A new study shows that reusable industrial packaging substantially reduces carbon emissions.
A new lifecycle assessment shows that using reconditioned industrial packaging saves hundreds of millions of pounds of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually in the U.S. and Canada. The study, “Life Cycle Assessment of Newly Manufactured and Reconditioned Industrial Packaging” prepared by Ernst & Young Accountants LLP for the Reusable Industrial Packaging Association (RIPA), intended to compare the total GHG emissions of several styles of new and reconditioned industrial packaging used commonly by businesses in North America. The study presents both single- and multi-trip emission comparisons.
Findings show that for single-trip solutions, reusable packaging can reduce greenhouse gas emissions (expressed as pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent, or CO2e) from 26% to nearly 70% over similar new container designs. As the number of reuse trips increases, total GHG savings for all packaging types increases. The packaging studied included 55-gal open head and tight head steel drums, 55-gal plastic drums, and 275- and 330-gal composite intermediate bulk containers.