Sustainable Development & Industry

Coursework I
Carbon Footprinting and Sustainability: Packaging
This coursework requires you to use Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in a sustainable decision-making context.
Your task is to use CCaLC software to estimate the carbon footprint of beverage packaging, then consider
ways to make that packaging more sustainable.
The coursework takes place over three 3-hour sessions, detailed in the figure below.

DAY 1: BASELINE
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Activity 1 carbon footprint of
bottle
Activity 2 preparation of short
presentation on results

DAY 2: SCENARIOS AND

ECONOMIC/SOCIAL IMPACTS

DAY 3: SUSTAINABILITY

Activity 1 short presentation

Activity 2 scenario
assessment
Activity 3 preparation of short
presentation on decision
making

Activity 1 short presentation

Activity 2 debate
Activity 3 decision making

ASESSMENT AND DISCUSSION

Aims of the coursework

to learn how to apply life cycle thinking and to become familiar with LCA;
to learn how to calculate life cycle environmental impacts, in particular carbon footprint, by using
LCA software (CCaLC);
to gain understanding of the usefulness and drawbacks of LCA as a tool;
to use LCA alongside non-environmental criteria to make decisions; and
to practise employability-related skills including critical analysis, oral presentation and conflict
resolution.

Where to start and how to go about it

You will use CCaLC v2 software to calculate the carbon footprints. CCaLC is installed on the cluster PCs, and
you can downloaded an overview of how to use it from Blackboard.
For critical evaluation of LCA you will need to consult your lecture notes, the recommended reading (see
below) and you may also wish to search for other sources of information on the internet.

Recommended reading
Azapagic, A. (2011). Assessing Environmental Sustainability: Life Cycle Thinking and Life Cycle Assessment.
Chapter 3. In: Sustainable Development in Practice: Case Studies for Engineers and Scientists, 2nd ed.
(Azapagic, A. and S. Perdan, eds.). John Wiley & Sons, Chichester.
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Assessment
This coursework carries 20% of the total mark for the module. Marks will be based on your ability to
correctly calculate results, understand and anticipate sustainability problems, communicate your findings
and negotiate/discuss in a group.
See the final page of this document for the mark schemes.

Contacts for this coursework

For any questions, first contact your group tutor/demonstrator. If they are not able to help you, contact the
unit leader: laurence.stamford@manchester.ac.uk.

DAY 1
Estimate the carbon footprint of beverage packaging
TASK Estimate the carbon footprint of a PET beverage bottle using CCaLC, based on the data below. Then,
think of potential improvements for the life cycle and prepare a short presentation in your group.

1. Description of PET bottle

The components of PET bottle are listed in Table 1. The quantities will be provided to you by your tutor
during the first tutorial session on 14th October 2015 in The Mill computer clusters at 10:00.
Fill in the material quantities in Table 1.
Table 1: Components of PET bottle (0.5 l)

Component
Bottle

Material
PET resin (bottle grade)

Quantity (g/0.5 litre container)

Top

Polypropylene (PP) resin

Label

Kraft paper, bleached, at plant, Europe

Total weight

2. Functional unit
The functional unit is defined as packaging for 1000 litres of drink. The volume of the PET bottle is 0.5
litres.

3. System boundary
A simplified life cycle of PET bottle is shown in Figure 1.
Raw Materials

Processing

Storage

Retail and Use

- PET
- PP
- Paper

- Bottle
manufacture
- Filling

Ambient
storage

Consumption
(waste bottle)

Waste Management
Figure 1: The life cycle of a PET bottle

The following life cycle stages are considered:

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a)
b)
c)
d)

Raw materials: PET and PP resins and paper (Kraft);

Processing: Bottle manufacture; bottle filling;
Storage: Ambient storage of the product at a distribution centre;
Retail and use: Consumption of the drink and discarding of waste bottles (it is assumed that the
drink is consumed at retailer);
e) Waste management: Disposal of waste bottles in landfill; and
f) Transport: Transport of raw materials, bottles and waste along the life cycle of the bottle.

