Although carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions are not resources as such, they have been cited as indicators that can be used to measure a product’s use of resources.
Fossil Carbon
The industry’s 2019 Carbon Footprint for Cartons has been calculated as 326 kgCO2e equivalents per tonne of converted cartons.
The industry continues to make improvements through more efficient use of electricity, increasing use of bio-energy and more focus on measurement and control of water use.
Biogenic Carbon
Cartonboard’s raw material is wood fibre – the renewable resource of the sustainably managed forest. Growing trees capture and store CO2 and when the wood fibre is processed into cartons, the CO2 continues to be stored in the cartons. In addition, recycling cartons keeps the CO2 locked up in the material and prevents it from returning to the atmosphere.