Packaging in the U'S'

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IV Present State of Packaging

• Packaging in the U.S.
• Packaging Supply Chain
• The Packaging Lifecycle
•    

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packaging in the U.S.(2006)

• 32 of the weight 50 of the volume of MSW is
  containers and packaging
• The amount of containers and packaging consumed
  equates to 300 pounds per American per year.
• 30 of all non-energy resources are consumed for
  packaging

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Generation, with
Recycling (2006)
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Product Supply Chain (Including Packaging)

Product Manufacturing
Distribution
Consumer

• Packaging Types
• Primary Packaging
• Consumer Packaging
• Secondary Packaging
• Grouping Primary Packaging Together (Cases)
• Tertiary Packaging
• Transport/Distribution Packaging - Palletized

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Packaging Supply Chain
End of Life
Unused Packaging
Packaging Manufacturing
Product Manufacturing
Distribution
Consumer
Raw Materials
Packaging Materials
Repair
Inspection/ Sorting
Used Packaging
Refurbish
Service
Disassembly
Remanufacturing
Recycling
Disposal
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The Packaging Lifecycle
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Current State of the Packaging Lifecycle
The contemporary state of packaging primarily
consists of linear processes. In addition to the
packaging product, common outputs include energy
and material waste. There are few circular paths
associated with reuse of inputs. Although the
quantity of wasted inputs and reuse varies,
depending on the types of materials, technology,
and processes used, the outputs of the packaging
manufacturing process often have undesirable
impacts on the surrounding environment.
Many Harmful Inputs
Many Harmful Emissions
Underutilized
Underutilized
Many Harmful Inputs Emissions
Many Harmful Inputs Emissions
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V Present State of Plastic Packaging and
Manufacturing

• Plastics Packaging
• Packaging Supply Chain
• Plastics Packaging Strengths Weaknesses
• Plastic Packaging Advantages Disadvantages
• Current State of the Plastic Packaging Lifecycle
• Case Study Stonyfield Farms Look at Packaging
•    

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Plastic Packaging

• Plastics were used in the packaging of 53 of all
  goods, comprising 20 of all packaging by weight
• Plastic packaging production uses 270 million
  tons of oil and gas

Plastics Recycling

• Plastic packaging waste has grown 5x faster by
  weight than the plastics recycled
• recycled plastics save 2-3 pounds of greenhouse
  gases for every pound of virgin plastic that they
  replace
• Efforts to recycle plastics are hindered by
  difficulties, such as
• Packaging is often composed of mixed resins
• Plastics have a high volume-to-weight ratio
• End markets for recycled plastics are lacking
• Recycling of mixed plastics involves a 20-step
  energy-intensive process to sort the nearly 40
  different types

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Plastics Used in Packaging

• Six resins account for nearly all of the plastics
  used in packaging

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Plastic Packaging Strengths

• if plastic packaging did not exist, the annual
  extra burden required to replace the packaging
  function would consume an additional 14.2
  millions tons of oil (equal to a line of super
  tanker ships over 14 miles long) and produce an
  additional 47.3 million tons of CO2 (equal to the
  annual output of over 12 million automobiles)
• The Contribution of Plastics Products to Resource
  Efficiency, Gesellschaft fur umfassende Analysen,
  2005 (Plastics Europe)

• Costs - generally less than alternatives
• Little material requires packaging uses less
  than comparable items made from other sources
• Lightweight - resulting in reduced
  cost/fuel/emissions of transport
• Strength less material required
• Moldable package can be custom made, cutting
  down on filler packaging
• Durable resistance to corrosion
• Sanitary keeps products sterile and free of
  contamination tampering is evident
• Impermeability to moisture, chemicals,
  infestation, and air
• Retains liquids, freshness, and flavor prevents
  spoilage and can be made resealable
• Temperature retention and can be subjected to a
  wide range (can be frozen microwaved)
• Safety fewer injuries from breaking,
  shattering, leaking, tampering, child-resistance
• Aesthetics
• Color can be easily varied
• Transparent especially important for medical
  purposes
• Reusable
• Recyclable /or protects other packaging to
  increases recyclability

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Plastic Packaging Weaknesses

• In the central Pacific gyre, the AMRF Algalita
  Marine Research Foundation in 2002 found 6 kilos
  of plastic for every kilo of plankton near the
  surface.
• Marine litter can have a serious negative impact
  on coral reef ecosystems. In particular, plastic
  items, including sheeting and bags, may cover
  reefs, blocking off the sunlight and oxygen that
  polyps need to survive.
• UNEP/Regional Seas and the GPA.. p 4 16

It is the very properties that make plastics so
useful, their stability and resistance to
degradation, that causes them to be so
problematic after they have served their purpose.
These materials persist in the environment and
are not readily degraded or processed by natural
biological mechanisms. Allsopp et. al. , p 4

• Negative Image of their EOL environmental
  impacts, and the social, economic and
  environmental issues entrenched in source of the
  materials (though the petroleum industry)
• Toxicity- concerns have prompted publish of
  guides on what plastics to avoid

• Lifetime Degradability plastics take many
  years to breakdown, and even when they do
  degrade, they do not biodegrade, causing concern
  about the particles impact on the environment.
• Floatation- many types of plastics float and thus
  can be more easily distributed to large tracks of
  ocean, unlike other types of debris which sink.
• Lack of Recycling Infrastructure hinders reuse.
  Although plastics may have to be recycled
  separately, often they look the same and this
  causes confusion among consumers.
• Visibility , both in the trash bin and in the
  environment, supports the urban tumbleweed
  image and promotes plastic as an emblem of a
  throwaway society.

