Carbonated drink in steel can

Transcription

1 Carbon Ready Reckoner Worked Example Carbonated drink in steel can This worked example shows how the WRAP Carbon Ready Reckoner can be used to provide insight into the carbon footprint of a 6 pack of 330ml cans of carbonated drink Date: October 2013

2 Carbonated drink in steel can 1 Pack description Itemise and describe all packaging components. Consumer unit (primary packaging) The consumer unit is the packaging the consumer takes out of the shop. Some products are sold in collations, and the entire collation would be regarded as the consumer unit. This consumer unit consists of two packaging components: two-piece steel can with ring pull; and PE shrink wrap. The WRAP Carbon Ready Reckoner does not assess minor materials, such as label adhesives, so these are not included. To calculate the impact of changes, the number of consumer units produced per annum is required. In this example, one million packs of carbonated drink are sold per annum. If this pack format were used for a range of carbonated drinks, then the total number of consumer units produced in the range could be included in the assessment. This pack contains 1,980ml of carbonated drink, which provides 6 average portions. Before removing the product, it is noted that the headspace is not excessive for a carbonated drink (which may indicate an oversized can).

3 Carbonated drink in steel can 2 Product information Information required Existing pack Product weight per pack (ml) 1,980 Servings per pack 6 Number of packs per year 1,000,000 Secondary packaging The secondary packaging is the packaging used to collate consumer units for distribution, and is not intended to be sold with the product. Typical secondary packaging includes corrugated board boxes, shelfready display packaging, trays, and shrink-wrap film. There was no secondary packaging for this type of product. While considerable savings may be achieved by the use of reusable transit packaging, the WRAP Carbon Ready Reckoner is not able to assess this as an existing component or new improvement. The Carbon Ready Reckoner also does not assess minor materials, so adhesive are not included. Palletisation The WRAP Carbon Ready Reckoner will calculate savings from improved pallet utilisation, but does not include savings from changes in tertiary packaging such as stretch-wrap, layer boards and pallet top covers. Changes in size to the consumer unit and secondary packaging may affect the number of units that may be placed on a pallet or contained within another shipment unit, such as a Pal-box. Details of pallet

4 Carbonated drink in steel can 3 configuration and transport will be needed to calculate distribution savings from reductions in pack weight. Palletisation and transportation was not considered for this pack. Packaging and transport data Packaging materials and weights Each packaging component is weighed to +/- 0.1g and the weight and material recorded as shown on the table below. Reference can be made to packaging specifications for weights, but actual pack weights should be checked. Consumer unit Three piece metal cans are cut from sheet metal; the ends are stamped, pressed and sealed at the seams. Two piece cans are shallow or deep drawn. To account for deviations from the manufacturing process the average weight of the cans was calculated from a sample of 10 cans and these cans are relatively heavy. The weight of the shrink wrap used to hold the six cans together is considered relatively light; the short sides are partially left open for carrying the pack. The weight of the shrink wrap was calculated from a sample of 10 batches.

5 Carbonated drink in steel can 4 Existing components consumer unit Component name Existing material Current weight (g) Steel can Steel Shrink wrap PE film/bags 7.2 Pack improvements The WRAP Carbon Ready Reckoner will calculate carbon savings from various pack improvements. Each is considered as it applies to this pack of carbonated drink. This pack was compared with other 6 x 330ml carbonated drinks on the market. Some data on the WRAP UK Packaging Benchmark Database is available. Packaging suppliers may be able to offer alternative pack options. Potential improvements to reduce carbon impact were considered for each pack component. The factors included in the WRAP Carbon Ready Reckoner are: packaging weight; product concentration number of servings/portions; secondary packaging or palletisation; glass: colour and/or recycled content; other materials: recycled content and/or recycling rate; and other changes (listed at end of section). Packaging weight Steel can: This can is relatively heavy for this capacity. The can could be light weighted by 18.6% from 26.3g to 21.4g per can, i.e. from 157.8g to 128.4g for the pack of six).

6 Carbonated drink in steel can 5 Shrink wrap: The shrink wrap is does not cover the entire short sides of pack, thus facilitating carrying of the product. Reducing it further by e.g. leaving parts of the long sides uncovered (see worked example no. 56, tinned spaghetti in steel can) may destabilise the pack. No further material reductions are currently considered. Product concentration number of servings Change in product to concentrated carbonated drink would be technically possible but could be considered not acceptable to consumers as this product is often consumed on the go. Not having the option of buying a pack of single serving sizes could lead to product waste as the product may not be consumed entirely. Other materials recycled content and/or recycling rate The average recycled content for steel cans is relatively high (57.6%) so no further increase is considered at present. Other changes Other beneficial changes that could be made to this pack are: Aluminium cans are considerably lighter than steel cans (approximately 60%, i.e. 12.8g per can) but despite this weight advantage the embodied carbon emissions of the aluminium can are 88% higher than for the steel can. Whether this can be remediated by lower transport emissions will depend on specific transport logistics including significantly higher stacking densities.

7 Carbonated drink in steel can 6 WRAP Carbon Ready Reckoner Data entry This section describes the process used to enter the previous figures from Existing and New packing components and calculation of the relative CO 2 eq impact. Logging in The WRAP Carbon Ready Reckoner was accessed via: and the correct Username and Password entered. A new project was created by clicking on the green button CREATE A NEW PROJECT.

8 Carbonated drink in steel can 7 Definition A description of the pack being examined was entered, with sufficient information to ensure it is not confused with any other project. The potential improvements previously identified only relate to packaging weight and other materials. Under Which aspects of the packaged product are being changed? the box relating to Packaging Weight are therefore selected.

9 Carbonated drink in steel can 8 The product measurement unit, weight, servings per pack, and number of packs per annum were entered under the Existing column as shown above. Click green SAVE button then move to next page: Consumer unit. Consumer unit This page allows the entry of consumer unit packaging components: Bottle, label, and cap. Click ADD NEW COMPONENT button. Enter a description of each component, current material (from drop down list); current weight, and new weight (as applicable) for each component as shown: When each component entry is completed, click the green SAVE button. It is always possible to edit or delete components later. The figure for Current Recycled Content is automatically generated, but may be changed, except for paper and board components. When complete each entry may be viewed with the CO 2 eq figures already calculated.

10 Carbonated drink in steel can 9 Even if there is no change in weight, all components should be included as they contribute to the final pack weight which affects the carbon impact of distribution. Component entries may be deleted D or edited E using the small buttons on the right hand side. As the packs have no secondary packaging, the No radio button is selected. Click Secondary>> to move to the next page. If you wish to alter your selections it is possible to navigate by these buttons or via the top or bottom navigation bars. Since there were no details of pallet configuration and transport, we can go directly to the results page. To view the final results, click on the Results button on the right hand side to progress to the next page. The weight savings seen here are from the light weighting of the primary and secondary packaging.

11 Carbonated drink in steel can 10 Results This page shows the results of the calculations, and shows a 17.54% reduction in weight CO 2 eq. In this example, we have made changes to the packaging weight. The tick boxes above are a check of the improvements included in the calculations. The results below show the change in CO 2 eq between the Existing and New packs, and demonstrate in a pie chart the relative impact of different packaging components.

12 Carbonated drink in steel can 11 Clicking on the Show difference on the top right hand side of the Consumer Unit table will show the calculated savings. Before implementing any packaging change you will need to ensure that changes will not cause adverse effects during filling, processing and distribution. Pack image is always an important marketing consideration.

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