Amid increasing public pressure and environmental concerns regarding single-use plastic waste, medical companies are faced with the daunting task of improving sustainability in packaging while maintaining the critical safety, regulatory and performance requirements of their packaging solutions. Medical packaging contributes to between 30% - 50% (or more) of the medical waste stream and sustainable packaging is becoming a key part of the purchasing decision process. Packaging research plays a vital role in advancing sustainable packaging and environmental impact assessments. The circular economy framework also guides sustainable packaging design and resource conservation by promoting reusability, recyclability, and closed-loop systems.
Now, more than ever, it is important for companies to take a holistic approach to evaluating material alternatives to ensure that packaging solutions offer true improvements to sustainability & recyclability that will meet organizational goals long-term. While strategies such as design for recyclability and plastic waste reduction are key to achieving organizational and industry-wide targets, companies seeking a more data-driven approach may turn to Life-cycle assessments (LCA) to inform and support sustainable packaging decisions. Packaging plays essential roles in the supply chain and sustainability assessments, including containing, safeguarding, and delivering goods while influencing environmental impact. While there are many ways to define “sustainability”, the most reputable way to analyze and compare the environmental impact of materials is through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCAs can give packaging suppliers and medical OEMs data on the environmental impact of materials and offer a way for companies to analyze the environmental impacts of an entire product life cycle, from sourcing and manufacturing, to distribution, use and end-of-life. These powerful tools can offer companies a reputable, science-based methodology to help support business decisions for a more sustainable product portfolio. LCAs compare different packaging materials to assess their environmental impacts and end-of-life options, helping companies make informed choices.
What is a Life Cycle Assessment?
When analyzing the environmental impact of your medical packaging solution, it is important to consider all stages where potential impacts can occur. Industrial activities can impact the environment in many ways and at varying times over the course of a product’s “life.” While some impacts occur immediately, others occur farther down the supply chain, making it difficult for companies to grasp the true environmental impact of their products. As such, LCAs can be particularly useful to gain a complete perspective. Meta-analyses of LCA studies have evaluated differences in environmental footprints across packaging formats and methodologies, highlighting the need for standardized approaches.
A Life Cycle Assessment is defined as, “the systematic analysis of environmental impacts over the course of the entire life cycle of a product, material, process, or other measurable activity.” The various stages of the product lifecycle typically include material extraction, production, packaging & distribution, use, and end-of-life phases including waste treatment or recovery. At each stage, natural resources including energy, materials & water, are used while wasted material, energy, and emissions are created. Especially the methodology, including system boundaries, assumptions, and calculations, must be clearly defined and reported for robust and comparable LCA results. Fundamental principles, such as ISO 14040/44, underpin robust LCA studies and ensure methodological integrity. Packaging attributes such as material, structure, and end-of-life scenarios influence environmental impact assessments, and end of life scenarios like recycling, incineration, and landfilling are considered in LCAs to evaluate overall sustainability. The impact of raw materials on the environmental footprint of packaging systems is also a critical consideration. The entire packaging system, including creation, use, and disposal, should be assessed for a comprehensive understanding of environmental impacts.
Every LCA sets out specific environmental impact categories as determined by the performer of the LCA. These categories can include:
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Climate change (contribution to global warming, including carbon emissions)
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Acidification (contribution to the occurrence of acid rain)
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Energy (cumulative energy demand and loss throughout a life cycle)
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Eutrophication (the release of nitrogen and phosphorous, which leads to algal blooms)
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Radiation
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Land use
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Air pollution
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Resource depletion
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Water consumption
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Transportation
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Ecotoxicity (the release of toxins that are harmful to life)
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Fossil fuel consumption (measured to assess energy use in LCAs)
Those performing the LCA select metrics based on their packaging & material choices, to quantify the cumulative environmental impacts experienced of the product’s lifecycle. The role of life cycle impact assessment is to translate inventory data into meaningful environmental insights by grouping impacts into categories such as global warming potential and resource use. Collecting and analyzing LCA data is essential for comprehensive environmental evaluations. The life cycle inventory stage involves gathering input and output data for environmental analysis. The final stage of LCA involves interpretation and identifying impact hotspots for sustainability improvements.
