Sausage packaging: Clip closures trump alternatives in CO2 reduction, German study finds

03 Jul 2019 --- Plastic clip closures have been identified as the solution that delivers the lowest carbon footprint for the packaging of sausages. According to a German study, when directly compared with injection-molded cups and thermoformed packaging, clip closure solutions result in a substantially greater reduction in carbon emissions. CO2 output is becoming a paramount concern for FMCG companies as they continue to explore methods to limit their overall environmental impact.

In order to establish how environmentally friendly its packaging solutions are, Poly-clip System commissioned the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT to investigate a variety of packaging types for meat products, comparing clip closure solutions with tray and thermoformed packaging, as well as injection-molded cups for specific meat products.

Click to EnlargeThe study compared clip closure packaging with other solutions such as thermoformed trays.To determine the carbon footprint, the ecological evaluation covered everything from extraction of the raw materials (petroleum, for example) up to the finished packaging solution, including disposal of the packaging. The packaging solutions were compared using a comparison unit, which for sausage spread packagings consisted of a 150g pack of sausage spread, and for cold cut packagings a 150g pack of cold cuts. 

The bases of calculation included the weight and materials of the packaging solutions and the manufacturing procedure involved. Analysis of the materials was performed through infrared spectroscopy and the packaging plastics manufacturing processes were simulated using commercial eco-balancing databases.

In the case of cold cuts, clip closure solutions produce up to 64 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than injection-molded cups, and up to 81 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than thermoformed packaging. 

“We expected our packaging solutions to offer environmental benefits. As a result of this study we can now for the first time quantify these benefits for our customers,” says Kristian Blomqvist, Vice President Sales and Marketing at Poly-clip System.Click to Enlarge

“For cold cuts, around 0.05 kg CO2 equivalent can be cut using the clip closure solution, compared with thermoformed packaging. When extrapolated to the consumption of cold cuts in Germany, this represents a reduction of 22,133 tons of CO2 equivalent per annum, corresponding to around 173,051,863 driven car kilometers,” says Nils Thonemann from the Department of Sustainability and Resource Management at the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT. 

“In the case of sausage spread packaging, using the clip closure solution saves up to 0.04 kg CO2 equivalent per comparison unit, or 4,427 tons of CO2 equivalent in terms of the total annual German consumption of sausage spread.”

Going green
CO2 output is becoming a paramount concern for FMCG companies. The new German Packaging Act, which came into effect this year, and the EU Plastics Strategy, which was adopted in January 2018, are intended to counteract the massive increase in the production of plastics worldwide. The requirements primarily relate to the introduction of a recycling economy for the plastics industry and the reduction of the consumption of plastics.

The notion of how big business will contribute to the fight against climate change is one of the key issues being debated after a leading body of experts, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), issued stark warnings in October 2018. The study says that a rise of more than 1.5°C is risking the plant’s livability and this could be exceeded by 2030 unless drastic steps are taken now.

Click to EnlargeSpeaking at the 8th Global Packaged Summit in Amsterdam, Santiago Navarro, CEO and Co-Founder of Garçon Wines, urged the packaging industry to innovate towards a more environmentally-sustainable future by embracing the responsible use of recycled plastics. “As packaging professionals, we must rise to the challenge of mitigating against further global warming and we must do this swiftly and decisively. Designing or reinventing packaging to have the lowest carbon footprint is an absolute necessity,” Navarro stressed. 

Last year, a US and Canadian study into the environmental effects of plastics concluded that plastics are more sustainable than the material alternatives in terms of energy use, water consumption, solid waste, greenhouse gas emissions, ozone depletion, eutrophication and acidification. Published in November, the study conducted by the Plastics Division of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) found that replacing plastics with alternative materials such as paper and paperboard, glass, steel, aluminum, textiles, rubber and cork would result in significant net negative environmental impacts. 

By Laxmi Haigh

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