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European Database for Cartonboard and Carton Production 2023

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<strong>European</strong> <strong>Database</strong> <strong>for</strong><br />

<strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Carton</strong><br />

<strong>Production</strong> <strong>2023</strong><br />

Report prepared by (Research Institutes of Sweden) Bioeconomy <strong>and</strong><br />

Health Unit on behalf of Pro <strong>Carton</strong><br />

EUROPEAN DATABASE FOR CARTON AND CARTONBOARD PRODUCTION <strong>2023</strong><br />

RI<br />

SE


2<br />

Contents<br />

Contents ..................................................................................................... 2<br />

Foreword ................................................................................................... 4<br />

Executive summary .................................................................................... 6<br />

Description of the product system .............................................................. 7<br />

Overview ....................................................................................................................... 7<br />

About cartonboard ........................................................................................................ 7<br />

<strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> production process ................................................................................. 8<br />

<strong>Carton</strong> production....................................................................................................... 11<br />

Methodology questions ............................................................................. 13<br />

Boundaries <strong>and</strong> declared unit – cartonboard .............................................................. 13<br />

System boundaries <strong>for</strong> carton production .................................................................. 16<br />

System boundaries <strong>for</strong> the aggregated results ............................................................ 18<br />

Data description ....................................................................................... 20<br />

Questionnaire ............................................................................................................. 20<br />

Data collection <strong>for</strong> cartonboard .................................................................................. 20<br />

Data collection <strong>for</strong> carton production.......................................................................... 21<br />

Weighted averages ....................................................................................................... 21<br />

Material inputs ............................................................................................................ 22<br />

Material outputs ......................................................................................................... 24<br />

Energy input <strong>and</strong> output ............................................................................................. 25<br />

Water inputs <strong>and</strong> outputs ........................................................................................... 26<br />

Transport ..................................................................................................................... 27<br />

Emissions to air .......................................................................................................... 28<br />

Emissions to water ...................................................................................................... 29<br />

Data .......................................................................................................... 31<br />

Coverage <strong>and</strong> comparability of the datasets ................................................................ 31<br />

Relationship to the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF)..................................... 31<br />

Results ..................................................................................................... 32<br />

Life cycle inventory <strong>for</strong> cartonboard <strong>and</strong> cartons 2021 ............................................. 32<br />

Additional in<strong>for</strong>mation on energy <strong>and</strong> fuels ................................................................ 41<br />

Internal fuels ............................................................................................................... 41<br />

Year-on-year trends .................................................................................................... 42<br />

Improvements to the questionnaires ......................................................................... 42<br />

Trends in key environmental parameters ................................................................. 43<br />

Sustainable <strong>for</strong>est management ................................................................................. 44<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


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Conclusions .............................................................................................. 44<br />

Peer review .............................................................................................. 46<br />

Definitions ............................................................................................... 47<br />

Annex 1: Peer review statement ................................................................ 48<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


4<br />

Foreword<br />

Pro <strong>Carton</strong>, the <strong>European</strong> Association of <strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Carton</strong> Manufacturers is<br />

pleased to present the latest edition of the <strong>European</strong> Environmental <strong>Database</strong> <strong>for</strong><br />

cartonboard <strong>and</strong> carton production. The report contains gate-to-gate life cycle inventory<br />

data <strong>for</strong> the production of cartonboard <strong>and</strong> conversion of cartonboard into cartons. The<br />

intention is to make available high quality <strong>and</strong> transparent LCI data <strong>for</strong> use in life cycle<br />

studies.<br />

The data has been collected, processed, checked <strong>and</strong> compiled by LCA experts from RISE<br />

(Research Institutes of Sweden). Over the course of multiple iterations of the project a<br />

robust process has been developed in which the data provided is processed <strong>and</strong> checked<br />

by both industry experts <strong>and</strong> independent LCA. A working group of technical<br />

representatives from the cartonboard mills <strong>and</strong> convertors worked closely with RISE to<br />

validate the data. The process <strong>and</strong> data are then subjected to an independent peer review<br />

by ifeu – Institute <strong>for</strong> Energy <strong>and</strong> Environmental Research Heidelberg GmbH,<br />

Heidelberg, Germany, a leading research institution with experience of life cycle data <strong>and</strong><br />

methods as applied in the paper <strong>and</strong> board sector.<br />

The life cycle inventories presented in Table 2 of this report contain environmental data<br />

<strong>for</strong> the production of:<br />

• <strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> manufactured primarily from primary fibres: Folding Box Board<br />

(FBB) <strong>and</strong> Solid Bleached Board/Solid Unbleached Board (SBB/SUB) (based on<br />

data supplied by members of Pro <strong>Carton</strong>)<br />

• <strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> manufactured primarily from recovered fibres: White Lined Chip<br />

(WLC) (based on data supplied by members of Pro <strong>Carton</strong>)<br />

• Conversion of cartonboard into blank cartons, including die cutting, creasing,<br />

printing <strong>and</strong> where applicable folding/gluing (based on data supplied by members<br />

of the <strong>European</strong> <strong>Carton</strong> Manufacturers Association (ECMA))<br />

• An aggregated dataset, which considers the production of average <strong>European</strong><br />

cartonboard <strong>and</strong> the conversion of this average cartonboard into cartons.<br />

The data in this edition of the report represents the weighted averages of the inputs <strong>and</strong><br />

outputs from the production sites per tonne of cartonboard paper <strong>and</strong> per tonne of<br />

cartons <strong>for</strong> the year 2021. The database h<strong>and</strong>les the production sites as a black box.<br />

Details of the different processes in the production sites are not provided. Emissions etc.<br />

originating from production of resources consumed, energy production outside the mill<br />

or converting plant, transport <strong>and</strong> waste treatment are not included in the datasets, but<br />

the impacts of these additional unit processes can be added by the user to facilitate full<br />

cradle-to-gate, cradle-to-grave, or cradle-to-cradle life cycle studies.<br />

The data collected <strong>for</strong> this study covers a significant proportion of the sector:<br />

• For FBB, the collected data represents approximately 93% of the total <strong>European</strong><br />

production in 2021<br />

• For SBB/SUB, the collected data represents approximately 62% of the total <strong>European</strong><br />

production in 2021<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


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• For WLC, the collected data represents approximately 53% of the total <strong>European</strong><br />

production in 2021<br />

• For carton converting, the collected data represents approximately 8% of the total<br />

<strong>European</strong> production in 2021<br />

The high levels of data provision <strong>for</strong> cartonboard production mean that the datasets<br />

presented are highly representative of the practices <strong>and</strong> subsequent overall<br />

environmental per<strong>for</strong>mance of the sector.<br />

The report is available <strong>for</strong> interested parties on the condition that the data<br />

in this report may only be used <strong>for</strong> environmental studies such as Life Cycle<br />

Inventory Analysis, Life Cycle Impact Assessment as separate steps or as a<br />

whole Life Cycle Assessment.<br />

The database may only be used <strong>for</strong> environmental studies regarding product<br />

development <strong>and</strong> improvement <strong>and</strong> the comparison of the entire system of carton<br />

packaging with that of other materials. The database should be used <strong>for</strong> making<br />

generalised statements on the relative per<strong>for</strong>mance of all primary fibre <strong>and</strong><br />

all recovered fibre-based materials.<br />

When LCA data is used to make comparative studies, a specific scenario is chosen <strong>and</strong><br />

the result can <strong>and</strong> will vary depending on various parameters. It should be clearly<br />

understood that, whatever the outcome of a comparative study, the conclusion should<br />

not <strong>and</strong> cannot be generalized. If specific in<strong>for</strong>mation on a particular cartonboard grade<br />

is required, then this should be requested directly from the manufacturers.<br />

Pro <strong>Carton</strong> is committed to ongoing <strong>and</strong> regular updates of the database. The user of the<br />

database should there<strong>for</strong>e check whether it is the latest edition of the database report<br />

prior to using the in<strong>for</strong>mation enclosed. The latest version will always be available<br />

through direct contact with Pro <strong>Carton</strong>.<br />

We would like to thank all participants from the industry <strong>for</strong> providing the necessary<br />

input from their plants. Collecting, processing <strong>and</strong> checking the data is a significant<br />

undertaking. The high level of ongoing participation of the membership base of both Pro<br />

<strong>Carton</strong> <strong>and</strong> ECMA is highly appreciated.<br />

We are also grateful <strong>for</strong> the positive response <strong>and</strong> valuable feedback <strong>and</strong> comments we<br />

have received from users of the previous editions of the database <strong>and</strong> reports. We<br />

welcome comments on this report <strong>and</strong> feedback on the experiences of users<br />

of the database. Such feedback can only help to further improve the quality<br />

<strong>and</strong> value of future updates!<br />

February <strong>2023</strong><br />

Horst Bittermann<br />

Director General<br />

Winfried Muehling<br />

Director Marketing & Communications<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


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Executive summary<br />

This report is the outcome of a major study initiated by Pro <strong>Carton</strong> (the <strong>European</strong><br />

Association of <strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Carton</strong> Manufacturers), with the objective of compiling<br />

<strong>and</strong> publishing life cycle inventories <strong>for</strong> cartonboard production <strong>and</strong> conversion of<br />

cartonboard into cartons. The life cycle inventories presented in this report contain<br />

environmental data <strong>for</strong> the production of:<br />

• <strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> manufactured primarily from primary fibres: Folding Box Board (FBB) <strong>and</strong><br />

Solid Bleached Board/Solid Unbleached Board (SBB/SUB)<br />

• <strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> manufactured primarily from recovered fibres: White Lined Chip (WLC)<br />

• Conversion of cartonboard into blank cartons, including die cutting, creasing, printing<br />

<strong>and</strong> where applicable folding/gluing<br />

• An aggregated dataset, which considers the production of average <strong>European</strong> cartonboard<br />

<strong>and</strong> the conversion of this average cartonboard into cartons.<br />

The datasets represent the weighted average situation <strong>for</strong> each of the processes according<br />

to the market <strong>and</strong> technology situation in Europe in 2021. The datasets are based on<br />

primary data collected directly from the mills <strong>and</strong> convertors operating the processes.<br />

Participation in the surveys <strong>for</strong> cartonboard production was high, with a significant<br />

increase in the number of sites participating <strong>and</strong> the proportion of <strong>European</strong> production<br />

covered. Participation in the survey <strong>for</strong> carton converting was also significant, with data<br />

received from twenty-five converting sites. Although this was fewer sites compared to the<br />

previous survey in 2018, the share of <strong>European</strong> production covered by the participating<br />

convertors represented an increase in coverage with a good geographical spread in<br />

participation. For this reason, there can be a high degree of confidence that the data is<br />

representative of technologies applied across Europe, <strong>and</strong> there<strong>for</strong>e representative of the<br />

environmental profile of the sector.<br />

The gate-to-gate life cycle inventories can be used, in conjunction with appropriate<br />

secondary data, to compile cradle-to-gate <strong>and</strong> cradle-to-gave life cycle assessment<br />

studies of cartonboard <strong>and</strong> cartons. As such, the inventories will be made available to<br />

providers of life cycle databases, with a view to ensuring that the data available to life<br />

cycle practitioners is current <strong>and</strong> accurate.<br />

The results demonstrate some interesting features of cartonboard production, including<br />

the fact that a high proportion of the energy requirement <strong>for</strong> virgin cartonboard is met<br />

through the utilisation of internal, biogenic fuels. Furthermore, the study demonstrates<br />

that the majority of the water required <strong>for</strong> manufacturing carton board is simply<br />

“borrowed” rather than consumed, <strong>and</strong> is returned to the environment after purification.<br />

The inventories also demonstrate that the majority of residues arising at the paper mills<br />

are reused or recycled.<br />

These are positive features of cartonboard production, but this does not mean that there<br />

are not improvements to be made in environmental per<strong>for</strong>mance. Pro <strong>Carton</strong> <strong>and</strong> its<br />

members are committed to updating this study regularly, so trends in environmental<br />

per<strong>for</strong>mance can be tracked <strong>and</strong> improvements can be quantified.<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


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Description of the product system<br />

Overview<br />

Folding cartons are small to medium sized “cardboard boxes” made from cartonboard.<br />

They are used to package a wide range of products from foodstuffs – such as cereals,<br />

frozen <strong>and</strong> chilled food, confectionery, bakery goods, tea, coffee <strong>and</strong> other dry foods – to<br />

pharmaceuticals, medical <strong>and</strong> healthcare products, perfumes, cosmetics, toiletries,<br />

photographic products, clothing, cigarettes, toys, games, household <strong>and</strong> electrical,<br />

engineering, gardening <strong>and</strong> DIY (do it yourself) products.<br />

Many different types of cartonboard are manufactured, all of which can be made in a<br />

variety of different weights (grammages) <strong>and</strong> thicknesses. The type of cartonboard <strong>and</strong><br />

the fibre composition depends on the intended use <strong>and</strong> the specific requirements.<br />