What are the benefits of doing an LCA?
While definitions of sustainability may seem abstract and vary based on organizational goals and targets, an LCA helps make the information concrete and standardized through the use of peer-reviewed scientific data on environmental impacts. Aside from the benefit of actionable data, there are several key benefits that organizations can experience by conducting an LCA in support of packaging decisions and modifications:
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Ensure decisions are in alignment with goals: In the absence of data, companies can unknowingly make a choice that improves sustainability in one area, while detracting from it in another. For example, a company interested replacing non-recyclable PS packaging may look to switch to PET, which has a robust recycling stream in the US for certain formats. However, PET is heavier than PS, which means that while the packaging may be recyclable in the future, that it will result in increased material consumption, which will result in increased environmental impacts over the course of the product life-cycle.
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Ensure solutions are truly sustainable: When accurately performed, LCAs can help decision-makers gain a full perspective on the cumulative environmental impacts of their sustainability initiatives. Relying on peer-reviewed data can help substantiate environmental claims and give companies confidence that their decisions or modifications are based on science and avoid potential claims greenwashing. Meta-analyses can reveal research gaps in current packaging LCA studies, highlighting areas for future investigation and improvement.
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Ensure solutions are in alignment with regulatory standards: As more countries implement legislation and taxation policies for plastic packaging and waste reduction, LCAs can help manufacturers and medical OEMs achieve and support compliance with the evolving regulatory landscape. Assessed adherence to ISO standards is crucial for reliable LCA results, though studies claimed adherence may not always reflect actual compliance.
Selecting packaging with an optimal environmental footprint involves assessing impacts across different materials, system boundaries, and life cycle stages to promote sustainable and environmentally conscious decision-making. LCAs support sustainable development by integrating environmental, social, and economic considerations into packaging choices.
How can Impact Plastics help?
Ultimately, regardless of sustainability goals the packaging cannot fall short of serving its intended purpose or compromise on safety and regulatory expectations. Choosing the right healthcare packaging material and design is therefore critical to ensuring patient safety, performance, sterility, and effectiveness until the point of care.
Impact Plastics is committed to helping our customers employ strategies for improved sustainability and design recyclable packaging solutions without sacrifice to essential safety, regulatory and performance requirements. To learn more about how our sustainable packaging solutions for medical and pharmaceutical applications can help you reach your sustainability goals, reach out to our team for a custom LCA:
LCA Tools
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools are essential for evaluating the environmental impacts of packaging materials and systems. These tools enable packaging manufacturers and decision-makers to make informed, sustainable choices in sourcing, product design, and manufacturing. LCA tools support the life cycle analysis process, which assesses the entire life cycle of packaging to determine its overall environmental footprint.
Several LCA tools are available, including SimaPro, GaBi, and OpenLCA. These tools facilitate the collection and analysis of data on raw material extraction, production processes, energy consumption, and end-of-life disposal. By using LCA tools, packaging professionals can compare different packaging solutions and identify the most sustainable options.
One of the key features of LCA tools is the ability to conduct comparative studies of various packaging formats and materials. For example, a study might compare the environmental impacts of plastic packaging, glass packaging, and paperboard packaging. LCA tools can help evaluate the carbon footprint, global warming potential, and other environmental performance metrics of these packaging alternatives.
To ensure accurate and reliable results, LCA tools must be used in conjunction with high-quality data and a well-defined scope definition. The goal and scope definition stage of the LCA process is critical, as it determines the boundaries and functional unit of the assessment. A standard functional unit, such as the amount of product delivered, is essential for comparing different packaging systems.
LCA tools can also help identify research gaps and areas for improvement in packaging design and production. By analyzing the results of LCA studies, packaging manufacturers can optimize their production processes, reduce waste, and develop more sustainable packaging solutions. Additionally, LCA tools can support environmentally conscious policy decisions by providing a comprehensive analysis of the environmental impacts of different packaging systems.