4. Raw materials
The raw materials for the PET bottle are PET and PP resins for the bottle and the top, respectively. Kraft
paper is used for the label. All materials are assumed to be virgin. The carbon footprint data for these
materials are available in the CCaLC database.

5. Energy
Table 2 summarises energy use in different life cycle stages. Note that the energy for bottle manufacture is
the combined amount for the manufacture of the bottle and the cap.
Table 2: Energy use in the life cycle of the PET bottle

Process

Amount
(MJ/functional unit)

Energy type

Bottle manufacture
Filling
Filling

Heat, natural gas, at industrial furnace low-NOx >100kW

Electricity, medium voltage, production, UK, at grid
Steam - natural gas, UK

500
306
340

6. Transport
Table 3 summarises the distances travelled and the transportation modes.
Table 3: The transportation modes and distances travelled in the life cycle of the PET bottle

Raw material
PET resin
(to manufacture & filling)
PP resin
(to manufacture & filling)
Kraft paper
(to manufacture & filling)
Filled bottles to storage
Bottles from storage to
retailer/use
Waste bottles to landfill

Distance travelled by
road (km)

Packing density
(kg/m3)

Empty on
return?

100 (40t truck)

50.0

Yes

100 (40t truck)

5.2

Yes

100 (22t truck)

0.5

Yes

100 (40t truck)

60.0

Yes

100 (22t truck)

58.0

Yes

20 (40t truck)

9.0

Yes

7. Waste management
It is assumed that all PET bottles are landfilled (Landfill plastic in CCaLC).

8. Results
Enter your results per functional unit (f.u.) in Tables 4 & 5 and identify the hot spots.
Table 4: Carbon footprint of the PET bottle

Life cycle stage

Carbon footprint
(kg CO-eq./f.u.)

Contribution to total
carbon footprint (%)

Raw materials
Bottle manufacture and filling
Storage
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Retail and use
Transport
Waste
TOTAL

Table 5: Contribution of the raw materials to the total carbon footprint of the PET bottle

Raw material
PET
PP
Paper
TOTAL

Carbon footprint (kg CO-eq./f.u.)

9. Prepare a presentation
Homework: By the next session, you must work as a group to prepare a short presentation (15 minutes
max.) which you will deliver (as a group) next time. This must include:
1. the results of the carbon footprint exercise (including the tables above),
2. your ideas for possible improvements, and
3. any potential disadvantages/problems of those improvements.
See last page for mark scheme.

DAY 2
Improve the carbon footprint of beverage packaging and consider economic and social
issues
TASK First, you will present your results and ideas from Day 1. Then, you will split into two teams and
estimate the carbon footprint of a revised scenario for the PET beverage bottle, using CCaLC and the data
below. There will be economic and social implications to the revised scenario, which you must consider.

1. Present your results and ideas for improvements

See step 9 from Day 1.

2. Split into Team A and Team B and model the scenarios below

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TEAM A
Scenario 1: Light weighting
Modelling: The bottles are made thinner to save material. Reduce the mass of PET and PP by 10% each and
update any other parts of the life cycle affected by the new mass.
Points to consider:
The reaction of consumers is unclear since they are not used to such thin packaging. People will suspect
that the strength of the bottle has decreased and think it will be easy to break (even if it is not). Market
surveys show a possible reduction in sales of up to 25%.
An initial investment of 20,000 is necessary to adapt the production process.
Costs of materials: PET 0.29 /kg, PP 0.44 /kg, paper (Kraft) 0.45 /kg.
In the baseline production process, material costs make up 45% of the total cost of manufacture. The
other 55% is utilities (electricity, gas, etc.).