Usually, cartonboard is made up of several plies (layers) to make the best possible use of<br />

the different types of raw materials <strong>and</strong> optimise the product per<strong>for</strong>mance.<br />

<strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> is made from cellulose containing fibres that are produced either from wood<br />

(primary fibres) or from recovered paper <strong>and</strong> board (secondary fibres). A combination<br />

of the two can be used <strong>and</strong> there are various types of fibre that produce different<br />

characteristics. For example, shorter fibres generally give a better bulk <strong>and</strong> longer fibres<br />

give a greater stiffness <strong>and</strong> so types of fibre are mixed to produce the desired<br />

characteristics.<br />

The fibres can also be treated with various chemicals to improve a variety of properties<br />

such as moisture <strong>and</strong> grease barriers. Additionally, they can be coated with a range of<br />

barriers to produce cartonboard that can be used in ovens <strong>and</strong> microwaves <strong>and</strong> other<br />

specialist packaging.<br />

About cartonboard<br />

There are three main grades of cartonboard:<br />

• Folding Boxboard FBB (also known as GC /UC) – This grade is typically made of<br />

mechanical pulp s<strong>and</strong>wiched between two layers of chemical pulp with up to three layers<br />

of coating on the top or printing surface <strong>and</strong> one layer of coating or sizing on the reverse.<br />

Typical uses include pharmaceuticals, confectionery, frozen <strong>and</strong> chilled foods.<br />

• Solid Bleached Board SBB, (also known as SBS / GZ) – This grade is typically<br />

made from pure bleached chemical pulp with two or three layers of coating on the top<br />

surface <strong>and</strong> one or more layers on the reverse. There are also uncoated grades. Typical<br />

markets include cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, graphics, tobacco <strong>and</strong> luxury packaging.<br />

• Solid Unbleached Board SUB (also known as SUB / SUS) – This grade is<br />

typically made from pure unbleached chemical pulp with two or three layers of coating<br />

on the top surface. In some cases, a white reverse surface is applied. It is primarily used<br />

as beverage carriers <strong>for</strong> bottles <strong>and</strong> cans, as it is very strong <strong>and</strong> can be made resistant to<br />

water. It is used where strength of packaging is important. SUB may also be used in the<br />

production of liquid beverage cartons <strong>and</strong> liquid food cartons, but this application is<br />

excluded from the scope of the data collected in this report.<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


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• White Lined Chipboard WLC (also known as GT /GD /UD) – This grade is<br />

typically made using predominantly recovered fibres. It is manufactured in a number of<br />

layers, each of which use selected grades of raw materials. It has up to three layers of<br />

coating on the top or printing surface <strong>and</strong> one layer on the reverse. It is used in a range<br />

of applications such as dry, frozen <strong>and</strong> chilled foods, cereals, shoes, tissues, toys.<br />

<strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> comprises a significant share of paper <strong>and</strong> board production in Europe,<br />

representing approximately 11% of total paper <strong>and</strong> board production in 2021. <strong>European</strong><br />

production of cartonboard in 2021 stood at 9.857 million tonnes 1 . The make-up of the<br />

total production in Europe in 2021 was follows FBB 39%; SBB/SBS (excluding<br />

production of board <strong>for</strong> liquid beverage cartons/liquid food cartons) 12%; WLC 49%.<br />

<strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> production process<br />

Raw materials<br />

<strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> can be manufactured from primary wood fibres from sustainably managed<br />

<strong>for</strong>ests <strong>and</strong>/or from recovered fibres from paper <strong>for</strong> recycling. As a general rule, FBB <strong>and</strong><br />

SBB/SUB are manufactured from predominantly primary fibres whereas WLC is<br />

predominantly manufactured from recovered fibres.<br />

SBB/SUB is generally manufactured at an integrated pulp <strong>and</strong> papermill (meaning that<br />

the pulp <strong>and</strong> the paper are produced at one single site, <strong>and</strong> the wet pulp is pumped<br />

directly to the paper machine with no additional drying or transport required). For FBB<br />

<strong>and</strong> WLC, most production is semi-integrated (meaning that a quantity of purchased<br />

market pulp is used to compliment the pulp produced onsite).<br />

For mills utilising primary wood fibre, most of the wood is delivered in the <strong>for</strong>m of<br />

pulpwood logs from thinning. A proportion is also brought in as wood chips, a by-product<br />

of nearby sawmills. The pulpwood logs have to be debarked <strong>and</strong> chipped be<strong>for</strong>e pulping.<br />

In mechanical pulping, the fibres are separated by applying mechanical <strong>for</strong>ce to either<br />

debarked logs (roundwood) or smaller chips (refiner mechanical). The heat generated<br />

softens the lignin <strong>and</strong> results in fibre separation. The pulp is then screened <strong>and</strong> cleaned<br />

<strong>and</strong> any remaining fibre clumps are reprocessed.<br />

In chemical pulping, debarked logs are chipped <strong>and</strong> treated with chemicals under heat<br />

<strong>and</strong> pressure. This dissolves the lignin <strong>and</strong> hemicelluloses of the wood <strong>and</strong> cellulose<br />

fibres can be separated from the cooking liquor. There is a choice of chemicals <strong>for</strong><br />

processing. The spent cooking liquor is drained off <strong>and</strong> washed out from the pulp. It<br />

contains the wood substance dissolved during the cooking together with the spent<br />

cooking chemicals. The spent liquor is concentrated <strong>and</strong> burnt as a fuel <strong>for</strong> energy<br />

production <strong>and</strong> recovery of cooking chemicals.<br />

1 CEPI Key Statistics 2021<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


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When the raw material source is recovered paper <strong>and</strong> board, fibre separation is<br />

achieved by mechanical agitation in water. Recovered paper <strong>and</strong> cartonboard has been<br />

printed, sometimes varnished <strong>and</strong> <strong>for</strong> packaging applications, often has been glued. In<br />

products where high purity <strong>and</strong> whiteness is important, it is necessary to remove the<br />

printing inks, glues <strong>and</strong> other impurities.<br />

After the recovered paper <strong>and</strong> board has been immersed in water, disintegrated <strong>and</strong><br />

the fibres dispersed, heat <strong>and</strong>/or dispersion agents are used to remove any sticky<br />

impurities from the fibre surfaces. Then flotation techniques, screening <strong>and</strong><br />

washing, <strong>and</strong> sometimes additional bleaching, are used to remove the impurities.<br />

For pulps from both primary fibres <strong>and</strong> recycled fibres, functional chemicals, fillers<br />

<strong>and</strong> other pulps can be added to give the final paper the properties required.<br />

Energy<br />

Energy sources depend on the way pulp is made <strong>and</strong> the location of the mill. Where<br />

paper <strong>for</strong> recycling is utilised as a fibre source, rejects from the recovered paper<br />

(plastics, etc) may be incinerated with energy recovery on-site. Where pulp is<br />

produced from virgin fibres, bark chips from debarking may be used as an internal<br />

energy source. Chemical pulping also results in a by-product (black liquor) which is<br />

used as a significant internal energy source. Finally, biogas from wastewater treatment<br />

may also be used as an internal fuel source. For virgin cartonboard mills, internal fuels<br />

account <strong>for</strong> more than 50% of the fuels consumed onsite, whereas <strong>for</strong> recycled<br />

cartonboard mills internal fuels account <strong>for</strong> less than 1% of the fuels consumed onsite.<br />

Where internal fuel sources are not available or are not sufficient to meet the full<br />

energy needs of the mill, external fuels will also be consumed, including fossil fuels<br />

(mostly natural gas, but also heavy fuel oil, light fuel oil, diesel oil, liquid petroleum<br />

gas, <strong>and</strong> in some cases coal or peat) <strong>and</strong> renewable fuels (e.g., bark, pitch oil).<br />

Fuels consumed onsite can be used to produce both thermal energy <strong>and</strong> electricity.<br />

Some mills are able to generate enough electricity to meet all of their needs, <strong>and</strong> may<br />

even be net exporters of electricity, but most mills also purchased some of the<br />

electricity needs. In this case, electricity may be purchased from the national grid, or<br />

specific electricity product agreements (e.g., <strong>for</strong> electricity produced from renewables<br />

<strong>and</strong>/or zero carbon electricity) may be in place.<br />

Water<br />

Water is an essential element <strong>for</strong> paper <strong>and</strong> board production. Water acts as a<br />

bond between the fibres <strong>and</strong> in the production process it is needed <strong>for</strong> transporting,<br />

cleaning, as a solvent, carrying energy in the <strong>for</strong>m of steam <strong>and</strong> it is used in cooling<br />

process units. Water is usually taken from a nearby surface source such as a lake or<br />

river. >95% of the water used in the industry is cleaned <strong>and</strong> reused on site. All water is<br />

purified (usually at a wastewater treatment facility operated by the mill) in<br />

accordance with <strong>European</strong> regulations <strong>and</strong> st<strong>and</strong>ards be<strong>for</strong>e being returned to the<br />

environment.<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


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Pulping <strong>and</strong> the paper machine<br />

The fibre is mixed with water in large hydropulpers until a very fine suspension is<br />

achieved. This is then cleaned to remove any contraries, refined to enhance strength<br />

<strong>and</strong> then pumped to the cartonboard machine where the cartonboard is manufactured.<br />

In the fibre preparation, be<strong>for</strong>e the board making, functional additives are used. The<br />

additives provide some degree of water resistance (hydrophobicity) <strong>and</strong> add internal<br />

<strong>and</strong> surface strength to the product.<br />

The dispersed fibres with the functional additives <strong>and</strong> water mixture from<br />

the preparation plant, is pumped to the cartonboard machine <strong>and</strong> this very thin<br />

mixture (< 1% fibres in water) is put onto several continuously moving wire meshes.<br />

As the water drains away through the wire mesh the fibres begin to 'set' <strong>and</strong> then each<br />

of the sheets are brought together to <strong>for</strong>m a continuous sheet of cartonboard.<br />

This is then pressed between textile felts by large rollers to squeeze more water out<br />

<strong>and</strong> then passed over steam heated cylinders to evaporate the remaining water.<br />

When the cartonboard has reached the required moisture content, up to three layers of<br />

coating (typically made of clay/kaolin or starch) are added to the surface of the board.<br />

These coatings improve smoothness <strong>and</strong> gloss <strong>and</strong> are required to achieve the<br />

high-quality printing that is needed on cartons.<br />

Modern cartonboard machines are large. Typically, they are about 100 metres in<br />

length, about 6 metres wide <strong>and</strong> 25 metres high. They run 24 hours a day, 7 days a<br />

week <strong>and</strong> are only stopped occasionally <strong>for</strong> essential maintenance.<br />

Changes of the board to be made <strong>and</strong> changes of thickness or weight are carried out on<br />

the run <strong>and</strong> the whole operation is controlled by computers to ensure consistency<br />

of production quality. The effective production time on modern machines is in excess<br />

of 95%.<br />

At the end of the cartonboard machine, the cartonboard is wound into huge reels which<br />

are then moved to the finishing department. Here these reels are either cut into sheets<br />

of the size the printer requires or into smaller reels that can be used directly on a reel<br />

fed printing press. After cutting, the cartonboard is packed <strong>and</strong> dispatched to the<br />

carton producers.<br />

Modern cutting machines run continuously, have full computer control,<br />

automatic counting <strong>and</strong> stacking of sheets onto pallets. Customer reels <strong>and</strong> pallets are<br />

wrapped in moisture protective packaging <strong>and</strong> shipped to customers by ship, train<br />

or truck. The mode of transportation is a balanced choice between degree of service to<br />

the customer, cost <strong>and</strong> distance.


