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New packaging solution being evaluated by Colors as a possible carbon emissions and cost reduction opportunity
28/07/2010
Colors Fruit is participating in a trial with XLnT Citrus aimed at evaluating the economic, operational, technical and environmental impacts of the Eco Pack System.
In 2008, Colors concluded its first full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study of its fruit export supply-chain, with the results of this work, certified by the Carbon Trust in the UK, detailing the carbon emissions characteristics of every step and input across the supply-chain.
Colors embarked on the process of measuring its supply-chain emission to not only know what the status was as far as carbon emissions were concerned, but to enable the company to identify the specific interventions necessary to meaningfully reduce these emissions - in particular those that bring an efficiency-gain and cost saving.
It is clear that packaging accounts for a significant proportion of the embodied emissions of fruit, being 12%, 12%, 10% and 16% of the citrus, top fruit, stone fruit and grape commodity groups respectively.
The Eco Pack System has caught the interest of Colors, specifically the Environment department of the Sustainable Business Function, because it appears to be a genuine opportunity to make a meaningful impact on packaging related emissions and costs.
The factors that drive this optimism are the following:
- Lower energy cost and emissions required during the manufacturing process.
- Higher fruit to packaging weight ratio - this reduces the transport emissions and cost per kg of fruit.
- Better ventilation, allows for better refrigeration of fruit - this improves eating quality and shelf life.
- The opportunity to recycle or reuse the packaging materials.
Eddie Vienings, who heads up Colors Environment and who is responsible for the LCA emissions measurement and emissions reduction strategy at Colors, will be calculating, in conjunction with XLnT Citrus and the Carbon Trust, the actual carbon emissions impact of switching from the conventional corrugated cardboard packaging to the Eco Pack System.
The results of this study will be made available as soon as they are concluded and certified.
The first trial pallet of citrus using the Eco Pack System has arrived successfully in the UK and the concept as well as the news that the fruit arrived in excellent condition has been greeted very positively by the market in the UK.
The trial is ongoing and will be assessing, over and above the carbon emissions impacts, the practical implications of the packaging on pack-house processes, fruit quality and cost impacts - all of which will weigh in the final decisions on the commercial adoption of the Eco Pack System.
In 2008, Colors concluded its first full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study of its fruit export supply-chain, with the results of this work, certified by the Carbon Trust in the UK, detailing the carbon emissions characteristics of every step and input across the supply-chain.
Colors embarked on the process of measuring its supply-chain emission to not only know what the status was as far as carbon emissions were concerned, but to enable the company to identify the specific interventions necessary to meaningfully reduce these emissions - in particular those that bring an efficiency-gain and cost saving.
It is clear that packaging accounts for a significant proportion of the embodied emissions of fruit, being 12%, 12%, 10% and 16% of the citrus, top fruit, stone fruit and grape commodity groups respectively.
The Eco Pack System has caught the interest of Colors, specifically the Environment department of the Sustainable Business Function, because it appears to be a genuine opportunity to make a meaningful impact on packaging related emissions and costs.
The factors that drive this optimism are the following:
- Lower energy cost and emissions required during the manufacturing process.
- Higher fruit to packaging weight ratio - this reduces the transport emissions and cost per kg of fruit.
- Better ventilation, allows for better refrigeration of fruit - this improves eating quality and shelf life.
- The opportunity to recycle or reuse the packaging materials.
Eddie Vienings, who heads up Colors Environment and who is responsible for the LCA emissions measurement and emissions reduction strategy at Colors, will be calculating, in conjunction with XLnT Citrus and the Carbon Trust, the actual carbon emissions impact of switching from the conventional corrugated cardboard packaging to the Eco Pack System.
The results of this study will be made available as soon as they are concluded and certified.
The first trial pallet of citrus using the Eco Pack System has arrived successfully in the UK and the concept as well as the news that the fruit arrived in excellent condition has been greeted very positively by the market in the UK.
The trial is ongoing and will be assessing, over and above the carbon emissions impacts, the practical implications of the packaging on pack-house processes, fruit quality and cost impacts - all of which will weigh in the final decisions on the commercial adoption of the Eco Pack System.