Packages were among the first products investigated in LCA (life cycle assessment). Many consumers were concerned about the unwanted waste, which comes with the product. Most LCA studies in this field compare different types of packaging materials or designs.

Early of our research works has shown that e.g. for meat and vegetables packages are not of major importance if the full product life cycle including agriculture, transports and consumption is taken into account. On the other side the type of package might have important influences on the product itself or certain products can only be packed in specific types of packages. Thus, a stand alone comparison does not make sense in many cases.

The approach of taking the full life cycle of the packed product into account has been further developed in the recent years. Case studies e.g. on mineral water, butter, coffee, chocolate or ready made lasagne investigated the performance and influence of the packaging in the full life cycle of the product. These influences might be quite different depending on the product. For simple products as e.g. mineral water packaging turns out to be of high importance. For complex products as e.g. lasagne the packaging is of minor importance, but on the other side an unproper packaging might increase the environmental impacts due to losses of the product itself. Thus, the optimum packaging can only be designed if its influence in the life cycle is considered as well.

Contact us for more information if you are interested to investigate the role of packages within the life cycle of a product.