11<br />

Figure 1<br />

Underst<strong>and</strong>ing the manufacturing process 2<br />

<strong>Carton</strong> production<br />

<strong>Carton</strong> production starts with the cartonboard delivered from the mills. Figure 2 shows<br />

a typical layout <strong>for</strong> a carton production plant <strong>and</strong> the types of processes involved.<br />

2 Source: <strong>Carton</strong> <strong>and</strong> Board Making: <strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong>, Pro<strong>Carton</strong>, 2022<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


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Figure 2<br />

Typical layout of a carton production plant 3<br />

The design <strong>for</strong> a carton is either sent to the carton producer or developed by them. The<br />

graphics are prepared on a computer <strong>and</strong> colour separation is carried out. From this a<br />

printing plate <strong>for</strong> each colour is prepared. At the same time a “layout” is designed, with<br />

the aim of achieving the optimal board usage <strong>and</strong> there<strong>for</strong>e minimising shape waste<br />

(many cartons can be printed on each sheet of cartonboard <strong>and</strong> so a layout is worked out<br />

to ensure that as little cartonboard as possible is left unused). The layout is also used to<br />

prepare the cutting <strong>and</strong> creasing <strong>for</strong>ms that are used later in the production process.<br />

The cartonboard, in either sheets or reels, is loaded into the printing machine <strong>and</strong><br />

printed in one pass with each colour being added in turn. A variety of printing processes<br />

may be used, including <strong>for</strong> example offset/lithographic, flexographic <strong>and</strong> gravure<br />

processes. In some cases, digital printing may also be used. This is an emerging<br />

technology that is expected to become more important <strong>for</strong> carton production in the<br />

future.<br />

Most cartons are printed using six colours at a time but less or more can also be used. As<br />

well as the colours, a varnish to improve gloss, or to add a highlight, is also usually<br />

printed after the colours.<br />

At the end of the print machine, the sheets are stacked up <strong>and</strong> moved to the next stage of<br />

production – cutting <strong>and</strong> creasing. The printed sheets of cartons are taken to a machine<br />

that cuts the cartons <strong>and</strong> also puts in the creases that enable it to be folded in a later<br />

operation. This is done using a <strong>for</strong>m into which are set knives <strong>and</strong> creasing rules to<br />

achieve the desired result. It is also possible to add embossing during this operation.<br />

Accuracy is critical to ensure the cuts <strong>and</strong> creases are in exactly the right position.<br />

3 Source: https://www.procarton.com/why-cartons/carton-production/<br />

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The individual cartons are then stacked up <strong>and</strong> passed through to the next stage of<br />

production, folding <strong>and</strong> gluing.<br />

When the cartons have been cut <strong>and</strong> creased, they are moved through to the gluing line<br />

where the cartons are folded <strong>and</strong> glued. This is done on high-speed machines that, in one<br />

operation, fold the creases <strong>and</strong> glue the seams where necessary.<br />

The cartons are then packed <strong>for</strong> shipment to the carton user who puts them onto their<br />

packing line <strong>for</strong> filling.<br />

In addition to the typical processes outlined here, additional processes may also be<br />

required <strong>for</strong> specific design features, such as lamination, insertion of plastic window<br />

patches, etc.<br />

Methodology questions<br />

Boundaries <strong>and</strong> declared unit – cartonboard<br />

Gate-to-gate life cycle inventories <strong>for</strong> virgin cartonboard grades <strong>and</strong> recycled<br />

cartonboard grades are presented in the Table 2 according to the following declared unit:<br />

one air dry tonne (1000 kg) of net saleable paper at the parent reel,<br />

be<strong>for</strong>e conversion to finished products<br />

The system boundaries of the life cycle inventories <strong>for</strong> cartonboard include all activities<br />

within the papermill boundaries, including any integrated pulp production. Thus,<br />

included in the inventory are all the inputs <strong>and</strong> outputs (from/to the technosphere <strong>and</strong><br />

from/to nature) associated with:<br />

• Integrated pulp production from pulp wood/wood chips<br />

• Integrated pulp production from paper <strong>for</strong> recycling<br />

• Stock preparation, refining, <strong>and</strong> operation of the paper machine<br />

• Drying<br />

• Reeling <strong>and</strong> reel winding<br />

• Supporting activities used in paper production, e.g., water <strong>and</strong> solid waste treatment,<br />

onsite electricity <strong>and</strong> heat/steam generation.<br />

Figure 3 summarises the system boundaries. These system boundaries are representative<br />

of the core processes.<br />

In cases where the mill produces <strong>and</strong> sells excess energy (e.g., electricity or steam), this<br />

is treated as a multifunctional situation. The system provides two functions (i.e.,<br />

corrugated base paper plus energy). In this case, subdivision has been applied – i.e., only<br />

the inputs <strong>and</strong> outputs that are allocated to the paper production are reported in the life<br />

cycle inventory.<br />

No allocation was made to by-products such as tall oil, turpentine <strong>and</strong> wood/bark chips,<br />

so the reported inputs <strong>and</strong> outputs include the production of these by-products.<br />

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For those paper mills producing more than one grade of paper <strong>and</strong>/or market pulp it is<br />

necessary to allocate inputs <strong>and</strong> outputs to the different paper grades or pulp. Mill staff<br />

who filled in the questionnaire have made the allocation according to causality.<br />

Data has been collected relating to the following key non-fibre inputs to the pulp <strong>and</strong><br />

papermaking processes:<br />

• Sulphuric acid (H2SO4)<br />

• Sodium hydroxide (NaOH)<br />

• Oxygen (O2)<br />

• Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)<br />

• Sodium Chlorate (NaClO3)<br />

• Calcium oxide (CaO)<br />

• Chlorine dioxide (ClO2)<br />

• Sodium bisulphite (NaHSO3)<br />

• Ground calcium carbonate (GCC)<br />

• Precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) – purchased<br />

• Clay<br />

• Wet strength agent<br />

• Dry strength agent<br />

• Synthetic binders (latex)<br />

• Binders (other than latex)<br />

• Starch – maize<br />

• Starch – potato<br />

• Starch – corn/wheat<br />

• Starch – cationic<br />

• Starch - other<br />

The total mass of other non-fibre inputs not listed above is below 1% of the paper weight.<br />

In compliance with the defined cut-off criteria, these other non-fibre inputs have<br />

there<strong>for</strong>e been omitted from the study as insignificant.<br />

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Figure 3<br />

Gate-to-gate system boundaries – production of cartonboard<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


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System boundaries <strong>for</strong> carton production<br />

The gate-to-gate inventory <strong>for</strong> conversion of cartonboard into cartons is presented in<br />

Table 2 according to the following declared unit:<br />

one tonne (1000 kg) of printed, cut, creased, folded <strong>and</strong> glued cartons<br />

The system boundaries of the life cycle inventory <strong>for</strong> conversion of cartonboard into<br />

carton include all activities associated with processing cartonboard into cartons. Thus,<br />

included in the inventory are all the inputs <strong>and</strong> outputs (from/to the technosphere <strong>and</strong><br />

from/to nature) associated with:<br />

• Printing<br />

• Cutting <strong>and</strong> Creasing<br />

• Folding<br />

• Gluing<br />

• Supporting activities used in conversion process, e.g., onsite energy generation, such as<br />

space heating <strong>for</strong> the factory.<br />

Figure 4 summarises the system boundaries.<br />

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Figure 4<br />

Gate-to-gate system boundaries – production of cartons<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


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System boundaries <strong>for</strong> the aggregated results<br />

Also presented in Table 2 are aggregated results which consider <strong>and</strong> quantify the flows<br />

to <strong>and</strong> from the technosphere <strong>and</strong> the environment from the papermill in-gate to<br />

convertor out-gate, as illustrated in Figure 5. In order to complete a cradle-to-gate<br />

analysis <strong>for</strong> cartons, life cycle data <strong>for</strong> the items shown in red must be added. The<br />

declared unit <strong>for</strong> the aggregated results is the production of one tonne (1000kg) of<br />

printed, cut, creased, folded <strong>and</strong> glued cartons.<br />

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Figure 5<br />

System boundaries <strong>for</strong> the aggregated cartonboard <strong>and</strong> converting results<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


20<br />

Data description<br />

Questionnaire<br />

Data collection <strong>for</strong> cartonboard<br />

The data was collected via a bespoke questionnaire issued to the mills, requesting<br />

in<strong>for</strong>mation on the flows into <strong>and</strong> out of the mill. The questionnaire was designed to<br />

cover the main inputs to <strong>and</strong> outputs from the integrated pulp <strong>and</strong> papermaking<br />

processes, including the supporting ancillary processes such as energy production,<br />

wastewater treatment, etc. The questionnaires were reviewed by technical experts <strong>and</strong><br />

the peer reviewer be<strong>for</strong>e issuing to the industry. The questionnaires were issued during<br />

2022, <strong>and</strong> data was provided representative of production scenarios in 2021.<br />

The data <strong>for</strong> FBB were collected from fourteen mills owned <strong>and</strong> operated by six different<br />

companies, representing approximately 93% of the total production of this cartonboard<br />

grade in Europe. These paper grades are produced in large mills, located in the<br />

Netherl<strong>and</strong>s, Finl<strong>and</strong>, Germany, Pol<strong>and</strong>, Slovenia, Sweden <strong>and</strong> the UK. Their total<br />

production was >3,000,000 tonnes net saleable paper in 2021. The mills each have an<br />

annual production of FBB of between 50,000 <strong>and</strong> 350,000 tonnes net saleable paper.<br />

The data <strong>for</strong> the production of SUB/SBB were collected from three mills owned <strong>and</strong><br />

operated by two different companies, representing approximately 62% of the total<br />

production of this cartonboard grade in Europe. They were provided by paper mills in<br />

Finl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Sweden. Their total production was >630,000 tonne saleable paper in 2021.<br />

The mills each have an annual production of SUB/SBB of between 90,000 <strong>and</strong> 370,000<br />

tonnes net saleable paper. The data <strong>for</strong> the production of SUB/SBB includes production<br />

of coated, unbleached kraftboard.<br />

As data from only three mills operated by two different companies is available <strong>for</strong><br />

SUB/SBB, <strong>for</strong> confidentiality reasons it is not possible to publish a separate life cycle<br />

inventory <strong>for</strong> this grade. There<strong>for</strong>e, a single inventory is published <strong>for</strong> virgin<br />

cartonboard, which consists of both FBB <strong>and</strong> SUB/SBB, allowing <strong>for</strong> the relative<br />

production of each grade.<br />

The data <strong>for</strong> the production of WLC (recycled cartonboard) were collected from eight<br />

mills owned <strong>and</strong> operated by two different companies, representing approximately 53%<br />

of the total production of this cartonboard grade in Europe. They were provided by paper<br />

mills in Austria, Italy, Germany, Slovenia <strong>and</strong> Spain. Their total production was<br />

>2,100,000 tonne saleable paper in 2021. The mills each have an annual production of<br />

WLC of between 150,000 <strong>and</strong> 525,000 tonnes net saleable paper.<br />

For all cartonboard grades, data was collected covering the average market <strong>and</strong><br />

technology situation <strong>for</strong> the calendar year 2021. The collected data was sense-checked by<br />

technical experts <strong>and</strong> compiled as a weighted average representing production of each<br />

paper grade in 2021.<br />

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Data collection <strong>for</strong> carton production<br />

In order to gather data relating to converting, a questionnaire was designed covering the<br />

main inputs to <strong>and</strong> outputs from carton production processes. The questionnaires were<br />

reviewed by technical experts <strong>and</strong> the peer reviewer be<strong>for</strong>e issuing to the industry.<br />

The data on carton production are based on responses from 25 plants. The plants were<br />

located in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Pol<strong>and</strong>, Spain, Turkey <strong>and</strong> the United<br />

Kingdom.<br />

Together they produced 530,000 tonnes of cartons, which is approximately 10% of the<br />

total annual production of cartons in Europe. The production sites have an average<br />

annual production of cartons of 21,500 tonnes, varying from 700 – 75,000 tonnes each.<br />

Weighted averages<br />

The Annex presents the weighted averages of the inputs into <strong>and</strong> outputs from the sites<br />

(i.e., gate to gate) per tonne net saleable product <strong>for</strong> virgin cartonboard (FBB <strong>and</strong><br />

SUB/SBB, which is primarily made from primary fibres), <strong>for</strong> recycled cartonboard (WLC,<br />

which is primarily made from recovered fibres) <strong>and</strong> <strong>for</strong> cartons <strong>for</strong> 2021 from the<br />

participating paper mills <strong>and</strong> converting plants. It is important to underst<strong>and</strong> that the<br />

figures do not represent a certain mill or plant with a certain technology. On the contrary<br />

the figures represent a “virtual mill” <strong>and</strong> a “virtual converting plant” utilising different<br />

technologies. The technology which is applied in the participating paper mills <strong>and</strong><br />

converting plants is not the same.<br />

For example: some mills are fully integrated (produce all pulp required <strong>for</strong> board<br />

production onsite), some mills are non-integrated (purchase all pulp required <strong>for</strong> board<br />

production from other pulp mills); some mills are semi-integrated use a combined heat<br />

power generation; some wastewater treatment is external; a large variety of additives is<br />

used. In some cases, this leads to a large variation of inputs <strong>and</strong> outputs between the<br />

mills. Furthermore, different inputs <strong>and</strong> outputs are strongly interrelated, so a mill can<br />

be high in one input compared to the others but low in another input, but a mill cannot<br />

be low or high <strong>for</strong> both. There<strong>for</strong>e, no range of the data is given to prevent studies from<br />

being made using a false combination of highest or lowest data.<br />

Due to confidentiality requirements by the mills, it is not possible to split input <strong>and</strong><br />

output data per country. Similarly, a split in applied technologies is not possible.<br />

