IFCO Systems has announced the expansion of its life cycle assessment research comparing reusable plastic containers (RPCs) and display-ready corrugated boxes used to ship fresh produce to retailers.
The new study, expected to be published in May, will add human and eco-toxicity impact categories to the areas that the group is already reviewing. including solid waste, energy demand, water usage and more.
“We fully expect the life cycle analysis of human and eco-toxicity impacts for RPCs to add a layer of information to the analysis.' said Hillary Femal, vice-president of global marketing for IFCO. “These two impact categories were not evaluated in the life cycle assessment released in 2013 due to the lack of scientific consensus regarding methodology in early 2012 when the study was scoped.
'However, we would like to expand the analysis to examine these aspects at a relative level using the most widely accepted methodologies and, of course, a thorough peer review of the results.”
IFCO’s previously released study confirmed RPCs as a sustainable packaging option, revealing that the IFCO solution generates 82 per cent less solid waste, consumes 92 per cent less water, requires 49% lower energy demand, and lowers ozone depletion by 76 per cet for a weighted average of 10 top produce commodities.
