European database for cartonboard and carton production, 2023

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surveys, it is no longer necessary to calculate net energy consumption at the mills and/or
provide a credit for sold energy. This approach should result in a more consistent life
cycle inventory which is easier to interpret
• For purchased pulp, pulp nomenclature was clarified, resulting in consistent naming of
different pulp types across the survey
• For non-fibre inputs, data was requested on the dry mass percentage of the input to
ensure that the consumption is always considered according to the active substance. Data
was also requested regarding the transport distances and modes of transport for nonfibre
inputs, resulting in a more complete understanding of transport associated with the
raw materials consumed by the paper mills
• For water consumption, inputs of sea/coastal waters were requested. Similarly, releases
of water to sea/estuaries were requested. This information may be important as the
impact assessment categories for water develop
• Further detail was requested regarding the management of residues arising from the
paper mills. Previous experience with life cycle data providers has shown that
assumptions regarding the management of some residues streams (particularly organic
sludges, lime mud, green liquor dregs and calcium carbonate) can be very influential on
the results achieved when using the gate-to-gate life cycle inventories to compile cradleto-gate
life cycle inventories. In particular, assumptions that these residue streams are
sent to landfill and/or incineration can contribute significantly to the impact assessment
results achieved. Collecting more detailed data relating to the management of residue
streams has demonstrated that in fact the vast majority of residues arising at the paper
mill are reused and recycled in some way.
Trends in key environmental parameters
The life cycle inventory presented in Table 2 represents the average European production
of cartonboard and cartons, based on the data received during from mills and plants
participating in the 2021 survey. As previously explained, the coverage of the market is
noticeably increased for the 2021 survey compared to the 2018 survey. Whilst this means
that the life cycle inventory presented in this version of the report is more representative
of the weighted European average production, it also means that care should be taken
when comparing this current inventory directly with previous versions of the dataset.
If mills with large production capacity join the survey or drop out of the survey, then
changes in the coverage of the papermills participating in the survey can be influential
on the results achieved. This should be borne in mind when comparing the results of the
2021 survey and the 2018 survey.
Nonetheless, it is still valuable and informative to look at the trends in key environmental
interventions over time. In particular, if we compare the 2018 survey and the 2021
survey:
• For the production of virgin cartonboard, total energy (purchased grid electricity plus
external fuels plus internal fuels) required has been reduced by 14% in 2021 compared
to 2018. For the production of recycled cartonboard, total energy has stayed relatively
unchanged, with a 2% decrease observed.
• This improvement in energy efficiency, combined with changes in the energy mix
employed, has resulted in an 18% reduction in fossil carbon dioxide emissions arising at
© RISE Research Institutes of Sweden