In the aggregated dataset, the separate life cycle inventories <strong>for</strong> cartonboard <strong>and</strong> <strong>for</strong><br />

carton production are combined to compile the life cycle inventory <strong>for</strong> an average tonne<br />

of cartons, considering both the production of the cartonboard <strong>and</strong> the conversion of the<br />

cartonboard into cartons. For this average carton scenario, the following composition<br />

has been assumed:<br />

• Virgin cartonboard 51%<br />

• Recycled cartonboard 49%<br />

These relative shares are calculated from the relative production of virgin <strong>and</strong> recycled<br />

cartonboard in Europe, <strong>and</strong> was confirmed by the data collected relating to board<br />

consumption at the converting plants.<br />

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Some converting plants use gravure printing processes <strong>for</strong> high-volume cartons, but this<br />

is less common. Gravure printing is more energy intensive compared to other printing<br />

processes. There<strong>for</strong>e, weighted average datasets were prepared <strong>for</strong> plants with gravure<br />

printing processes on site <strong>and</strong> <strong>for</strong> plants without gravure printing onsite, <strong>and</strong> these were<br />

then combined to produce the overall weighted average <strong>for</strong> converting processes. In<br />

preparing this overall weighted average, the following shares were considered <strong>for</strong> gravure<br />

<strong>and</strong> non-gravure printing:<br />

• Share of sites with gravure printing – 11.1%<br />

• Share of sites without gravure printing – 88.9%<br />

In the aggregated dataset <strong>for</strong> carton production, the relative virgin <strong>and</strong> recycled<br />

cartonboard shares are used to calculate the inputs <strong>and</strong> outputs <strong>for</strong> the weighted average<br />

cartonboard. The paper production inputs <strong>and</strong> outputs are then multiplied with the<br />

average input of paper (1.1689 tonnes of cartonboard per tonne of cartons) <strong>and</strong> added up<br />

to the inputs <strong>and</strong> outputs per tonne of carton converting as reported in the Annex. This<br />

total includes the production of the cartonboard that is used to produce the cartons,<br />

including the 14.5% losses that are reported as “paper <strong>for</strong> recycling”. It has to be kept in<br />

mind that the industry averages <strong>for</strong> inputs of cartonboard, glue, inks, etc are used.<br />

<strong>Carton</strong>s are far from st<strong>and</strong>ardised <strong>and</strong> inputs of depend on the specific box design.<br />

Material inputs<br />

Raw materials - fibre<br />

The wood input has been reported as bone dry solid wood under bark. The species are<br />

specified, although in the datasets they are reported only as softwood or hardwood.<br />

>80% of the pulp wood used <strong>for</strong> the production of cartonboard by the companies<br />

returning the survey was certified <strong>and</strong> third party verified as being sourced from<br />

sustainable managed <strong>for</strong>ests <strong>and</strong> delivered through a certified chain-of-custody system<br />

(PEFC or similar). A similar proportion of the purchased pulp is also certified <strong>and</strong> third<br />

party verified as being sourced from sustainable managed <strong>for</strong>ests. The input of recovered<br />

paper has been reported as total weight including moisture <strong>and</strong> other materials (s<strong>and</strong>,<br />

metal objects, plastics, wood etc.). In <strong>European</strong> countries the water content of recovered<br />

paper is generally assumed to be about 10%. The total input of recovered paper is given.<br />

The content of other materials in the recovered paper is about 8%. These materials are<br />

eliminated from the pulp as rejects during the pulping. It is estimated that about a third<br />

of these rejects are materials that were associated with the previous use of the paper (<strong>for</strong><br />

example, staples, paper clips, tags, adhesive labels, unrecovered fibres, etc). The<br />

remaining two thirds is material that is not in any way associated with the previous use<br />

of the paper (<strong>for</strong> example, <strong>for</strong>eign items such as textiles, plastic packaging, glass, s<strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>and</strong> grit, etc).<br />

Non-integrated <strong>and</strong> semi-integrated mills buy mechanical <strong>and</strong> chemical pulp. The pulp<br />

data are reported in bone dry 4 weight, which is normally 90% of the wet (air dry) weight.<br />

4 Bone dry weight: weight without any water<br />

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Chemicals <strong>and</strong> other non-fibre inputs<br />

Data were collected <strong>for</strong> chemicals <strong>and</strong> other non-fibre inputs to the cartonboard<br />

mills which may be used either within the process or as additives. Chemicals are given<br />

as dry weight. Some of the inputs have been reported grouped together according<br />

to their function in the mill. The functional additives, mainly starch, influence the<br />

properties of the paper, whilst process additives are used to guarantee that the<br />

process of paper production runs smoothly or to increase the production. Water<br />

treatment additives include additives used <strong>for</strong> all water treatment on the site,<br />

including the treatment of water <strong>for</strong> the power station, paper production <strong>and</strong><br />

wastewater treatment if this is done internally. The different mills use a large<br />

variety of process <strong>and</strong> water treatment chemicals. Those that are commonly used<br />

<strong>and</strong> are above the cut-off criterion per mill are reported in the database. A very<br />

limited quantity of other additives <strong>and</strong> chemicals are also used, e.g. Carboxymethyl<br />

cellulose (CMC), Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), Sodium hypochlorite,<br />

Polyvinyl alcohol, Alkyl succinic anhydride (ASA) sizer, talc, Polyacrylate, PEI, optical<br />

brightener, rosin. Collectively, these additional additives <strong>and</strong> chemicals account <strong>for</strong><br />

less than 1% of the material inputs to the manufacturing of cartonboard.<br />

Other than cartonboard, the main input <strong>for</strong> carton production is inks <strong>and</strong><br />

varnish, followed by glues. However, these inputs account <strong>for</strong> less than 2% of<br />

the overall composition of the cartons.<br />

Packaging<br />

Data on cores <strong>and</strong> other packaging materials associated with paper reels was<br />

not collected <strong>and</strong> updated <strong>for</strong> 2021. Looking at previous data collections, the values<br />

showed little change over the years <strong>and</strong> other LCA studies show that the impacts<br />

of these packaging components are relatively small.<br />

Data <strong>for</strong> packaging materials used around converted cartons (stretch/shrink wrap<br />

<strong>and</strong> corrugated packaging) was collected <strong>and</strong> updated <strong>for</strong> 2021. Pallets are also used<br />

in the logistic operations of the carton industry. However, data on usage of pallets has<br />

not been collected. Previous iterations of the study have shown that the reported data<br />

on the use of pallets are confusing because of the complexity of the matter. Pallets can<br />

be returnable or one-way, only used internally in the plants <strong>and</strong> produced of wood,<br />

plastic or paper/ wood combinations. Previously some plants have reported their use<br />

in number of pallets while others have reported in kilogram pallet per tonne net<br />

saleable product, making it difficult to produce a meaningful figure.<br />

Allocation of raw materials to paper grades when a mill produces<br />

multiple products<br />

The basic data <strong>for</strong> raw materials <strong>and</strong> chemical inputs are mainly based on recipes used<br />

<strong>for</strong> the production of the specific products produced at each mill (i.e., allocation based<br />

on causality). Where this was not possible, allocation was made according to the<br />

mass production of the different papers produced at the mill.<br />

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Material outputs<br />

The main output from the paper mills is of course cartonboard. This includes about 2 kg<br />

of cores <strong>and</strong> plugs per tonne paper, which are considered <strong>and</strong> weighed as part of the net<br />

saleable product. The carton converting plants produce cartons. The average moisture<br />

content of the saleable product is estimated at 8% <strong>for</strong> both virgin cartonboard <strong>and</strong><br />

recycled cartonboard. The main saleable by-products from the production of virgin<br />

cartonboard production are tall oil, tall soap <strong>and</strong> turpentine. In addition, some process<br />

residues are utilised as raw materials in other industrial processes. To aid LCA<br />

practitioners in deciding what burdens should be considered <strong>for</strong> residues, the end-of-life<br />

management destinations <strong>for</strong> each residue stream are indicated in the inventories.<br />

Residues<br />

All residues are reported as wet weight, separated according to their basic nature.<br />

Residues are only reported where they leave the system boundaries (i.e., where they are<br />

removed from <strong>and</strong> managed away from the site). As the mill is considered as a blackbox,<br />

energy <strong>and</strong> emissions associated with managing residues internally (onsite) are included<br />

within the gate-to-gate inventory data. The treatment option <strong>for</strong> residues was not<br />

reported by all mills, so extrapolation has been necessary from those mills which did<br />

report this in<strong>for</strong>mation.<br />

For the residue stream Rejects from paper <strong>for</strong> recycling, which is mainly rejects from<br />

pulp preparation from recovered paper, it is estimated that about a third is due to<br />

rejected materials that were associated with the previous use of the paper (<strong>for</strong> example,<br />

staples, paper clips, tags, adhesive labels, unrecovered fibres, etc). The remaining two<br />

thirds is material that is not in any way associated with the previous use of the paper (<strong>for</strong><br />

example, <strong>for</strong>eign items such as textiles, plastic packaging, glass, s<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> grit, etc).<br />

Primary fibre sludge <strong>and</strong> biological treatment sludge from wastewater treatment in mills<br />

are mostly recycled in the process <strong>and</strong> do not leave the site. Where they are exported<br />

from the site <strong>for</strong> treatment, they are mostly recycled (e.g. as an input into the production<br />

of construction materials, as an input into corrugated or tissue production, or as animal<br />

bedding), but may also be applied to l<strong>and</strong> as a soil improver (l<strong>and</strong>spreading), composted<br />

or incinerated with energy recovery. No mills reported sending organic sludges to<br />

l<strong>and</strong>fill.<br />

Ashes, green liquor sludge <strong>and</strong> lime mud are commonly reported residues from the<br />

production of primary fibre-based paper. Ashes are predominantly recycled (as an input<br />

into construction materials) but may also be applied to l<strong>and</strong> as a soil improver<br />

(l<strong>and</strong>spreading). Green liquor dregs may also be recycled (as an input into construction<br />

materials), although a proportion of this residue stream is currently disposed of to<br />

ordinary l<strong>and</strong>fill sites. Lime mud is predominantly applied to l<strong>and</strong> as a soil improver<br />

(l<strong>and</strong>spreading).<br />

For carton production the main waste stream is paper <strong>for</strong> recycling, which is recycled<br />

<strong>and</strong> thus should not be called waste but recyclable material.<br />

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25<br />

Allocation of residues to paper grades when a mill produces more than one<br />

paper grade<br />

Data <strong>for</strong> material outputs are based on measurements. These have to be done because<br />

the mills have to pay <strong>for</strong> l<strong>and</strong>fill <strong>and</strong> incineration or get paid <strong>for</strong> residues that are reused<br />

or recycled, like lubricants, according to the weight. When of residues between products<br />

was required, this was done on the basis of causality wherever possible. Where this was<br />

not possible, allocation was made according to mass of the different papers produced.<br />

Energy input <strong>and</strong> output<br />

Fuel inputs to the sites are reported in GJ. The lower calorific heat values have been used<br />

to calculate GJ from m3 or tonnes of fuel. Fossil fuel <strong>and</strong> biomass fuel have been reported<br />

separately. The energy figures <strong>for</strong> the sites include both energy <strong>for</strong> process <strong>and</strong> energy<br />

<strong>for</strong> infrastructure. No attempts have been made to differentiate between these two types<br />

of energy usage because process energy dominates (98% or more <strong>for</strong> the cartoboard<br />

mills, although space heating can be a significant share of the thermal energy consumed<br />

at converting plants).<br />

Input of electricity into the sites is also reported. Electricity produced at the site itself is<br />

not reported. Some mills sell energy externally in the <strong>for</strong>m of electricity, steam or warm<br />

water. The production sites are treated as a black box in the database, giving data on<br />

inputs <strong>and</strong> outputs only. Because no in<strong>for</strong>mation is given about what happens within the<br />

box it is not possible to calculate an energy balance with the data in the database. Within<br />

this black box, energy is recovered through the burning of black liquor <strong>and</strong> bark from the<br />

wood coming in at production sites <strong>for</strong> primary fibre-based cartonboard production. For<br />

some FBB <strong>and</strong> SUB/SBB mills, most of the energy used in the process comes from<br />

internal burning of the black liquor. This inherent energy is not reported as part of the<br />

fuel input in the gate-to-gate inventory, although it is reported separately in Table 3. The<br />

total energy input <strong>for</strong> the process <strong>for</strong> virgin cartonboard production including the black<br />

liquor burning is around 12.5 GJ/tonne. The total energy input <strong>for</strong> the production of<br />

recycled cartonboard is around 10 GJ/tonne. The total energy input <strong>for</strong> the process of<br />

testliner <strong>and</strong> recycled fluting production is around 6.5 GJ/tonne. Combined heat power<br />

generation is applied at most of the production sites, but not always in the same way. The<br />

combined heat power generation can cover all or part of the steam consumption (Figure<br />

