On August 10, 2023, Zero Waste Europe (ZWE), together with Reloop, published a report investigating Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies done on reusable packaging in the take-away sector. The analysis was carried out by the research and consulting firm Eunomia.
Reusable packaging is a highly contested topic in the food packaging industry, especially with the upcoming Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) on the horizon (FPF reported, here and here).
Focus of the report was three LCAs produced by the European Paper Packaging Alliance (EPPA), McDonald’s, and the University of Michigan respectively. These three were selected to showcase the range of approaches and levels of transparency found in published research examining reusable take-away packaging.
The report states that LCA studies comparing single-use versus reusable packaging are to be scrutinized critically. According to the authors, the studies commissioned by the EPPA and McDonald’s were working with misleading assumptions. Instead of “envisioning what could be achieved,” the studies focus on “suboptimal/poorly designed reuse systems” to downplay the environmental possibilities well-thought-out reuse systems could bring to the table. Assumptions made for crucial aspects of a functioning reuse system, such as return rates, amount of washing cycles, or transport were deemed “uncredible” or “unviable” by the report. In the case of the McDonald’s report, “[…] no indication of the assumptions behind the washing process [were provided], so it is impossible to determine whether the results are based upon sound reasoning.” The authors continue, “transparency in methodology and assumptions are critical for assessing the credibility of studies.“
The third study that was analyzed, published by scientists from the University of Michigan and the only study not industry-funded, was found to include “a much more robust framework for constructive discussions around reusable take-away packaging,” according ZWE’s associated press release.
Daniel Stunell, the Managing Consultant at Eunomia Research & Consulting is also quoted in the press release: “For example, assuming a 90% return rate rather than the 70% used by McDonald’s sees a 300% reduction in raw material impact […]. Exploring these kinds of assumptions openly is essential to understanding the environmental potential of reuse.”
In conclusion, the report underscores the importance of transparency and challenging the validity of assumptions in LCAs on reusable food packaging. Thorough evaluation of key variables such as return rates, washing systems, and water consumption is a pivotal requirement for credible and fact-based analyses.
The Food Packaging Forum together with other non-profits and international food providers including Sodexo, Compass Group, and Aramark are developing an LCA tool for food providers to easily compare a variety of food packaging materials on multiple metrics including reusability. The Understanding Packaging Scorecard (UP Scorecard) is currently still under development but v0.3 is available to try. The methodology is also online and regularly updated to make the UP Scorecard as transparent as possible.
References
Zero Waste Europe (August 10, 2023). “Unveiling the complexities: Exploring LCAs of reusable packaging in the take-away sector.”
Zero Waste Europe (August 10, 2023). “Influential studies on reusable take-away packaging found to be biased in favour of single-use.”
Read more
Resource (August 10, 2023). “Report raises concerns of bias in single-use vs reusable packaging research.”
