Advancing Sustainable Packaging Systems through Life Cycle Thinking and Env. Trade-Off Assessment скачать в хорошем качестве

Advancing Sustainable Packaging Systems through Life Cycle Thinking and Env. Trade-Off Assessment

DATE: Thursday, October 30th, 2025 TIME: 1pm - 2pm EST PRESENTER: Dr. Rafael Auras, Michigan State University DESCRIPTION: Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a valuable tool for measuring the overall environmental impacts and trade-offs of products, services, and packaging systems. Packaging plays a critical role in containing, protecting, and delivering goods worldwide. Numerous LCA studies have examined its functionality, structure (rigid or flexible), and materials to inform sustainable choices. However, conflicting conclusions among LCAs of similar packaging systems have raised questions about whether material neutrality and a holistic environmental perspective are consistently applied when identifying options with the lowest impact. This presentation will explore how LCA informs the understanding of product-packaging systems and their overall environmental footprints. It will discuss common trade-offs among packaging choices and the challenges of selecting the most sustainable option when different environmental indicators provide no clear direction. The stochastic multi-attribute analysis (SMAA) methodology will be introduced to address these trade-offs and support more transparent, data-driven decisions. Overall, the session will highlight key challenges and additional factors that should be considered when evaluating the environmental footprint of product packaging systems. ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Rafael Auras is a Professor and the Amcor Endowed Chair in Packaging Sustainability at Michigan State University’s School of Packaging. He leads a multidisciplinary research group of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students dedicated to advancing sustainable packaging through studies on mass transfer in polymers, biodegradable materials, life cycle assessment, and the design of circular packaging systems. With extensive experience collaborating with Fortune 500 companies and government agencies, Dr. Auras is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. His research has been widely published in leading journals and books, contributing to the global advancement of packaging sustainability science and education.