drive | design challenges with biobased plastics (part 1)

From Sustainable to Circular: Challenges for Packaging Design Jos de Lange & Ellen Oude Luttikhuis

Introduction Design dilemma’s Key insights Next steps

JOS DE LANGE & ELLEN OUDE LUTTIKHUIS LABORATORY OF DESIGN PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT

DRIVE: FROM SUSTAINABLE TO CIRCULAR: CHALLENGES FOR PACKAGING DESIGN

No discussion about which strategy is best 1

Sustainabledevelopmentvs.

Circularvs.

CradletoCradlevs.

Lean&Greenvs.

4R,7O,…..




No quantitative arguments 2




No socially desirable answers 3

No quantitative arguments 2

Warming up



Recycling



Heavy metals in Indian plastic bottles Mumbay-based NGO tests plastic bottles and finds elevated heavy metal levels; NGO now demands ban of plastic botles used as packaging MUMBAI: It is not merely packaged food that poses a health risk to consumers, the container itself can be lethal. A city-based NGO named Watchdog Foundation has approached the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in New Delhi seeking a ban on plastic bottles as packaging. The NGO had carried out tests on bottles of soft drink, water and cough syrup and found heavy metals present far beyond permissible limits. Excess amounts of metal cause kidney damage, respiratory problems, cancer, stroke and heart trouble as well as spontaneous abortions. The contaminated bottles belong to leading brands having a wide consumer base. Nicholas Almeida of Watchdog Foundation said, "The NGT allowed our application on May 14. As per the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the permissible limit for antimony is 0.005 ppm, chromium 0.05 ppm, cadmium 0.01 ppm, lead 0.01 ppm and DHEP or pthalates is 0.006 ppm. However, the bottles we tested showed 2.1-3.3 ppm for antimony, while

chromium levels spanned 5.6-9.1 ppm. One sample contained 0.3 ppm cadmium while another had 0.4 ppm of lead. DEHP levels of 0.003-0.007 were present in some bottles." Godfrey Pimenta of the NGO said, "The samples were purchased in Mumbai but we spent Rs 24,000 to courier and test the bottles at Anacon Laboratories in Nagpur which is accredited by the ministry for environment and forests. The report arrived on July 7, 2014. We have been pursuing the authorities for action in this matter for long. We had written to the Food & Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in March this year but they only replied to us after the Maggi controversy to say that they would inquire into the matter." Almeida says packaging liquids in plastic PET bottles makes them prone to leaching due to the high temperature in the atmosphere which causes contamination of the contents.

Packaging for olive oil



Glass Inert (superior barriers) +/- 500 gr.

PET Sufficient barriers +/- 50 gr.



Input for decision



•  Transport distance has no significant influence

•  Use of multilayer increases impact

•  Impact of product loss is most significant

•  Increasing amount of material for cap has no significant impact on results

7,3µpt

7,0µpt



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312µpt

43µpt

135000µpt



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Weighing factors: only usefull if they are communicated. §  If weighing factors are used, they need to be

communicated §  ISO-Standards: use the weighing factors

prescribed (which effetively is weighting of 0)

Datasheets used: harder to trace §  With packaging often non-packaging specific

materials are used out of context §  Problem with most ‘fast’ LCA tools or

quickscans: use pre-defined datasets.

Oil or soil based packaging?



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Consumer does not know what to do

Material not suitable for recycling process and is incinerated

Bio-based materials:

large impact on production of raw material, landuse

More material is needed to achieve same barrier properties



Current packaging Alternative §  0,01 € cheaper §  Less resources

needed §  No perceived

difference for consumer



Current packaging Alternative §  Same costprice §  Paperfibre look §  Extra layer: possible

problems with recycling



Current packaging Alternative §  0,02 € more

expensive for first 5 years due to investsments

§  No perceived difference for consumer

§  Mono-material: improved recyclability



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SOCIAL EQUALITY (PEOPLE)

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (PLANET)

ECONOMIC PROSPERITY (PROFIT)



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SOCIAL EQUALITY (PEOPLE)

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (PLANET)

ECONOMIC PROSPERITY (PROFIT)



‘Packaging is a (set of) physical artifact(s) that temporarily or unremittingly assumes the functions preserving, protecting, enabling use & handling and conveying formal & informal information of the related product.’



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START WITH COMMON SENSE §  What’s the product/ packaging combination & corresponding packaging functions?

Rationale: Finding an optimum for each & balancing the functionalities

§  What’s the big picture & corresponding estimations Rationale: Avoid sub-optimisation. See for example J. Kooijman: Verpakken, niet te veel, niet te weinig, juist van passe

§  What’s your influence? Rationale: What can you change and what should you change? Simply choosing the supplier or go into details of the design?

§  Select appropriate tool(s) & keep in mind the pro’s/ con’s! Do not use a resource-intensive method like LCA when rough estimations are enough



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Ellen Oude Luttikhuis [email protected]

Jos de Lange [email protected]

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