Life-cycle assessments take time and money. Are the benefits worth the effort?

It was a question that came up during a presentation at MD&M West.  Adam Wozniak, Director of Sustainability at Ravago North America, and I were talking about how to make plastic packaging easier and more profitable to recycle in the session “Designing for Circularity: Transforming Plastics from Problem to Packaging Solution.”

We tackled the topic of plastic packaging circularity from a general sustainability perspective, as well as in this era of extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws. We kept the scope broad because not all brand owners will be selling into states that have EPR regulations. But the work being done in writing these EPR laws can help anyone.

In a word, Wozniak says, yes. LCAs are valuable in several ways.

Specifically, I asked, “If the law has already done the work [of identifying appropriate packaging materials for sustainability], do you need LCAs?”

Wozniak answered, “In general, LCAs … help expose the underbelly of processes, too. So not only are you evaluating your systems … what you’re also doing with life-cycle assessments is your evaluating your supply chain. You’re evaluating who you source products from and understanding furthermore any impacts logistics have, impacts that the manufacturing has.

“… regardless of extended producer responsibility, I think life-cycle assessment is going to be here to stay. It’s going to continue to become more of a common practice.

Should Packaging Departments Still Do Life-Cycle Assessments?