Rigid Bulk Packaging

Rigid bulk packaging includes drums, pails, bulk boxes, material handling containers (MHCs) and bulk boxes, and rigid intermediate bulk containers (RIBCs) for chemical and pharmaceutical, food, plastic, rubber, fiber, petroleum and lubricant, agricultural and horticultural, durable, and hazardous waste storage and handling markets. Not included in this category are pallets and wood containers, corrugated and solid fiberboard boxes except bulk and corrugated RIBCs. The overall weights of materials used for rigid bulk packaging in are as reported by Freedonia market data.58 Freedonia data also provided the relative US dollar demand for individual types of product applications within the rigid bulk packaging subcategories. As the average price per unit for each type of packaging product is not provided, it is assumed that the relative market demand for each type correlates linearly with the relative weight of each package type (i.e., price per pound of plastic package is similar among rigid bulk packaging applications). The overall weights of materials used for rigid bulk packaging in Canada and further granularity on relative shares of rigid bulk packaging per subcategory were not available for Canada. A US-to- Canada population scaling factor and US relative shares were used to estimate weights of materials used within each subcategory for Canadian demand.

56

Actual weight ratio per measurements.

57

Actual weight ratio per measurements.

58

Freedonia (2011). Rigid Bulk Packaging: US Industry Study with Forecasts for 2015 & 2020, Study #2737 Prepared by The Freedonia Group, February 2011.

Chapter 2. Substitution Model

Relative overall shares of plastic and each alternative material used in rigid bulk packaging are as reported by Freedonia. Resin breakout for rigid bulk packaging was not provided by the Freedonia data and was estimated by Franklin Associates to be split evenly between HDPE and PP resins, based on publicly available specifications on bulk plastic drums, pails, boxes, MHCs, and RIBCs. The material breakout for individual resins and non-plastic materials was cross-checked with qualitative and quantitative data from previous work performed by Franklin Associates.59

The compiled data are used to estimate the relative weight share and identity of materials that would substitute for plastics in each subcategory application. Rigid bulk packaging is expected to be replaced by a mix of steel, molded fiber, corrugated cardboard, and wood panels. All rigid bulk paper packaging substitutes are assumed to have the average recycled content for paper packaging based on recovery rates in the EPA MSW Characterization in 2010.60

To determine substitution weight factors within each type of rigid bulk packaging, the functional unit was volume capacity. Within each rigid bulk packaging subcategory, a representative plastic packaging product was selected. The weights of the representative plastic packaging were determined from primary data from previous LCAs performed by Franklin Associates and/or publicly available specifications from packaging providers. For drums, a plastic drum suitable for hazardous material was compared to steel and molded fiber drums (with liners) of equivalent volume. For pails, plastic pails were compared to steel pails. For material handling containers and bulk boxes, plastic corrugated shipping boxes and forkliftable bulk containers are compared to fiber corrugated shipping boxes and steel shipping containers, respectively, of equivalent volume. For reusable plastic containers substituted by other reusable containers, one plastic box is assumed to be substituted by one alternative reusable container. For reusable plastic boxes substituted by fiber corrugated boxes, a conservative lifetime trip rate of 10 is used for the reusable plastic boxes, so that one plastic box is assumed to be substituted over its life cycle by 10 equivalent size corrugated boxes. In efficiently operated closed-loop reuse systems, reusable bulk containers can make 50 or more lifetime trips.

Given equivalency in volume capacity, the alternative material-to-plastic rigid weight ratios determined for each subcategory are used to determine the overall weight of each type of alternative material required to substitute for plastics in this product market.

For bulk rigid packaging, there are four primary applications: drums; pails; material handling and bulk boxes; and rigid intermediate bulk containers. As an example of how substitution ratios were determined, the following section describes the approach for pail applications in bulk rigid applications.

59

Franklin Associates (1990). Appendix C. Market Shares and Weight Ratios for Plastics & Alternative Materials in Packaging and Disposable Consumer Goods Prepared for SPI.

60

US Environmental Protection Agency. 2011. Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States Detailed Tables and Figures for 2010. Compiled by Franklin Associates, A Division of ERG.

Franklin Associates selected a seven gallon (26.5 liter) plastic pail weighing 2.94 pounds or 1.33 kilograms as a representative container for this application. The weight-to-volume ratio of this ‘typical’ plastic container was compared to that of a five gallon (18.9 liter) steel pail weighing 6.44 pounds or 2.92 kilograms. Steel is the only alternative packaging material considered to substitute plastic in this application. The relative weight-to-volume ratios for the representative plastic and steel pails are used to determine the overall substitution ratio (2.19) for steel versus plastic. This ratio is used to determine the overall weight of steel required to substitute for the weight of plastic resin currently used in pail- type applications in bulk rigid packaging.

Chapter 2. Substitution Model

Chapter 2. Substitution Model

Chapter 2. Substitution Model

2.4. OTHER FLEXIBLE PACKAGING MARKETS