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Plastic Packaging

• Advantages
• Manufacturing
• Relatively low water use
• Easy to create a composite package with
  co-extrusion and lamination
• Use
• Inexpensive
• Versatile use because the material is inert,
  strong (for weight), durable, will not leach
  chemicals, usable at high temperatures, a good
  barrier for moisture and gas
• Transportation GHG emissions reduced because of
  weight
• EOL
• Ability to use lots of recycled material and
  loose little structural integrity (high stored
  energy)
• Quick sterilization
• Implementation
• Existing recycling and some reuse infrastructure

• Disadvantages
• Source
• Non-renewable resources
• Use
• Toxicity concerns regarding the use of styrene
  compounds on human health (when used in food
  containers etc).
• EOL
• Reuse -Occasional
• Recycling - Not for mixed plastics (including
  popular composites) mainly PET HDPE
• Not biodegradable (harm on ocean life has been
  recorded from plastic materials)
• Implementation
• Contemporary recycling infrastructure is
  incomplete and not widespread
• Hard to tell resins apart

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Plastics Current State of the Packaging
Lifecycle
Disposal to Land, Water or Air
Natural Resources
Many Inputs
Many Outputs Toxicity Concerns
Compost
Product Requirements
EOL
Extraction Mining Harvesting
Recycle
Reuse or Return
Missing Feedback Loops
Design
Some Crucial Uses
Use Maintenance
Materials Production Supplier Ops
Customizable, but requires many Inputs
Outputs
Retail

• Inputs
• Fixtures, Tools
• Equipment
• Consumables (Energy
• Raw Materials,
• Chemical etc.)
• Outputs
• Waste

Manufacturing (Production Assembly)
Transportation, Handling Storage
Filling Distribution
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Case Study Stonyfield Farms
Packaging Choices

• Use of resin code 5 plastic (few recycling
  facilities), but allows material reduction
• Tellus Institute found
• Over 95 of the environmental cost is in the
  production of the package- in the energy used and
  toxins created in the manufacturing process.
• the lightest-weight package, per unit of
  delivered end product, is generally the
  lowest-impact product

• The University of Michigans LCA on Stonyfield
  Farms product delivery system concluded
• container size had greater impact than the cups
  manufacturing process or its material (ie.
  Largest package clear winner in waste creation
  and energy consumption)
• 1/3 of life cycle total energy consumed was
  during the material production phase and
  distribution to distributors and retailers

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Case Study Stonyfield Farms
Packaging Choices

• University of Michigans Recommendations
• Educate consumers regarding the effect that
  container size has on environmental burdens.
• Improve performance related to product transport
  and distribution.
• Optimize the mix of primary and secondary
  packaging for environmental performance.
• Evaluate alternative primary packaging materials
  and configurations.
• Analyze impact of using more efficient or lower
  impact manufacturing processes.

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VI Project Focus Plastic Film
To better establish a basis for evaluation and
determine the inducements and barriers to the
take-up of sustainable practices within relevant
firms, our research will include a collaboration
with manufacturers and purchasers of the extruder
and converter industry. Included here is

• An Overview of the Plastic Film Industry
• The Typical Plastic Film Supply Chain
• Resins Used in Film Production
• Plastic Manufacturing Processes
• Plastic Film Manufacturing
• Applications of Plastic Film

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Plastic Film
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Recycling rates of film

• Approximately 812,010,000 pounds of post-consumer
  film (including plastic bags) was recovered in
  2006. In addition, 65 of Americans polled reuse
  their bags for such purposes as trash disposal,
  lunch bags, and pet waste.

