Carbon Footprint Comparative Analysis of Cardboard and Plastic Containers Used for the International Transport of Spanish Tomatoes

Abstract

Agricultural packaging has a direct impact on the environmental performance of food. The carbon footprint (CF) of two of the most used packaging systems for international transport by road of fruit and vegetables is assessed and compared. Corrugated cardboard boxes (CCB) and polypropylene foldable boxes (PPB) in two different sizes are the object of this study. For the reusable boxes, three different scenarios are considered regarding the number of uses of each box (20, 50, and 100 uses). Product CF ISO 14067:2018 standard is applied, and requirements of ISO 14026:2017 and ISO 14044:2006 are met for a cradle-to-grave CF analysis. Product distribution and return of the empty box are the stages with the most significant impact for PPB over the manufacturing stage. CCB that does not have any returning stage or requirements of sanitation has its main impact in manufacturing. The comparison between both packaging systems of the same size, considering the functional unit and defined scope, points out CCB has a lower CF than PPB.

Energy-Environmental Impact Assessment of Greenhouse Grown Tomato: A Case Study in Almeria (Spain)

“…On the other hand, reusable agricultural packaging has additional challenges and potential impacts, which are returning the packages and cleaning them after each use. A study comparing single-use cardboard and polypropylene foldable boxes in fact concluded that the former had a lower carbon footprint than the latter [31].…”

“…The water consumption for cardboard production can be further reduced if the recycling rate of cardboard is upscaled to a higher percentage or a different, non-water using material is used. The choice of plastic-based reusable packaging could be an option, but it needs to be cleaned after every use and therefore consumes water in the process [31].…”

Mechanical Behavior Modeling of Containers and Octabins Made of Corrugated Cardboard Subjected to Vertical Stacking Loads

“…Initially, a low range of standardized sizes was common in the industry, but nowadays, companies like Amazon have set what is called the “science of packaging”, by increasing the diversity of sizes, and therefore minimizing the usage of raw materials and optimizing transport. Cardboard is key in this configuration, due to its versatility, price compared with other alternatives and environmental footprint [ 4 , 7 ]. These cardboard boxes are designed not only by considering how various holes (to handle it) might affect the compressive strength but also taking into account how the vibrations during transportation might affect the products delivered [ 1 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”

Modelling the Carbon Footprint of Various Fruit and Vegetable Products Based on a Company’s Internal Transport Data

“…It also takes into account various other gaseous chemicals that can induce the greenhouse effect. Therefore, the carbon footprint is often defined as the sum of all emissions (and capture) of carbon dioxide and other GHGs for the particular life cycle of a given product, quantitatively expressed in CO 2 equivalent [5,6]. The carbon footprint is, therefore, an important tool based on LCA, which takes into account, among others, the category of global warming impact (or climate change, depending on the LCA method) [7].…”

“…In the Netherlands, for the sake of simplicity, the emissions per unit of load carried (e.g., per pallet or container) are taken into account [10]. In Spain, for example, national databases containing ecological factors are used for the different types of forklift truck drives [6]. More complex models attempt to explain the components of the total carbon footprint resulting from various operating statuses of the forklift trucks, such as the proportion of time spent working with and without a load, the FLT speed distribution, the frequency of acceleration, etc.…”