6). When it covers only part of the steam consumption, then additional boilers also<br />

produce steam. The process always uses more heat (steam) than electricity. There<strong>for</strong>e,<br />

when the installation is designed to cover the whole steam consumption more electricity<br />

is generated than is needed <strong>for</strong> the process. The excess of electricity is sold to the public<br />

grid. There are two possible ways of treating this excess electricity in an LCA.<br />

a. The production of electricity is an integral part of the cartonboard production: it would<br />

not be produced if the paper were not produced. <strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> is thus considered as the<br />

only “product” of the process. In an LCA this would mean that electricity generation <strong>for</strong><br />

the public grid is “saved” when an excess of electricity produced at a paper mill is sold to<br />

the public grid. Thus, environmental inputs <strong>and</strong> outputs are saved since combined heat<br />

power installation produces electricity with a higher efficiency than the public grid.<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


26<br />

b. Another possibility is to consider the paper <strong>and</strong> excess electricity as co-products.<br />

<strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> <strong>and</strong> electricity are then both “products” from the process. In an LCA this<br />

would require allocation of inputs <strong>and</strong> outputs to both products.<br />

The reported weighted averages of the fuel consumption <strong>and</strong> emission to air associated<br />

with the cartonboard production are calculated according to method b, as this has<br />

become common practice at the mills. This means that the fuel consumption <strong>and</strong><br />

emissions to air reported in the inventories do not include the production of the sold<br />

electricity <strong>and</strong> the amount of the sold electricity is not reported. This was calculated as<br />

follows: the fuel consumption <strong>and</strong> emissions to air associated with the total heat<br />

production <strong>and</strong> the net electricity used on site were allocated to the cartonboard<br />

production<br />

Figure 6<br />

CHP, Combined heat <strong>and</strong> power generation<br />

Diesel or gasoil/LPG used <strong>for</strong> internal transports are also reported in the inventories.<br />

Allocation of energy to paper grades when a mill produces more than one<br />

paper grade<br />

Purchased energy <strong>and</strong> fuels are measured, because they paid <strong>for</strong>. Allocation <strong>for</strong> fuels <strong>and</strong><br />

electricity input is calculated according to energy (heat <strong>and</strong> electricity) required <strong>for</strong> the<br />

production of the different paper grades. Allocation of the other fuels, such as diesel oil<br />

used <strong>for</strong> internal transportation, was calculated according to mass production of each<br />

paper grade.<br />

Water inputs <strong>and</strong> outputs<br />

When paper mills use water, they do not consume this water during the production<br />

process. After (re)use it is returned to the rivers, lakes or seas as cooling water <strong>and</strong><br />

purified effluent water. A limited amount of water is evaporated (about 1-1.5 m3/tonne<br />

nsp) in the drying section of the paper production. The water debate focuses on the<br />

impact of water consumption. This is best reflected in the local water availability rather<br />

than in the amount of water taken into the mills. There<strong>for</strong>e, the appropriate indicator is<br />

the net difference of water taken in <strong>and</strong> water returned to the rivers or lakes (water<br />

consumed, not taken in).<br />

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27<br />

Transport<br />

The transport distances of wood raw materials from the harvesting sites in the <strong>for</strong>ests to<br />

the mills have been reported separately <strong>for</strong> trucks, rail <strong>and</strong> ships. The trucks <strong>and</strong> rail<br />

wagons are normally loaded to full capacity but go back empty. The trucks carry 40-44<br />

tonnes of wood. This in<strong>for</strong>mation has been collected on a species-by-species basis <strong>for</strong><br />

each mill, considering the wet weight of the wood. Data has also been collected <strong>for</strong> the<br />

delivery of sawmill residues <strong>and</strong> similar sources of fibre. Distances <strong>and</strong> tonnages of wood<br />

delivered have then been used to calculate the total t.km <strong>for</strong> delivery of wood by each<br />

mode of transport (truck, rail <strong>and</strong> boat). This is then used to calculate the t.km/t of<br />

production <strong>for</strong> each grade at each mill, calculated on a mill-by-mill, input-by-input basis.<br />

A weighted average t.km is then calculated based on the relative production share of each<br />

mill.<br />

A similar approach is applied <strong>for</strong> calculating the transport requirements <strong>for</strong> recovered<br />

paper. Transport distances from point of origin of the recovered paper bales to the mills<br />

have been reported on a recovered paper grade-by-grade basis <strong>for</strong> each mill. Distances<br />

<strong>and</strong> tonnages of recovered paper delivered have then been used to calculate the total t.km<br />

<strong>for</strong> delivery of recovered paper by each mode of transport (truck, rail <strong>and</strong> boat). This is<br />

then used to calculate the t.km/t of production <strong>for</strong> each grade at each mill, calculated on<br />

a mill-by-mill, input-by-input basis. A weighted average t.km is then based on the<br />

relative production share of each mill. Generally, the lorries are loaded to full capacity.<br />

On the return trip it is estimated that 40% of the trucks return empty. Assuming this is<br />

transported by a truck with a loading capacity of 40 tonnes this means that this figure<br />

has to be used in combination with data on inputs <strong>and</strong> outputs <strong>for</strong> transport by a 40t<br />

truck.<br />

Similar data has also been collected <strong>and</strong> applied to estimate the transport associated with<br />

non-fibre inputs. Transport data has been collected <strong>for</strong> the most important non-fibre<br />

inputs (sulphuric acid, sodium hydroxide, oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, sodium chlorate,<br />

calcium oxide, chlorine dioxide, sodium bisulphite, synthetic binders (latex), ground<br />

calcium carbonate, precipitated calcium carbon (purchased), clay, wet strength, AKD<br />

sizer, <strong>and</strong> starches).<br />

Data has also been collected regarding the average transport of the residues from the<br />

paper mill to the residue treatment process. Where no data was available relating to the<br />

transport distance <strong>for</strong> selected residue streams, a worst case scenario of 100km is<br />

assumed.<br />

Data was also collected from the papermills on average delivery distances <strong>and</strong> modes of<br />

transports to their customers. This data was provided on a product-by-product basis <strong>and</strong><br />

was used to calculate a weighted average t.km <strong>for</strong> delivery of cartonboard to the carton<br />

converting plants. However, any one carton converting plant will of course source the<br />

substrates they use from many different suppliers. There<strong>for</strong>e, the values presented in the<br />

inventory are only indicative <strong>and</strong> in practice users of the data may wish to consider<br />

delivery of materials on a case-by-case.<br />

Internal transport is included in the energy input.<br />

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28<br />

Emissions to air<br />

Emissions from fuel combustion (transport, electricity generation <strong>for</strong> the public grid)<br />

outside the mill are not included in the data. In case the site sold electricity, the emissions<br />

associated with the sold electricity are not included. Emissions to air from the sites have<br />

been reported. For dust, TRS (H2S), NOx <strong>and</strong> SOx the figures from the paper mills are<br />

mostly based on measurements. For CO2, the figures reported are based on emissions<br />

reported to authorities where provided, or where these were not provided they are based<br />

on calculations considering the rules consumed. CO2 emissions are reported separately<br />

<strong>for</strong> fossil <strong>and</strong> biomass origin.<br />

<strong>Carton</strong> converting plants have no measured air emission data to report. There<strong>for</strong>e, the<br />

air emission figures <strong>for</strong> carton converting reported in the inventory are calculated from<br />

reported figures <strong>for</strong> consumption of different fuels in the converting plants. Unless the<br />

sites reported a specific emission factor, the emission factors in Table 1 were used <strong>for</strong> the<br />

calculations.<br />

Table 1 Default factors <strong>for</strong> calculating CO2 emissions to air from fuels<br />

Fuel type<br />

Emission factor (kgCO2/GJ)<br />

Fossil fuels<br />

Natural gas 56<br />

Heavy fuel oil 77<br />

Light fuel oil 74<br />

Diesel oil 74<br />

LPG 65<br />

Hard coal 95<br />

Brown coal (lignite) 101<br />

Brown coal (briquettes) 98<br />

Peat 106<br />

Bio-based fuels<br />

Wood, bark 125<br />

Black liquor 110<br />

Biogas 55<br />

Emissions to air in the flue gas from the CHP power station are given <strong>for</strong> the mills that<br />

use combined heat power generation. Emissions from the incineration of rejects with<br />

energy recovery at the mill are included. Emissions in the steam from the drying section<br />

of the paper machines are not included. When mills have anaerobic wastewater<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


29<br />

treatment on the site, biogas originating from this process is used as a fuel by the mill.<br />

The emissions to air originating from the use of biogas as fuel are included.<br />

Very few mills were able to report any figures <strong>for</strong> emissions to air such as metals etc.<br />

Where data was reported the same substances were not always covered <strong>and</strong> where<br />

common emissions were reported these showed a large variation per mill, primarily due<br />

to differences in measuring/monitoring <strong>and</strong>/or calculation regimes. There<strong>for</strong>e, this<br />

in<strong>for</strong>mation has not been included in the datasets. For conducting their own LCI or LCA<br />

studies, users of the dataset are advised that they should include such emissions. These<br />

can be estimated through the application of st<strong>and</strong>ard emissions data <strong>for</strong> the combustion<br />

of different fossil fuels, together with the amount of fossil fuels used in the processes (as<br />

indicated in the inventories). This will allow an estimation to be made of the order of<br />

magnitude of these emissions.<br />

Allocation of emissions to paper grades when a mill produces more than one<br />

paper grade<br />

Emissions to air are calculated from measurements, applied technology, permit values<br />

or from the input of fuels. Necessary allocations were done in the same way as <strong>for</strong> energy<br />

input.<br />

Emissions to water<br />

Water that is taken in must be treated be<strong>for</strong>e it is used in the process, <strong>and</strong> it is again<br />

treated after the process be<strong>for</strong>e it is released as effluent to a recipient. The substances in<br />

the effluent after wastewater treatment are reported. All mills have some sort of effluent<br />

water treatment, either mechanical treatment by sedimentation or in addition biological<br />

anaerobic <strong>and</strong> aerobic or chemical treatment of the effluent. A few mills send their<br />

effluent water to an external communal treatment plant. The volume of effluent water is<br />

reported separately <strong>for</strong> treated process water <strong>and</strong> thermally polluted effluent (e.g.,<br />

cooling water). All mills have reported the figures <strong>for</strong> outgoing effluent water to the<br />

recipient body (i.e., effluent water after final treatment). The amount of substances<br />

(COD, BOD, suspended solids, AOX, Total N, Total P) per m3 of effluent from the<br />

different mills show very little variation when the efficiency of the waste water treatment<br />

station is the same. The amount of substances per tonne paper production may however<br />

vary according to the amount of effluent, depending on specific circumstances in the<br />

paper production process in the different mills. In the questionnaire <strong>for</strong> data collection,<br />

a number of other emissions were reported by some mills, such as oils, nitrates, acids,<br />

chlorate, chlorides, borates, phenol, Hg, Pb etc. However, few mills reported these<br />

figures, probably because there are no or few measurements. Subsequently, only COD,<br />

BOD5, suspended solids, total nitrogen <strong>and</strong> total phosphorus, which are based on data<br />

from most mills, in addition to the total volume of effluent waters are reported. Due to<br />

the water treatment it is possible that the content of certain substances per m3 is higher<br />

if the water is taken from a river than in the effluent released into the river. In an LCA<br />

this would mean that the production of paper could be credited <strong>for</strong> the reduction in<br />

substances, although in practice this rarely happens. This principle is illustrated in<br />

Figure 7.<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


30<br />

Figure 7<br />

Potential credit <strong>for</strong> reduction of substances in the effluent water<br />

Since only a few mills analyse their incoming water the available data cannot be<br />

considered as representative. There<strong>for</strong>e, only data <strong>for</strong> the emissions to the recipient are<br />

given, without taking into account the substances in the incoming water. Most of the<br />

cartonboard plants have internal wastewater treatment, <strong>and</strong> in some cases this is then<br />

further treated externally afterwards. In case the wastewater is not further treated<br />

externally <strong>and</strong> released to the environment, the emission level of substances is so low<br />

that reporting them is not required by authorities.<br />

Besides the substances reported in Table 4, very few plants have also given data on some<br />

of the following emissions: metals (Cadmium, Chromium, Lead, Nickel, Iron, Boron,<br />

Aluminium), Chlorine <strong>and</strong> Phosphorus. The amounts are below 0.001 kg/tonne nsp <strong>and</strong><br />

are not reported in the inventories.<br />

Allocation of emissions to paper grades when a mill produces more than one<br />

paper grade<br />

As far as waterborne emissions per m3 are measured <strong>for</strong> a mill, these data are well<br />

documented. The figures reported are usually based on continuous measurements<br />

according to control programmes set by official authorities. Given emissions to water are<br />

generally measured according to st<strong>and</strong>ard methodology, although <strong>for</strong> COD <strong>and</strong> BOD<br />

results can be significantly different if measured on a homogenous sample or on a settled<br />

sample. Where necessary, allocation between paper grades is done according to mass of<br />

produced paper grade.<br />

Data on emissions to water from the carton converting plants were also collected.<br />