• Commercial Film Clear, clean PE film including
  stretch wrap and poly bags
• Mixed Film Retail bags Commercial Mixed
  color, clean PE film including grocery bags
• Curbside Film Mixed PE film generated at a MRF
• Ag Film PE film from over wintering
  greenhouse film, other

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Typical Plastic Film Supply Chain
Oil Refinery
Chemical Plant
Plastic Processor

• antimicrobials
• Fillers
• Plasticizers
• Antioxidants
• Coupling agents
• Colorants
• UV and other weathering stabilizers

• Polymeric impact modifiers
• Anti-static agents
• Flame retardants
• Preservatives
• Fragrances

• Processing Aid Additives
• Curing agents
• Blowing agents
• Heat stabilizers

• Lubricants
• Viscosity aids

Extraction
Cracking
Polymerization
Compounding
Fabrication
Raw Material
Feedstock
Polymer
Plastic
Package

• Plastic Film Packaging Manufacturing Processes
• Extrusion
• Blown
• Cast
• Extrusion coating
• Co-extrusion
• Calendaring

• Energy Sources
• Natural Gas
• Petroleum
• Coal
• Agriculture

• Feedstock
• Ethane
• Propane
• Benzene
• Naphtha
• Butene

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A closer look at the Plastic Resins with Film
Applications
Extraction
Cracking
Polymerization
Compounding
Fabrication
Raw Material
Feedstock
Polymer
Package
Plastic
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Types of Plastic Materials Used in Films

• Polyethylene (PE)
• Polypropylene (PP)
• Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
• Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
• Other
• Polystyrene (PS) and Derivatives
• Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG)
• Polyethylene Naphthalate (PEN)
• Polyamide (PA, Nylon)
• Polycarbonate (PC)
• Cellophane (Cello)
• Ethylene Copolymers
• Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA)
• Ionomers
• Cyclo-Olefin Copolymers (COC)
• Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB)
• Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol (EVOH)
• Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVOH)
• Polyvinylidene Chloride (PVDC)

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Manufacturing Processes
A closer look at the Manufacturing Processes For
Plastic Film
Extraction
Cracking
Polymerization
Compounding
Raw Material
Feedstock
Polymer
Plastic
Package
Fabrication
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Process associated with plastic film
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A closer look at the processes Used to Produce
Plastic Films
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Extrusion

• Plastic beads are poured into a hopper where they
  are melted as they are forced down a barrel by a
  rotating screw. The molten plastic leaves the
  barrel through a die, and the film is cooled
  before being wound onto a roll.

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Extrusion Blown Film Extrusion

• Blown film extrusion is the most common method
  used for the creation of film for packaging. The
  process begins with molten plastic being extruded
  through an die. Air is injected in the middle of
  the die to blow up the plastic like a balloon.
  Air is also blown on the hot film for cooling via
  a mounted air ring. Additional cooling takes
  place as the film moves upwards as it is being

• drawn towards rollers to be wound onto a drum.
  The lay-flat film can be used as a tube or slit
  into one or more sheets.

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Extrusion Cast Film Extrusion

• The cast film extrusion process begins with a
  extruded thin film which is quenched on one side
  by a chilled roll. The other side of the film is
  cooled by a second chilled roller. The film is
  wound onto a roll after passing through a series
  of rollers. The process is ideal for resins with
  low viscosity and for thin films that have tight
  tolerances.

http//www.cpchem.com/enu/docs_styrenic/tib_204.pd
f
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Extrusion Coating

• Extrusion coating uses cast or blown film process
  to coat and existing roll of paper, foil or film
  with plastic.

http//www.totalpetrochemicals.biz/side1/a.asp?lg
ensid1entMbizb1aa19
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Co-extrusion

• Co-extrusion is the process of extruding two or
  more (up to 7) materials through a single die.
  Every material feeds into the die from its own
  extruder, where it may provide multiple layers to
  the film. Co-extrusion is advantageous in that
  the finish product inherits the desired
  properties, such as strength and permeability, of
  all of the layers

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Calendering

• In the calendering process melted plastic is
  passed through heated rolls to form a sheet, and
  continues down a series of rollers with gaps of
  decreasing size until the required thickness is
  achieved. Afterwards the film is cooled on a
  chill roller. The equipment for calendering cost
  more than the equipment for extrusion. However,
  the process involves far less cleaning than the
  extruder, which must be flushed and cleaned post
  use.

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A closer look at the Packaging applications of
plastic film

• Bags Sacs, Pouches
• Labels, Sleeves, Display Films
• Wrap/Films
• Semi-rigid Packaging
• Tapes/Strapping

Extraction
Cracking
Polymerization
Compounding
Fabrication
Raw Material
Feedstock
Polymer
Plastic
Package
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Packaging applications of plastic film

• Bags Sacs

• Food Bags

Bag in Box
Mixed

• Shopping Bags

Raschel
All Plastic

• Electrostatic Discharge Protection

• Non-food Bags

• Pouches
• All Varieties

• Laminated PP Woven Bulk Bag

• Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container

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Packaging applications of plastic film

• Labels, Sleeves, Display Films
• Shrink Wrap Film Labels
• Shrink Sleeves
• Plastic Wrap-around Labels
• Crate Labels
• Pressure-sensitive Labels
• In-mold Label

• Wrap/Films
• Shrink Film/Wrap
• Stretch Film/Wrap
• Overwrap
• Bubble Wrap
• Twist Wrap (Cellophane)
• Lidding Film (Peel Back)

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Packaging applications of plastic film

• Tapes/Strapping
• Tear Tape

• Semi-rigid Packaging

• Adhesive Tape

• Weaving Tape

• Strapping