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Life Cycle Assessment of Beverage Packaging: Pathways to a Circular, Low-Carbon Future
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Process Analytics
Applicable Industries
- Aerospace
- Packaging
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Predictive Waste Reduction
- Process Control & Optimization
The Challenge
Ball Corporation, a manufacturer of billions of aluminum cans each year, aimed to improve the sustainability credentials of their products. They wanted to identify the environmental hotspots of the aluminum can and compare it with competing beverage packaging options. The assessment was conducted in Europe, the U.S., and Brazil, considering regional collection/recycling rates, recycled content, weight optimization, and energy efficiency. The challenge was to provide an objective and reliable benchmark to interested 3rd parties, inform and enhance Ball’s sustainability strategy, and compare the regional sustainability performance of aluminum beverage cans with alternatives.
About The Customer
Ball Corporation is a company founded in 1880, with its headquarters in Broomfield, CO. The company operates in the Packaging and Aerospace industries. It has over 18,300 employees worldwide and reported net sales of $11.5 billion in 2019. The company has more than 100 locations globally. Ball Corporation manufactures billions of aluminum cans each year and aims to be the best steward of their products across their life cycles. To explore and improve sustainability credentials, Ball invested in a thorough and peer-reviewed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of their own as well as competing products.
The Solution
Ball Corporation worked with Sphera’s sustainability experts to assess small-to-medium-sized, single-use beverage packaging in 3 different regions, under various scenarios of end of life recycling, recycled content and using different methodological approaches. Products from Europe, North America and Brazil were selected, weighed and measured to provide a solid basis for the study. Rigorous background data compilation provided the backbone of life cycle models that were constructed using Sphera’s LCA databases (GaBi databases 2019) and the LCA software suite GaBi. The resulting Life Cycle Impact Assessment analyzed 4 material options (aluminum cans, PET, glass bottles and beverage cartons) with 2-4 fill volumes, in each of the 3 regions. To confirm the credibility of the outcomes, the study report was subjected to a critical review by a panel of 3 independent experts who verified the results based on the ISO 14040/44 standard.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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