However, the converting plants are not subject to Industrial Emissions legislation, <strong>and</strong><br />

there<strong>for</strong>e the quantity <strong>and</strong> quality of available data is inconsistent. This is further<br />

complicated by the fact that the cartonboard plants do not all have their own effluent<br />

treatment facilities or treat only certain aspects of the wastewater associated with specific<br />

processes (<strong>for</strong> example, ink recovery). Many plants discharge a proportion of their<br />

wastewater under specific agreement to public effluent treatment facilities <strong>and</strong><br />

there<strong>for</strong>e do not have access to data on the releases to the environment (after final<br />

treatment). For this reason, data representative of emissions after a public wastewater<br />

treatment plant should be considered <strong>for</strong> the waste emissions from the converting<br />

plants.<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


31<br />

Data<br />

Coverage <strong>and</strong> comparability of the datasets<br />

Pro <strong>Carton</strong> has previously surveyed the environmental per<strong>for</strong>mance of the<br />

cartonboard <strong>and</strong> carton industry. Inevitably, over time the coverage of the surveys has<br />

changed:<br />

• Old paper mills <strong>and</strong> converting facilities have closed <strong>and</strong> new mills <strong>and</strong> converting<br />

facilities have opened<br />

• Mills may change the grades of board they are producing<br />

• Additional mills <strong>and</strong> converting facilities may have opted to participate in the survey<br />

whilst others have dropped out of participation, changing the coverage <strong>and</strong><br />

representativeness of the datasets<br />

In particular, <strong>for</strong> the 2021 survey compared to the previous survey in 2018:<br />

• 9 mills producing approximately 3,000,000 tonnes of WLC contributed to the 2021<br />

survey compared to 8 mills producing approximately 2,000,000 tonnes participating in<br />

the 2018 survey<br />

• 14 mills producing approximately 2,250,000 tonnes of FBB contributed to the 2021<br />

survey compared to 10 mills producing approximately 2,000,000 tonnes participating in<br />

the 2018 survey<br />

• 3 mills producing approximately 630,000 tonnes of SBB/SUB contributed to the 2021<br />

survey compared to 4 mills producing approximately 1,000,000 tonnes participating in<br />

the 2018 survey<br />

• 25 converting plants producing approximately 530,000 tonnes of cartons contributed to<br />

the 2021 survey compared to 33 converting plants producing approximately 450,000<br />

tonnes participating in the 2018 survey.<br />

With the exception of SBB/SUB production, the share of the market covered in the<br />

surveys has been increased. These changes in participation in the survey mean that the<br />

weighted averages generated are there<strong>for</strong>e more representative of average <strong>European</strong><br />

production, <strong>and</strong> there<strong>for</strong>e represents an improvement in the quality of the datasets. This<br />

change in coverage of the surveys should be borne in mind when comparing the weighted<br />

average results in the previous editions of the report.<br />

Relationship to the Product Environmental<br />

Footprint (PEF)<br />

Over the course of multiple iterations of the project a robust process has been developed<br />

in which the data provided is processed <strong>and</strong> checked by both LCA practitioners <strong>and</strong><br />

industry experts. The process <strong>and</strong> data are then subjected to an independent peer review.<br />

This experience has led to the generation of a well-respected <strong>and</strong> transparent life cycle<br />

inventory dataset <strong>for</strong> the production of cartonboard <strong>and</strong> the conversion of cartonboard<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


32<br />

into cartons. This process <strong>and</strong> the data collected mirrors the data collection <strong>and</strong> life cycle<br />

inventories presented by other sectors in the paper <strong>and</strong> board packaging industry 5 .<br />

There<strong>for</strong>e, Pro <strong>Carton</strong> intends to continue to collect <strong>and</strong> process the data using the same<br />

methods <strong>and</strong> present the in<strong>for</strong>mation in the same <strong>for</strong>mat.<br />

More recently, the <strong>European</strong> Commission has proposed the Product Environmental<br />

Footprint (PEF) as a common way of measuring environmental per<strong>for</strong>mance 6 . To<br />

facilitate the adoption of the PEF methodology, the <strong>European</strong> Commission is developing<br />

a database of life cycle inventory data. Category rules <strong>for</strong> compiling life cycle studies in<br />

compliance with the PEF methodology are also in development. PEF category rules have<br />

already been published <strong>for</strong> Intermediate Paper Products 7 , but no category rules have<br />

been published covering the conversion of these into end products.<br />

The PEF methodology is still in development <strong>and</strong> open to discussion, <strong>and</strong> category rules<br />

are currently only available <strong>for</strong> the production of base papers not including conversion.<br />

There<strong>for</strong>e, whilst the data <strong>for</strong> this life cycle inventory has been collected with reference<br />

to the PEF <strong>and</strong>, where relevant, the Product Category rules <strong>for</strong> Intermediate Paper<br />

Products, no claim of compliance with the PEF methodology or data requirements is<br />

made.<br />

Results<br />

Life cycle inventory <strong>for</strong> cartonboard <strong>and</strong> cartons 2021<br />

Table 2 presents the gate-to-gate life cycle inventories <strong>for</strong>:<br />

• <strong>Production</strong> of cartonboard manufactured primarily from primary fibres: Folding<br />

Box Board (FBB) <strong>and</strong> Solid Bleached Board/Solid Unbleached Board (SBB/SUB)<br />

• <strong>Production</strong> of cartonboard manufactured primarily from recovered fibres: White<br />

Lined Chip (WLC)<br />

• Conversion of cartonboard into blank cartons, including die cutting, creasing,<br />

printing <strong>and</strong> where applicable folding/gluing<br />

• An aggregated dataset, which considers the production of average <strong>European</strong><br />

cartonboard <strong>and</strong> the conversion of this average cartonboard into cartons.<br />

5 e.g., <strong>European</strong> <strong>Database</strong> <strong>for</strong> Corrugated Board Life Cycle Studies, FEFCO <strong>and</strong> Cepi<br />

Containerboard, 2021<br />

6<br />

https://eplca.jrc.ec.europa.eu/EnvironmentalFootprint.html?msclkid=d1c44024bd6311ec9a316<br />

02979545205<br />

7 Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules: Intermediate Paper Products, CEPI, October<br />

2018<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


33<br />

Table 2 Gate-to-gate life cycle inventories<br />

Recycled<br />

cartonboard<br />

Virgin<br />

cartonboard<br />

<strong>Carton</strong><br />

conversion<br />

Aggregated<br />

average board<br />

production <strong>and</strong><br />

cartton<br />

conversion<br />

PRODUCT &<br />

REFERENCE<br />

FLOW<br />

tonne net<br />

saleable product<br />

1 1 1 1<br />

SOLD BYPRODUCTS<br />

Tall oil/Tall soap kg/t 0.00 0.39 - 0.23<br />

Turpentine kg/t 0.00 0.11 - 0.06<br />

RAW MATERIAL<br />

Wood consumption<br />

as bone dry<br />

weight (= 45% of<br />

transported total<br />

wet weight)<br />

Softwood logs – total t/t 0.006 0.380 - 0.230<br />

Hardwood logs t/t 0.000 0.153 - 0.091<br />

Sawmill residues softwood t/t 0.031 0.125 - 0.093<br />

Sawmill residue hardwood t/t 0.000 0.005 - 0.003<br />

Total wood t/t 0.037 0.633 - 0.398<br />

Recovered paper<br />

as wet mass<br />

Mixed grades t/t 0.707 0.017 - 0.415<br />

Corrugated <strong>and</strong> Kraft, preconsumer<br />

t/t 0.024 0.000 - 0.014<br />

Corrugated <strong>and</strong> Kraft, postconsumer<br />

t/t 0.019 0.000 - 0.011<br />

Newspaper <strong>and</strong> Magazines t/t 0.018 0.000 - 0.010<br />

Other grades t/t 0.077 0.003 - 0.045<br />

Total recovered paper t/t 0.845 0.020 - 0.496<br />

Purchased pulp consumption as bone dry<br />

weight<br />

Bleached kraft pulp, eucalyptus kg/t 0.0 10.8 - 6.4<br />

Bleached kraft pulp, hardwood kg/t 1.0 154.9 - 92.9<br />

Bleached kraft pulp, softwood kg/t 0.0 40.9 - 24.4<br />

Bleached sulphite pulp, hardwood kg/t 0.0 38.7 - 23.1<br />

Mechanical wood pulp kg/t 26.1 0.0 - 15.0<br />

Semi-chemical wood pulp kg/t 0.5 99.8 - 59.7<br />

Thermomechanical pulp kg/t 0.0 18.9 - 11.3<br />

Unbleached kraft pulp, softwood kg/t 0.0 0.7 - 0.4<br />

CTMP kg/t 0.3 1.8 - 1.2<br />

Other kg/t 5.8 12.5 - 10.8<br />

Total purchased pulp kg/t 33.6 378.9 - 245.2<br />

Paper consumption <strong>for</strong><br />

carton production<br />

Total t/t - - - 1.169<br />

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34<br />

Recycled<br />

cartonboard<br />

Virgin<br />

cartonboard<br />

<strong>Carton</strong><br />

conversion<br />

Aggregated<br />

average board<br />

production <strong>and</strong><br />

cartton<br />

conversion<br />

PRODUCT &<br />

REFERENCE<br />

FLOW<br />

tonne net<br />

saleable product<br />

1 1 1 1<br />

ENERGY INPUTS<br />

Purchased energy<br />

Purchased heat/steam GJ/t 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000<br />

Bought electricity GJ/t 0.609 2.255 0.902 2.595<br />

Purchased fossil fuels<br />

Natural gas GJ/t 5.168 2.056 0.246 4.432<br />

Heavy fuel oil GJ/t 0.000 0.068 0.015 0.055<br />

Light fuel oil GJ/t 0.000 0.076 0.018 0.064<br />

Diesel oil GJ/t 0.026 0.003 0.007 0.023<br />

LPG GJ/t 0.002 0.651 0.000 0.389<br />

Coal GJ/t 0.703 0.263 0.001 0.561<br />

Lignite GJ/t 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000<br />

Peat GJ/t 0.000 0.132 0.000 0.078<br />

Refuse derived fuel (RDF) - fossil GJ/t 0.000 0.126 0.000 0.075<br />

Others GJ/t 0.000 0.000 0.001 0.001<br />

Total fossil fuels GJ/t 5.899 3.374 0.296 5.696<br />

Purchased renewable fuels<br />

Bark GJ/t 0.000 0.997 0.000 0.595<br />

Scrap wood GJ/t 0.000 0.479 0.000 0.286<br />

Total renewable fuels GJ/t 0.000 1.476 0.000 0.675<br />

Total purchased fuel GJ/t 5.899 4.850 0.306 6.576<br />

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35<br />

Recycled<br />

cartonboard<br />

Virgin<br />

cartonboard<br />

<strong>Carton</strong><br />

conversion<br />

Aggregated<br />

average board<br />

production <strong>and</strong><br />

cartton<br />

conversion<br />

PRODUCT &<br />

REFERENCE<br />

FLOW<br />

tonne net<br />

saleable product<br />

1 1 1 1<br />

WATER INPUTS<br />

Ground water (non-renewable) m 3 /t 0.00 0.35 0.04 0.25<br />

Ground water (renewable) m 3 /t 5.34 0.08 0.01 3.11<br />

Surface water - lake m 3 /t 0.48 27.98 0.00 16.95<br />

Surface water - river m 3 /t 3.88 10.98 0.00 8.77<br />

Sea water m 3 /t 0.00 0.32 0.01 0.20<br />

Municipal water m 3 /t 0.03 0.42 0.16 0.426<br />

Rainwater m 3 /t 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00<br />

Other water received m 3 /t 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00<br />

Input total m 3 /t 9.73 40.13 0.22 29.71<br />

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Recycled<br />

cartonboard<br />

Virgin<br />

cartonboard<br />

<strong>Carton</strong><br />

conversion<br />

Aggregated<br />

average board<br />

production <strong>and</strong><br />

cartton<br />

conversion<br />

PRODUCT &<br />

REFERENCE<br />

FLOW<br />

tonne net<br />

saleable product<br />

1 1 1 1<br />

NON-FIBRE INPUTS (PROCESS CHEMICALS AND ADDITIVES), DRY MASS<br />

AKD sizer kg/t 0.25 0.30 - 0.33<br />

Alum (Al2(SO4)3 kg/t 0.003 1.93 - 1.15<br />

Binders (other than latex) kg/t 2.68 0.00 - 1.54<br />

CaCO 3 – GCC (Ground calcium kg/t 46.99 74.82 - 71.53<br />

carbonate<br />

CaCO 3 – PCC (Precipitated calcium kg/t 0.00 6.73 - 4.01<br />

carbonate, purchased)<br />

Calcium Oxide (CaO) kg/t 0.00 3.67 - 2.19<br />

Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) kg/t 0.00 0.00 - 0.00<br />

