Life cycle carbon analysis of packaging products containing non-wood residues, 2023 PEERS Conference

Circularity is creating momentum toward utilizing waste feedstock in a myriad of applications. The paper industry is not an exception to this trend, and packaging products made from agricultural or agro-industrial residues are receiving more attention now than ever. Additionally, negative consumer perceptions of tree felling are accelerating the acceptance of these fibers. Nevertheless, adopting these residues raises the issue of whether they constitute a better alternative to fight climate change than wood. Answering this question is imperative to ensure that pledges to reduce carbon footprints across the industry are fulfilled. This paper aimed to estimate the carbon footprint of corrugating medium and linerboard containing wheat straw and sugarcane bagasse pulp compared to analogous wood-based materials. Also, the goal was to understand how methodological decisions to allocate emissions to non-wood residues can affect the results. The study includes a life cycle carbon analysis spanning from cradle to grave, which comprises stages for residue production, pulping, papermaking, waste management, and corresponding transportation. For the proposed case study, the results suggest that straw- and bagasse-based medium and linerboard can present a higher carbon footprint than products made from virgin and recycled wood fibers. The main driver is the production of non-wood chemi-mechanical pulp. In addition, the lower capacity of non-wood residues to be recycled increases the overall impact. Finally, decisions around emissions allocation highly influence the results. This study is expected to mitigate part of the uncertainty around the environmental sustainability of corrugating medium and linerboard made from the selected non-wood residues.

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