCA
Another interesting result of the study concerns the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), the analysis that evaluates the environmental footprint of a product throughout its entire life cycle.
Considering data evaluating the life cycle of low-impact cartons, the LCA performance of disposable packaging was again significantly better than that of reusable packaging, especially in the impact of water use category.
These elements and all other data presented in the JRC report are not absolute, but provide up-to-date and meaningful insights for all paper industries and companies involved in the paper production supply chain. These findings are instrumental in guiding future decisions and innovations, ensuring that food packaging in the EU aligns with sustainable and environmentally friendly practices.