Clay kg/t 17.31 16.39 - 19.69<br />

CO 2 kg/t 0.50 0.20 - 0.40<br />

Dry strength agent kg/t 0.00 0.00 - 0.00<br />

Hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2) kg/t 1.13 3.73 - 2.87<br />

Oxygen, O 2 kg/t 0.00 2.72 - 1.62<br />

Sodium bisulfite (NaHSO 3) kg/t 0.00 1.71 - 1.02<br />

Sodium Chlorate (NaClO 3) kg/t 0.003 4.58 - 2.73<br />

Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) kg/t 0.61 9.51 - 6.02<br />

Sodium sulphate (Na 2SO 4) kg/t 0.53 0.00 - 0.30<br />

Starch, corn/maize kg/t 1.89 4.17 - 3.57<br />

Starch, potato kg/t 0.67 1.29 - 1.15<br />

Starch, wheat kg/t 3.24 10.80 - 8.30<br />

Starch, other kg/t 0.00 3.25 - 1.94<br />

Starch, modified kg/t 3.75 3.58 - 4.28<br />

Sulphuric acid (H 2SO 4) kg/t 0.00 7.14 - 4.26<br />

Synthetic binders (latex) kg/t 12.90 14.20 - 15.85<br />

Wet strength agent kg/t 0.000 0.016 - 0.010<br />

Adhesives <strong>for</strong> laminating kg/t - - 1.20 1.20<br />

Aluminium printing plates kg/t - - 1.55 1.55<br />

Glue, cold <strong>for</strong> boxmaking kg/t - - 1.68 1.68<br />

Glue, hot melts <strong>for</strong> boxmaking kg/t - - 1.62 1.62<br />

Ink, flexo kg/t - - 0.21 0.21<br />

Ink, gravure kg/t - - 0.97 0.97<br />

Ink, offset kg/t - - 3.05 3.06<br />

Laminating films kg/t - - 0.27 0.27<br />

Varnish <strong>for</strong> printing kg/t - - 8.54 8.54<br />

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Recycled<br />

cartonboard<br />

Virgin<br />

cartonboard<br />

<strong>Carton</strong><br />

conversion<br />

Aggregated<br />

average board<br />

production <strong>and</strong><br />

cartton<br />

conversion<br />

PRODUCT &<br />

REFERENCE<br />

FLOW<br />

tonne net<br />

saleable product<br />

1 1 1 1<br />

TRANSPORT OF RAW MATERIALS<br />

Wood <strong>and</strong> wood chips<br />

Wood with truck t.km/t 10 178 - 111<br />

Wood with rail t.km/t 8 119 - 74<br />

Wood with ship t.km/t 0 16 - 9<br />

Wood with barge t.km/t 0 71 - 42<br />

Recovered paper<br />

Recovered paper with truck t.km/t 211 2 - 121<br />

Recovered paper with rail t.km/t 0 0 - 0<br />

Recovered paper with ship t.km/t 0 0 - 0<br />

Recovered paper with barge t.km/t 0 0 - 0<br />

Purchased pulp<br />

Purchased pulp with truck t.km/t 4 65 - 40<br />

Purchased pulp with rail t.km/t 0 7 - 4<br />

Purchased pulp with ship t.km/t 2 158 - 94<br />

Purchased pulp with barge t.km/t 0 3 - 2<br />

Non-fibre inputs to<br />

papermills<br />

Non-fibre inputs with truck t.km/t 29 77 - 62<br />

Non-fibre inputs with rail t.km/t 28 498 - 310<br />

Non-fibre inputs with ship t.km/t 0 1,005 - 594<br />

Non-fibre inputs with barge t.km/t 0 6 - 4<br />

<strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> to converting<br />

plants*<br />

<strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> with truck t.km/t - - 886 886<br />

<strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> with rail t.km/t - - 45 45<br />

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Recycled<br />

cartonboard<br />

Virgin<br />

cartonboard<br />

<strong>Carton</strong><br />

conversion<br />

Aggregated<br />

average board<br />

production <strong>and</strong><br />

cartton<br />

conversion<br />

PRODUCT &<br />

REFERENCE FLOW<br />

tonne net<br />

saleable<br />

product<br />

1 1 1 1<br />

EMISSIONS TO AIR<br />

Particulates, 2.5µm <strong>and</strong> kg/t 0.00076 0.0211 - 0.0130<br />

10µm kg/t 0.0040 0.0102 - 0.0084<br />

CO 2 (fossil) kg/t 354.5 177.4 16.9 325.7<br />

CO 2 (biomass) kg/t 2.4 728.8 0.0 435.9<br />

CO kg/t 0.047 0.000 - 0.027<br />

NOx (as NO 2) kg/t 0.199 0.584 - 0.462<br />

SOx (as SO 2) kg/t 0.118 0.135 - 0.148<br />

TRS (H 2S as S) kg/t n/a n/a - n/a<br />

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Recycled<br />

cartonboard<br />

Virgin<br />

cartonboard<br />

<strong>Carton</strong><br />

conversion<br />

Aggregated<br />

average board<br />

production <strong>and</strong><br />

cartton<br />

conversion<br />

PRODUCT &<br />

REFERENCE FLOW<br />

tonne net<br />

saleable<br />

product<br />

1 1 1 1<br />

EMISSIONS TO WATER<br />

Water output m 3 /t<br />

Process water directly to offsite<br />

m 3 /t 0.95 0.00 0.22 0.77<br />

(third party) wastewater<br />

treatment<br />

Process water to third party m 3 /t 1.66 0.00 0.01 0.96<br />

wastewater treatment after<br />

internal waste water treatment<br />

Process water to m 3 /t 3.41 8.88 0.01 7.25<br />

freshwater/transitional waters<br />

after internal treatment<br />

Process water to coastal, sea or m 3 /t 0.00 12.15 0.00 7.24<br />

ocean after internal treatment<br />

Thermally polluted water to m 3 /t 2.44 11.44 0.00 8.22<br />

freshwater/transitional waters<br />

Thermally polluted water to m 3 /t 0.00 4.13 0.00 2.46<br />

coastal, sea or ocean<br />

Total water out m 3 /t 8.46 38.63 0.24 28.12<br />

Water balance (water in m 3 /t 1.26 1.52 0.004 1.63<br />

minus water out<br />

Waterborne emissions (to<br />

freshwater)<br />

AOX kg/t 0.0003 0.0047 n/a 0.0030<br />

BOD5 kg/t 0.011 0.146 7.12e-6 0.093<br />

COD kg/t 0.347 2.306 0.134 1.708<br />

Suspended solids kg/t 0.040 0.204 0.019 0.164<br />

Total Nitrogen kg/t 0.016 0.040 0.057 0.090<br />

Total Phosphorous kg/t 0.0016 0.0031 n/a 0.0028<br />

Waterborne emissions (to<br />

seawater)<br />

AOX kg/t 0.000 0.012 0.000 0.007<br />

BOD5 kg/t 0.000 1.157 0.000 0.690<br />

COD kg/t 0.000 4.501 0.000 2.683<br />

Suspended solids kg/t 0.000 0.894 0.000 0.533<br />

Total Nitrogen kg/t 0.000 0.052 0.000 0.031<br />

Total Phosphorous kg/t 0.000 1.275 0.000 0.760<br />

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Recycled<br />

cartonboard<br />

Virgin<br />

cartonboard<br />

<strong>Carton</strong><br />

conversion<br />

Aggregated<br />

average board<br />

production <strong>and</strong><br />

cartton<br />

conversion<br />

PRODUCT & REFERENCE<br />

FLOW<br />

tonne net<br />

saleable<br />

product<br />

wet weight<br />

1 1 1 1<br />

RESIDUES<br />

Calcium carbonate kg/t 0.00 2.26 - 1.35<br />

Dry content % - 81% - 81%<br />

Method of disposal or<br />

100%<br />

l<strong>and</strong>spreading<br />

recovery<br />

Green liquor dregs kg/t 0.00 3.04 - 1.81<br />

Dry content % - 52% - 52%<br />

Method of disposal or<br />

recovery<br />

-<br />

41% recycled<br />

(construction<br />

material), 59%<br />

ordinary<br />

l<strong>and</strong>fill<br />

Inorganic ashes (10 01 01) kg/t 0.99 8.50 - 5.63<br />

Dry content % 72% 92% - 82%<br />

Method of disposal or<br />

recovery<br />

Not specified<br />

80% recycled<br />

(construction<br />

material), 20%<br />

l<strong>and</strong>spreading<br />

Lime mud Kg/t 4.84 6.41 - 6.60<br />

Dry content % 75% 22% - 48%<br />

Method of disposal or<br />

recovery<br />

-<br />

Not specified 5% recycled<br />

(construction<br />

material), 95%<br />

l<strong>and</strong>spreading<br />

Lubricants <strong>and</strong> oil Kg/t 0.04 0.44 - 0.29<br />

Dry content % - - - -<br />

100% recovery 100%<br />

Method of disposal or<br />

-<br />

/recycling recovery/<br />

recovery<br />

recycling<br />

Organic sludges (03 03 01 kg/t 46.58 29.96 - 44.54<br />

<strong>and</strong> 03 03 11)<br />

Dry content % 58% 46% - 52%<br />

16% recycled<br />

Method of disposal or<br />

-<br />

<strong>for</strong> corrugated<br />

recovery<br />

<strong>and</strong> tissue<br />

70% reused/<br />

recycled as an<br />

input into the<br />

cement/ tile/<br />

brick industry,<br />

30%<br />

incineration<br />

with energy<br />

recovery<br />

manufacture;<br />

19% recycled<br />

(construction<br />

material); 9%<br />

recycled<br />

(animal<br />

bedding); 27%<br />

l<strong>and</strong>spreading<br />

; 12%<br />

composting;<br />

17%<br />

incineration<br />

with energy<br />

recovery<br />

Rejects, paper related** kg/t 22.46 0.58 - 13.20<br />

Dry content % 45% 50% - 48%<br />

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Method of disposal or<br />

recovery<br />

99%<br />

incinerated<br />

with energy<br />

recovery, 1%<br />

recycled<br />

100%<br />

incinerated<br />

with energy<br />

recovery<br />

Rejects, other*** kg/t 44.91 1.14 - 26.40<br />

Dry content % 45% 50% - 48%<br />

99%<br />

100%<br />

Method of disposal or<br />

-<br />

incinerated incinerated<br />

recovery<br />

with energy with energy<br />

recovery, 1%<br />

recycled<br />

recovery<br />

Aqueous liquid waste kg/t - - 0.59 0.59<br />

containing ink<br />

Dry content % - - n/a<br />

Method of disposal or<br />

Not specified<br />

recovery<br />

Aqueous sludges<br />

kg/t - - 3.02 3.02<br />

containing ink<br />

Dry content % - - n/a<br />

Method of disposal or<br />

Not specified<br />

recovery<br />

Paper <strong>for</strong> recycling kg/t - - 169 169<br />

Dry content % - - 90% 90%<br />

100%<br />

100%<br />

Method of disposal or<br />

-<br />

recycling recycling<br />

recovery<br />

Paper packaging waste kg/t - - 2.06 2.06<br />

Dry content % - - n/a<br />

100%<br />

Method of disposal or<br />

- -<br />

recycling<br />

recovery<br />

Plastic packaging waste kg/t - - 3.29 3.29<br />

Dry content % - - n/a<br />

100%<br />

Method of disposal or<br />

- -<br />

recycling<br />

recovery<br />

«na» not available<br />

*As this life cycle inventory is intended to be representative of average <strong>European</strong> production, only transport<br />

from <strong>European</strong> paper mills to <strong>European</strong> carton converting sites has been considered in the weighted average.<br />

Transport associated with export of paper outside of Europe has not been considered<br />

**Rejected materials that were associated with the previous use of the paper (<strong>for</strong> example, staples, paper<br />

clips, tags, adhesive labels, unrecovered fibres, etc)<br />

***Material that is not in any way associated with the previous use of the paper (<strong>for</strong> example, <strong>for</strong>eign items<br />

such as plastic packaging, glass, s<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> grit, etc)<br />

-<br />

Additional in<strong>for</strong>mation on energy <strong>and</strong> fuels<br />

Internal fuels<br />

The energy inputs presented in the life cycle inventories in Table 2 only to external fuels<br />

supplied to the process. However, many papermills also produce their own internal fuels<br />

as a by-product of the pulping processes or from the management of waste streams. In<br />

particular, the following are the main internal fuels relevant to the papermaking process:<br />

• Black liquor – a by-product from chemical pulping processes when<br />

digesting pulpwood into paper pulp. It is an aqueous solution of lignin residues,<br />

hemicellulose, <strong>and</strong> the inorganic chemicals used in the process<br />

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42<br />

• Bark – from the debarking process<br />

• Biogas <strong>and</strong> bio-sludge – from the wastewater treatment process<br />

