Packaging Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Quantify and optimise the environmental impact of your packaging
Most packaging sustainability claims rely on a single metric — usually carbon footprint or recyclability. That's not enough.
A package can be 100% recyclable and still carry a worse environmental footprint than the alternative once you account for material extraction, manufacturing emissions, transport weight, and end-of-life recovery rates.
Packaging LCA gives you the full picture. We quantify environmental impact across every stage of the life cycle, so you can make decisions based on evidence — not on the metric that happens to look best.
Why most packaging sustainability claims fall short
Single-metric thinking is the biggest reason packaging sustainability claims get challenged. A common pattern: a brand switches from plastic to paper to reduce plastic waste, then discovers the paper alternative has a higher carbon footprint and uses more water in production. Or a "lightweight" redesign reduces transport emissions but increases breakage and waste at the consumer end.
The problem isn't that any of these metrics are wrong. The problem is that any single metric tells you only part of the story. Packaging LCA reveals where impact actually concentrates across the full life cycle:
raw material extraction
manufacturing energy and emissions
transport and distribution
use phase impacts
end-of-life recovery and disposal
When you can see all five stages quantified, you can make trade-offs deliberately — not by accident.
When to undertake a packaging LCA
Packaging LCA is most valuable when you're about to make a decision that's hard to reverse. The most common triggers:
Material switch. You're moving from one substrate to another (plastic to paper, virgin to recycled, monomaterial to multilayer) and need evidence the change actually reduces impact.
Format redesign. You're changing pack size, weight, or shape and want to quantify the environmental implications across the supply chain.
Public sustainability claim. You want to publish a comparative claim or environmental marketing statement and need ISO-compliant evidence to back it up.
EPD development. You need an Environmental Product Declaration to meet customer or regulatory requirements.
EPR scheme readiness. Extended Producer Responsibility schemes (in Australia and globally) are increasingly using LCA-based metrics to set fees and obligations.
Portfolio review. You want to identify environmental hotspots across a packaging range to prioritise where redesign effort will have the most impact.
What packaging LCA measures
Our packaging studies quantify performance across the impact categories that matter for credible decision-making and regulatory alignment:
carbon footprint (kg CO₂ eq.)
water use and water scarcity
energy demand
resource depletion (fossil and mineral)
toxicity and ecosystem impacts
marine litter potential
material circularity
packaging EPR-aligned metrics
Every study is conducted in line with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 — the international standards for life cycle assessment. Where claims will be made publicly, we recommend independent critical review to ISO 14071, which is what protects your communications from greenwashing challenges.
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LCA consulting services for Packaging systems
We work with brands, manufacturers, packaging engineers, and converters across the full spectrum of packaging LCA.
- Comparative LCA studies - Option A vs option B, modelled to ISO standards — defensible under critical review.
- Portfolio-level analysis - Streamlined LCAs across multiple SKUs to find hotspots and prioritise redesign effort.
- Peer-reviewed studies for public claims - Review-ready studies for marketing or competitive claims. We coordinate the reviewers.
- Bespoke LCA tools - Custom calculators for teams running LCAs repeatedly across similar packaging systems. -
PIQET — Packaging LCA in your team's hands
PIQET (Packaging Impact Quick Evaluation Tool) is a purpose-built online LCA tool for packaging technologists, material scientists and sustainability teams. It runs ISO 14044-aligned assessments through a structured interface — no specialist LCA software required.
PIQET is the right choice when you need quick, credible comparisons during the design process. The latest version PIQET 5.0 also enables more in-depth studies and advanced reporting functionality.
PIQET has recently introduced new APIs and bulk project import feature for companies looking to do bulk LCAs as part of their daily practice.
We offer free 15-day trials for those interested in exploring the platform for themselves.
FAQs
How long does a packaging LCA take?
1
A streamlined comparative study typically takes 4–8 weeks. Full ISO-compliant studies with critical review take 3–6 months. Timing depends on data availability and the scope of the comparison.
For clients using PIQET, a streamlined study can take as little as 30-minutes.
Do I need primary data or can you use industry averages?
2
Both have a place. For internal decision-making, industry-average background data combined with your specific material and process choices is usually sufficient. For external claims, primary data from your suppliers strengthens the credibility of the result.
Can you compare packaging across different end-of-life scenarios?
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Yes. End-of-life is often where packaging comparisons get interesting. We model realistic recovery rates by region, including landfill, incineration, recycling, and composting pathways.
What's the difference between PIQET and a full consulting LCA?
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PIQET is built for fast, repeatable comparisons during design. It now includes a built-in ISO 14044 report maker, so users can support public claims once the study has been peer reviewed. As a streamlined platform, it does have some limitations compared with full LCAs built in SimaPro. If you're unsure whether to commission a full LCA through Lifecycles or run one yourself in PIQET, get in touch and we'll help you decide.