Life Cycle Assessments of Innovative Packaging Products

A colorful variety of different packaging types, including cans, glass jars, plastic bottles, and cardboard

Project Brief

The Challenge

Packaging companies are constantly developing packaging designs that use new materials, manufacturing processes, and/or innovative configurations to solve problems or improve performance. When a new design is introduced into the marketplace, customers often request information about its environmental performance. To prepare to respond to customers, many manufacturers seek ERG’s help.


ERG's Solution

ERG’s life cycle assessment team has worked with many packaging companies, from small startups to Fortune 500 companies, to assess new packaging designs. This work typically involves assessing the benchmark environmental footprint of the new product and, in most cases, also includes comparing the new design with competitive alternatives. ERG’s LCA may show that the new product compares favorably with existing products, or may identify opportunities to reduce environmental impacts. In these latter cases, ERG’s LCA experts identify the main contributors to high impacts and target areas for improvement. For some customers we have also developed interactive LCA tools that enable them, using a menu of material and processing options, to evaluate a wide range of packaging systems and to assess how different levels of recycled content and recycling rates affect environmental performance. ERG’s LCA team takes great pride in helping companies ensure that their new packaging solutions are environmentally sound.