RIPA Green Packaging Calculator (here)

The RIPA Green Packaging Calculator is a fast and easy way to determine your company’s “Scope 3” carbon emission savings associated with the use of reusable, reconditioned industrial packagings, i.e. steel and plastic drums and Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs).

 


Life Cycle Inventory of Single-Trip and Multi-Trip Steel Drum Systems in the U.S., Europe and Japan

A 1999 “life cycle inventory” (LCI) conducted for the International Confederation of Container Reconditioners (ICCR) – of which RIPA is a part.    The LCI was conducted by Franklin Associates and quantifies overall energy needs, waste generation and emissions for 1000-drum control samples in both single-trip and multi-trip scenarios. The findings show significant savings in the multi-trip scenario.

 


Climate Change Benefits of Industrial and Transport Packaging Reuse (2024)

Introduction    Nearly three decades ago, governments around the world agreed to the United Nations framework to prevent climate change. The adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015 represented a huge step toward that goal, advancing international collaboration to transform the global economy toward a safer, equitable, zero-carbon future. The United Nations has adopted 17 sustainable development goals, including several aimed at responsible industrial production and materials usage.  At the same time, numerous private sector initiatives have been undertaken to reduce carbon emissions from industrial processes.  Among these efforts are Circular Economy programs sponsored by the the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the World Economic Forum aimed at promoting a “Circular Economy”.  The essential principles of the Circular Economy are reduction in materials usage, product and material reuse and recycling of products no longer fit for purpose.

    In the United States, various federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Departments of Energy and Agriculture, have developed targeted programs to promote and encourage private sector greenhouse gas reduction efforts. Chief among these are EPA’s “Climate Leaders” program and DOE’s Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gasses Program, established under Section 1605(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992.  More recently, the White House has adopted policies directing all government agencies to reduce carbon emissions to the extent practicable. 

    Working in cooperation with EPA, more than two-thirds of  the states have established Climate Change Action Plans establishing greenhouse gas mitigation policies and programs.

Private sector initiatives focusing on greenhouse gas emission reduction programs are proliferating. Industry organizations representing automobile manufacturers, chemical producers, petroleum manufacturers and iron and steel producers, have established voluntary GHG emission reduction targets for its members.

    These and other organizations have accepted the principle that excessive levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will negatively impact the environment and, over time, reduce national and international economic development opportunities. They also believe that a voluntary response is the best way to address greenhouse gas issues at this time.

Reusable Packaging Industry Initiative

    The Reusable Industrial Packaging Association (RIPA) promotes policies and practices that encourage additional use and reuse of reusable industrial and transport packaging. Packaging reuse reduces greenhouse gas emissions and RPCCA seeks to encourage greater use of such packagings by corporations.  RIPA has commissioned two studies comparing the carbon emissions of new, single-use industrial packagings to multi-use packagings of the same type.  The most recent report, “Life Cycle Assessment of Newly Manufactured and Reconditioned Packaging (October 2015; Ernst & Young), showed that industrial packaging reuse already saves several billion pounds of carbon annually and that this number could easily be doubled by increasing reuse. 

What is Reusable Industrial Packaging?

    The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has adopted the following definition of the term “industrial package:”

    – Industrial package – a package used for the transportation or storage of commodities, the contents of which are not meant for retail sale without being repackaged.*

*ASTM D 996-95 (E 01), Terminology of Packaging and Distribution Environments
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