• Refuse-derived fuel – from the rejects associated with processing of paper <strong>for</strong> recycling<br />

The consumption of all fuels <strong>and</strong> energy (purchased fuels <strong>and</strong> electricity <strong>and</strong> internal<br />

fuels) <strong>for</strong> production of cartonboard is summarised in Table 3. This data is <strong>for</strong><br />

in<strong>for</strong>mation purposes only <strong>and</strong> should not be added to the life cycle inventory <strong>for</strong> each<br />

paper grade as it refers to fuels that are generated <strong>and</strong> consumed within the “black box”<br />

of the papermill. The internal fuels will be used <strong>for</strong> production of heat (in the <strong>for</strong>m of<br />

steam) <strong>and</strong> electricity at the mill.<br />

Table 3 External energy inputs <strong>and</strong> internal fuels consumed <strong>for</strong> the production of<br />

cartonboard<br />

Recycled<br />

cartonboard<br />

Virgin<br />

cartonboard<br />

EXTERNAL ENERGY INPUTS<br />

Steam GJ/t 0.000 0.000<br />

Bought electricity GJ/t 0.609 2.255<br />

External fuels – fossil GJ/t 5.899 3.374<br />

External fuels – renewable GJ/t 0.000 1.476<br />

Total external energy inputs GJ/t 6.508 7.105<br />

INTERNAL FUELS<br />

Black liquor GJ/t 0.000 3.730<br />

Bark <strong>and</strong> wood GJ/t 0.000 1.558<br />

Biogas <strong>and</strong> biosludge GJ/t 0.034 0.060<br />

Refuse derived fuel (RDF) GJ/t 0.000 0.000<br />

Other internal fuels GJ/t 0.000 0.073<br />

Total internal fuels GJ/t 0.034 5.421<br />

TOTAL ENERGY (BOUGHT ELECTRICITY, PURCHASED<br />

STEAM, EXTERNAL FUELS, INTERNAL FUELS)<br />

Total energy GJ/t 6.542 12.526<br />

Year-on-year trends<br />

Improvements to the questionnaires<br />

A number of improvements were made to the data collection questionnaires <strong>for</strong> the 2021<br />

compared to previous studies. These changes have resulted in more consistent <strong>and</strong><br />

reliable data provision across mills. In particular, the following changes are highlighted:<br />

• For the mills that produce <strong>and</strong> sell energy (electricity <strong>and</strong>/or heat <strong>and</strong> steam), the mill<br />

experts completing the questionnaire were asked to allocate resources <strong>and</strong> emissions<br />

between the co-products of board <strong>and</strong> energy. This approach means that, unlike previous<br />

© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden


43<br />

surveys, it is no longer necessary to calculate net energy consumption at the mills <strong>and</strong>/or<br />

provide a credit <strong>for</strong> sold energy. This approach should result in a more consistent life<br />

cycle inventory which is easier to interpret<br />

• For purchased pulp, pulp nomenclature was clarified, resulting in consistent naming of<br />

different pulp types across the survey<br />

• For non-fibre inputs, data was requested on the dry mass percentage of the input to<br />

ensure that the consumption is always considered according to the active substance. Data<br />

was also requested regarding the transport distances <strong>and</strong> modes of transport <strong>for</strong> nonfibre<br />

inputs, resulting in a more complete underst<strong>and</strong>ing of transport associated with the<br />

raw materials consumed by the paper mills<br />

• For water consumption, inputs of sea/coastal waters were requested. Similarly, releases<br />

of water to sea/estuaries were requested. This in<strong>for</strong>mation may be important as the<br />

impact assessment categories <strong>for</strong> water develop<br />

• Further detail was requested regarding the management of residues arising from the<br />

paper mills. Previous experience with life cycle data providers has shown that<br />

assumptions regarding the management of some residues streams (particularly organic<br />

sludges, lime mud, green liquor dregs <strong>and</strong> calcium carbonate) can be very influential on<br />

the results achieved when using the gate-to-gate life cycle inventories to compile cradleto-gate<br />

life cycle inventories. In particular, assumptions that these residue streams are<br />

sent to l<strong>and</strong>fill <strong>and</strong>/or incineration can contribute significantly to the impact assessment<br />

results achieved. Collecting more detailed data relating to the management of residue<br />

streams has demonstrated that in fact the vast majority of residues arising at the paper<br />

mill are reused <strong>and</strong> recycled in some way.<br />

Trends in key environmental parameters<br />

The life cycle inventory presented in Table 2 represents the average <strong>European</strong> production<br />

of cartonboard <strong>and</strong> cartons, based on the data received during from mills <strong>and</strong> plants<br />

participating in the 2021 survey. As previously explained, the coverage of the market is<br />

noticeably increased <strong>for</strong> the 2021 survey compared to the 2018 survey. Whilst this means<br />

that the life cycle inventory presented in this version of the report is more representative<br />

of the weighted <strong>European</strong> average production, it also means that care should be taken<br />

when comparing this current inventory directly with previous versions of the dataset.<br />

If mills with large production capacity join the survey or drop out of the survey, then<br />

changes in the coverage of the papermills participating in the survey can be influential<br />

on the results achieved. This should be borne in mind when comparing the results of the<br />

2021 survey <strong>and</strong> the 2018 survey.<br />

Nonetheless, it is still valuable <strong>and</strong> in<strong>for</strong>mative to look at the trends in key environmental<br />

interventions over time. In particular, if we compare the 2018 survey <strong>and</strong> the 2021<br />

survey:<br />

• For the production of virgin cartonboard, total energy (purchased grid electricity plus<br />

external fuels plus internal fuels) required has been reduced by 14% in 2021 compared<br />

to 2018. For the production of recycled cartonboard, total energy has stayed relatively<br />

unchanged, with a 2% decrease observed.<br />

• This improvement in energy efficiency, combined with changes in the energy mix<br />

employed, has resulted in an 18% reduction in fossil carbon dioxide emissions arising at<br />

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44<br />

the mill per tonne of virgin cartonboard <strong>and</strong> a 7% reduction in fossil carbon dioxide<br />

emissions arising at the mill per tonne of recycled cartonboard<br />

• Fossil carbon dioxide emissions from fuels consumed at converting operations have been<br />

reduced by 38% in 2021 compared to 2018.<br />

• Total water input per tonne of recycled cartonboard is reduced by 33% from 14.43 m 3 per<br />

tonne to 9.73 m 3 per tonne.<br />

• There has been an improvement in efficiency of board use at the converting plants. In<br />

2021, 1.169 tonnes of cartonboard were required to produce 1 tonne of cartons, compated<br />

to 1.245 tonnes of cartonboard per tonne of cartons required in 2018.<br />

Sustainable <strong>for</strong>est management<br />

There is currently no life cycle impact assessment methodology <strong>for</strong> biodiversity impacts<br />

of <strong>for</strong>est management to produce primary fibres <strong>for</strong> fibre-based products. Nevertheless,<br />

biodiversity impacts are an essential element of <strong>for</strong>est industry products. Sustainable<br />

<strong>for</strong>est management practices have been developed to protect <strong>and</strong> maintain the ecosystem<br />

services in managed <strong>for</strong>ests <strong>and</strong> plantations. The voluntary sustainable <strong>for</strong>est<br />

management certification schemes have been designed to address relevant practices that<br />

help protect ecosystem services such as biodiversity or those that are impacted by l<strong>and</strong><br />

use <strong>and</strong> their implementation has been verified through an accredited, independent third<br />

party. These practices set a proxy <strong>for</strong> mitigating l<strong>and</strong> use impacts <strong>and</strong> protecting<br />

biodiversity.<br />

The data collection revealed that >80% of the pulp wood used <strong>for</strong> the production of<br />

corrugated base papers by the companies returning the survey was certified as being<br />

sourced from sustainable managed <strong>for</strong>ests. Predominantly, primary fibres are FSC or<br />

PEFC certified. A similar proportion of the purchased pulp is also certified <strong>and</strong> third<br />

party verified as being sourced from sustainable managed <strong>for</strong>ests.<br />

Details of the specific countries of origin <strong>and</strong> species of wood used are not provided in<br />

this report. The data provided by incomplete <strong>and</strong> when reviewed it was not deemed<br />

representative of the complete situation.<br />

Conclusions<br />

This report presents the gate-to-gate life cycle inventories <strong>for</strong> the production of<br />

cartonboard, manufactured primarily from primary fibres, the production of<br />

cartonboard manufactured primarily from recovered fibres, the conversion of<br />

cartonboard into blank cartons, (including die cutting, creasing, printing <strong>and</strong> where<br />

applicable folding/gluing) <strong>and</strong> an aggregated dataset, which considers the production of<br />

cartonboard <strong>and</strong> the conversion of this cartonboard into cartons.<br />

The datasets represent the weighted average <strong>European</strong> situation <strong>for</strong> each of the processes<br />

according to the market <strong>and</strong> technology situation in 2021. The datasets are based on<br />

primary data collected directly from the mills <strong>and</strong> convertors operating the processes.<br />

Participation in the surveys <strong>for</strong> cartonboard production was high, with a significant<br />

increase in the number of sites participating <strong>and</strong> the proportion of <strong>European</strong> production<br />

covered. Participation in the survey <strong>for</strong> carton converting was also significant, with data<br />

received from twenty-five converting sites. Although this was fewer sites compared to the<br />

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45<br />

previous survey in 2018, the share of <strong>European</strong> production covered by the participating<br />

convertors represented an increase in coverage with a good geographical spread in<br />

participation. For this reason, there can be a high degree of confidence that the data is<br />

representative of technologies applied across Europe, <strong>and</strong> there<strong>for</strong>e representative of the<br />

environmental profile of the sector.<br />

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46<br />

Peer review<br />

The study presented in this report has been subject to a peer review by ifeu - Institute <strong>for</strong><br />

Energy <strong>and</strong> Environmental Research Heidelberg GmbH. The peer review concludes that:<br />

• the methods used to compile the database are scientifically <strong>and</strong> technically valid,<br />

<strong>and</strong> consistently used.<br />

• the data used are appropriate <strong>and</strong> reasonable in relation to the goal of the LCA<br />

database.<br />

• the LCA database report is transparent <strong>and</strong> consistent.<br />

The full peer review statement is available as Annex 1 of this report.<br />

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47<br />

Definitions<br />

Allocation - Technique used in life cycle assessment <strong>for</strong> partitioning the inputs <strong>and</strong><br />

outputs of a system amongst products.<br />

Effluent - Water leaving the mill after treatment.<br />

Incineration + energy - Incineration of residues with energy recovery.<br />

Functional additives - Additives that influence the properties of paper.<br />

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) - Compilation <strong>and</strong> evaluation of the inputs, outputs <strong>and</strong><br />

the potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle.<br />

Life Cycle Impact Assessment - Phase of the life cycle assessment aimed at<br />

underst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>and</strong> evaluating the magnitude <strong>and</strong> significance of the potential<br />

environmental impacts of a product system.<br />

Life Cycle Inventory Analysis - Phase of the life cycle assessment involving<br />

compilation, <strong>and</strong> the quantification of inputs <strong>and</strong> outputs, <strong>for</strong> a given product system<br />

throughout its life cycle.<br />

Packaging materials - Materials bought <strong>and</strong> used <strong>for</strong> the packaging of the saleable<br />

product (wrappings, pallets).<br />

Paper <strong>for</strong> recycling – paper collected <strong>for</strong> repulping at a papermill to produce papers<br />

containing recycled fibres. Paper <strong>for</strong> recycling may originate from pre-consumer sources<br />

(e.g., process waste) or post-consumer sources<br />

Primary Fibre - Virgin fibre, fibres that have not been recycled be<strong>for</strong>e use in paper<br />

production.<br />

Process additives - Additives that are used to guarantee that the process of paper<br />

production runs smoothly or to increase the production.<br />

Rejects - Material in recovered paper, which is eliminated during pulp preparation.<br />

Recovered fibres / secondary fibres – fibres produced from recycled paper ready<br />

<strong>for</strong> use in paper production<br />

Tonne nsp (net saleable product) - 1 tonne of paper/corrugated board product sold<br />

to the customer, including core plugs <strong>for</strong> the paper.<br />

Transport distance of recovered paper - Distance from recovered paper supplier<br />

to the paper mill.<br />

Transport distance of wood - Distance from harvesting site to the paper mill.<br />

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Annex 1: Peer review statement<br />

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<strong>European</strong> <strong>Database</strong> <strong>for</strong><br />

<strong><strong>Carton</strong>board</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Carton</strong><br />

<strong>Production</strong> <strong>2023</strong><br />

Report prepared by (Research Institutes of Sweden) Bioeconomy <strong>and</strong><br />

Health Unit on behalf of Pro <strong>Carton</strong><br />

EUROPEAN DATABASE FOR CARTON AND CARTONBOARD PRODUCTION <strong>2023</strong><br />

RI<br />

SE

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