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Clear benefits for resource efficiency and environmental protection In life cycle assessments, the potential environmental impact of products during their entire useful life is recorded and evaluated – from sourcing the necessary raw materials to manufacturing and consumption, right through to their recycling or disposal. Relevant life cycle assessments are conducted to internationally binding standards and are monitored by independent supervisory project groups. Ecologically advantageous packaging The environmental profile of beverage cartons has already been investigated a number of times in the course of life cycle assessments. In the year 2000, based on a comprehensive life cycle assessment conducted by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IFEU) on behalf of Germany’s Federal Environment Agency, the beverage carton was qualified as being equal to the reusable system and designated „an ecologically advantageous package“ because of its low environmental impact. This statement was even included in the text of the German Packaging Ordinance. Significantly lower environmental impact Life cycle assessments can also help identify those factors in products and production processes that have an impact on the climate. A life cycle assessment published in Germany in 2006 documents the clear benefits of beverage cartons in relation to climate protection. The study compares the environmental impacts of beverage cartons and disposable plastic bottles in the refreshment segments of juices, nectars, ice teas and fresh milk drinks. In the categories: Greenhouse Effect and Fossil Resource Consumption, cartons demonstrate a significantly lower environmental impact than PET. Particularly important ecological significance These two environmental impact categories relate to the global climate and are, according to the evaluation scale of Germany’s Federal Environment Agency, of particularly important ecological significance. Moreover: the already discernible effects of climate change are being discussed on a global scale, with countless politicians and the international community in agreement that rapidly effective measures to protect the climate must be adopted. In no less than six of the eight environmental impact categories investigated, cartons for fruit juices and fresh milk products demonstrated ecological benefits when compared to PET. The study was commissioned by the Fachverband Kartonverpackungen für flüssige Nahrungsmittel – Association of Beverage Carton Manufacturers - and undertaken by the IFEU. ;)
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