Scenario 2: Bio-based materials

Modelling: Petrochemical PET is replaced. Replace PET with Bio-based Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
(amorphous grade, sugarcane-based).
Points to consider:
This will seriously compromise the viability of a local supplier of PET resin; you are their best customer.
There is a possibility of job losses in the local community. 75% of your product is sold in a radius of 50
miles.
Ecologists will start a campaign against this solution on the basis that arable lands should be used to
produce products for feeding people, not to produce packaging.
An initial investment of 250,000 is necessary to adapt the production process.
Costs of materials: BioPET: 0.10 /kg

TEAM B
Scenario 3: More recycling
Modelling: Recycled material and end-of-life recycling are prioritised. Replace 40% of your PET feedstock with
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), 100% recycled (same transport assumptions). Reduce the amount of waste
going to landfill by 35% on the assumption that people recycle more.
Points to consider:
Recycled PET is 30% cheaper than virgin PET.
Part of the plan involves paying for an extra 15,000 recycling bins for the local area. This could provide
good PR, but at a cost of 15 per bin.
One survey says that 60% of consumers will not recycle their bottles because they believe that recycling
is not worth it. However, the more people recycle, the lower the cost of recycled PET.
You are the best customer of a local PET resin supplier. They only supply virgin PET, therefore reduced
orders from you might lead to job losses.

Scenario 4: Cogeneration
Modelling: A combined heat and power plant is installed at the factory. Replace electricity with Electricity-CHP1. Replace heat and steam with Heat-CHP-1.
Points to consider:
The CHP system can reduce your energy bills by up to 40%; however the payback time will depend on
sales volume (i.e. income). The government gives you a grant of 50% of the cost of a second-hand CHP
with a total cost of 250,000. Under the current situation, the payback time is estimated to be 4 years,
but due to the crisis in Europe the company is uncertain about the investment.
CHP systems can be noisy; the workers are complaining about health and safety issues.
The only available space to install the CHP system was planned to be used for an extension to the
workers canteen. The union is not happy with the decision and ask for some kind of compensation.

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3. Results
Enter the carbon footprints that you have calculated into the table to compare the different scenarios.

Table 6: Carbon footprint of the different scenarios

Life cycle stage

Carbon footprint
(kg CO-eq./f.u.)

Baseline scenario: Standard bottle

Scenario 1: Light weighting
Scenario 2: Bio-based materials
Scenario 3: More recycling
Scenario 4: Cogeneration

4. Decision-making
Homework: By the next session, you must work in your team (i.e. Team A and Team B work separately) to
prepare a short presentation (15 minutes max.) in which you choose one scenario and justify your choice.
Your decision should consider environmental, economic and social issues and must include:
1. the results of the baseline scenario and the two other scenarios that you have modelled,
2. the criteria used to justify your decision; and
3. suggested ways to mitigate any drawbacks of your chosen scenario.
See last page for mark scheme.

DAY 3
Final sustainability assessment and debate
1. Present your decision-making
See step 4 from Day 2.

2. Debate and final decision-making

Team A and Team B will together debate the 4 scenarios and the suggested ways to mitigate drawbacks. At
the end, everyone should agree on one solution.
The agreed solution does not have to be exactly the same as the 4 scenarios. It can incorporate parts of
each, where possible. It must include a feasible environmental improvement as well as consideration of the
economic and social aspects.

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Coursework mark schemes

Presentation 1 (initial results) 20% of total marks

Correct results (40 marks)

Originality and validity of ideas for improvement (15 marks)
Evidence of thinking creatively and with understanding of the three pillars (environment, economy,
society) to anticipate problems with your ideas (15 marks)
Good participation by all group members (15 marks)
Timekeeping (15 marks)

Presentation 2 (scenarios) 40% of total marks

Correct results for your scenarios (30 marks)

Justification of your final decision on a scenario (20 marks)
Evidence of creativity and understanding to mitigate drawbacks (20 marks)
Good participation by all group members (15 marks)
Timekeeping (15 marks)

Debate 40% of total marks

You will be marked individually based on your contribution to the discussion

Engagement in the discussion (20 marks)

Depth of understanding demonstrated (40 marks)
Ability to make convincing arguments and negotiate with the other members (40 marks)