The impact of packaging recyclable ability on environment: Case and scenario analysis of polypropylene express boxes and corrugated cartons

Guo, Xin; Yao, Shujun; Wang, Qingfeng; Zhao, Hailong; Zhao, Yu; Zeng, Fuhua; Huo, Lijiang; Xing, Hao; Yang, Jin; Lv, Yanna

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153650

Cited by 30 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Other studies have developed life cycle inventories and investigated the environmental hotspots for wooden pallets in order to provide decision and design support for developing more environmentally friendly pallets [18][19][20][21]. Many studies across diverse research fields have assessed the environmental impact of corrugated boxes when they are used as part of a whole packaging system [22][23][24][25][26], exploration of EOL management options, and relative to emerging reusable packaging system alternatives as part of the circular economy [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34].…”

Section: Research Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The optimization method employed in this study required different amounts of pallet top deck material increase. It also resulted in different amounts of corrugated box material decrease, depending on various unit load design factors [30]. Hence, this study compared a wide range of paired initial and optimized unit load scenarios to investigate at what point they cross the line to show measurable environmental benefits through this unit load optimization method.…”

Section: Unit Load Optimization Ratio and Scenario Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sustainable and Secure Transport: Achieving Environmental Impact Reductions by Optimizing Pallet-Package Strength Interactions during Transport

Kim,

Horvath,

Russell

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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Increasing quantities of products are being transported across widely distributed supply networks; the sustainability of the packaging used to transport these goods, or unit loads, presents an area of potential concern. The most common type of unit load in the U.S. is wooden pallets supporting various configurations of stacked corrugated boxes. Research into unit load cost optimization revealed that increasing the stiffness of a pallet’s top deck can significantly affect the strength of the assembled, stacked corrugated boxes and provides opportunities to reduce the board grade required for accompanying corrugated boxes. However, there remains a knowledge gap regarding the environmental implications of this type of unit load optimization method. To address this, we conducted a life cycle analysis (LCA) to investigate the environmental implications of optimizing a unit load using this method. The environmental impacts of paired (pallet and box) unit load design scenarios (n = 108) were investigated using varied wood species, pallet top deck thicknesses, corrugated boxes sizes, corrugated flutes, and board grades. Initial and optimized unit load scenarios ensured that the unit loads offered equivalent performance. LCA results indicate that optimizing the unit load can reduce environmental impacts by up to 23%, with benefits accruing across most impact categories primarily due to the reduction in corrugated material used. Ozone depletion, the exception, was mainly affected by the increase in the amount of required pallet materials. This study provides minimum required conditions as preliminary guidance for determining the usefulness of unit load specific analysis, and a sensitivity analysis confirmed these values remain unchanged even with different transportation distances. Through the unit load optimization method, this study demonstrates that an effective way to reduce the overall environmental impact and cost of transported unit loads involves increasing the stiffness of the top decks and reducing the corrugated board grade.

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Section: Research Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Unit Load Optimization Ratio and Scenario Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable and Secure Transport: Achieving Environmental Impact Reductions by Optimizing Pallet-Package Strength Interactions during Transport

Kim,

Horvath,

Russell

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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“…7 Polypropylene (PP) is one of the few adaptable packaging materials that are completely recyclable and environmentally friendly. 8 Due to its ability to reduce waste, PP is the most popular alternative to PS and corrugated packaging options, 9 it is purely composed of carbon and hydrogen, and PP is produced with no harmful emissions. 10 PP is one of the most commonly used polymers for creating consumer goods because of its excellent durability, chemical resistance, thermal properties, and cheap cost.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elucidating the effects of naturally weathered aged-polypropylene microplastics and newly procured polypropylene microplastics on raw 264.7 macrophages

Koner,

Mukherjee,

Chandrasekaran

2024

Environ. Sci.: Nano

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“…From an industrial perspective, Kremser et al (2022) [17] proposed an innovative recycling procedure to maximize material recovery. Guo et al (2022) [18] developed an evaluation model based on a life cycle assessment (LCA) to minimize the environmental impact during the design stage of recyclable express boxes. Shi et al (2023) [19] established a circular symbiosis network to recycle express packaging waste and put forth practical recommendations for express companies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influential Factors Affecting Recycling Behavior toward Cardboard Boxes in the Logistics Sector: An Empirical Analysis from China

Li,

Ru,

2023

Sustainability

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With the escalating issues of resource waste and environmental pollution, the effective recycling of cardboard boxes within the logistics sector has emerged as a crucial factor in advancing sustainable development. This study employs the extended theory of planned behavior (ETPB) to devise a questionnaire and gather data from 700 respondents in China, aiming to analyze the influential factors that impact consumers’ engagement in recycling mechanisms provided by express delivery companies. Utilizing a principal component analysis, five co-factors that influence consumers’ willingness to recycle are identified. The findings of a multinomial logistic regression reveal a positive correlation between these five co-factors and recycling behavior, with attitude exhibiting the greatest significant influence (5.076 times in model 1 and 2.375 times in model 2) on recycling behavior. These results will serve as a scientific foundation for express delivery companies and governmental entities to adapt and optimize existing environmental protection policies, thus fostering sustainable development.

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The impact of packaging recyclable ability on environment: Case and scenario analysis of polypropylene express boxes and corrugated cartons

Cited by 30 publications

References 27 publications

Sustainable and Secure Transport: Achieving Environmental Impact Reductions by Optimizing Pallet-Package Strength Interactions during Transport

Sustainable and Secure Transport: Achieving Environmental Impact Reductions by Optimizing Pallet-Package Strength Interactions during Transport

Elucidating the effects of naturally weathered aged-polypropylene microplastics and newly procured polypropylene microplastics on raw 264.7 macrophages

Influential Factors Affecting Recycling Behavior toward Cardboard Boxes in the Logistics Sector: An Empirical Analysis from China

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