The Tech Box

The Tech Box – June 2021


Extending our record of environmental progress

According to a recent


Stanford Social Innovation Review article


,

“Today, more than 90 percent of CEOs state that sustainability is important to their company’s success, and companies develop sustainability strategies, market sustainable products and services, create positions such as chief sustainability officer, and publish sustainability reports for consumers, investors, activists, and the public at large.


Most global brands have already synergized business objectives and sustainability into their overall strategy, to reduce their carbon footprint. Fibre Box Association highlights many of those efforts in the monthly Plastic Reduction report we publish for our members. We feature the companies and government organizations around the world who have committed to the reduction of single-use plastics as part of their sustainability goals.


The idea of sustainability is not new to the corrugated industry. F

or over a century the corrugated industry has built a business philosophy dedicated to responsibility, from worker safety to economic viability and environmental stewardship. We have and continue to work hard to reduce our supply chain impact on the environment.

In fact, the Corrugated Packaging Alliance (CPA), which is jointly sponsored by the Fibre Box Association (FBA), the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), AICC, The Independent Packaging Association and TAPPI, is currently conducting its fourth Corrugated Industry Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) based on 2020 data.

The last LCA, which measures and documents the cradle-to-cradle environmental impact of corrugated packaging manufactured in 2014 was released in 2017. See below some of the progress we have made since the first LCA was released in 2010 based on 2006 data:

  • The corrugated industry reduced its GHG emissions by 35 percent between 2006 and 2014. The reduction was driven by increased OCC recovery and use of energy generated from renewable, carbon-neutral biomass and decreased overall use of fossil fuels.
  • Other notable improvements between 2006 and 2014 include a 29 percent reduction in the effects of nutrient releases on receiving waters and soils (eutrophication); a 23 percent reduction in photo-chemical ozone creation; a 21 percent reduction in water use; and a 21 percent reduction in respiratory related effects.

Look for the results of the fourth LCA coming in early 2022; results that will showcase our extended record of environmental progress.

Thanks,

Mary Alice



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Mary Alice Drain is the Director of Technical Services at Fibre Box Association (FBA). If you have technical questions about the corrugated industry, you can reach her direct at










mdrain@fibrebox.org.