Life-cycle calculation of packaging: Interseroh and Sphera develop GaBi Packaging CalculatoR+

Cologne. The environmental services provider Interseroh and the supplier of EHS und Product Stewardship solutions Sphera have developed a new online tool to optimise the sustainability of packaging. With the GaBi Packaging CalculatoR+, companies can now analyse the environmental impact of packaging on a rapid and comprehensive basis – from the manufacturing, to the transport through to the recycling.

“In addition to recycling, we are also committed to more environmentally friendly packaging and the prevention of climate-damaging emissions,” explains Markus Müller-Drexel, Managing Director of INTERSEROH Dienstleistungs GmbH. “The new, intuitively operated configurator creates further transparency and provides manufacturers across the board with a good decision-making basis for improving the design of packaging.”

The GaBi Packaging CalculatoR+ is based on a parameterised model from Sphera which maps out the life-cycle of packaging and contains a considerable amount of environmental data on materials and manufacturing processes. “With the GaBi Packaging Calculator, we have launched an intuitive web tool which provides a fact-based decision-making basis for a more sustainable form of packaging design,” explains Sophie Kieselbach, Senior Consultant at Sphera. “Until now, the factor of recyclability has been neglected – especially before the backdrop of the German Packaging Act”. This is where the expertise of the recycling specialist Interseroh enters in. With "Made for Recycling", the company is offering a scientifically based evaluation method for analysing the recyclability of packaging in the laboratory. On this basis, the Interseroh "Check for Recycling" service allows customers to find out how well their product packaging can be collected separately, sorted and recycled into new products with a simple online test.

"Our cooperation allows users to create life-cycle analyses for packaging with a single tool, to determine the recyclability, and to compare design alternatives in terms of various environmental impacts," says Sophie Kieselbach. Simply select the materials and processes, enter the product specifications, define the transport routes and generate the report: in just a few steps, users can obtain meaningful data. This provides security in terms of the German Packaging Act – and also provides companies with convincing sales arguments.

The GaBi Packaging CalculatoR+ will go on sale on 1 April 2020. For further information, visit: https://www.thinkstep.com/de/software/gabi-software/gabi-packaging-calculator-plus.

For further information on the “Made for Recycling”, visit www.interseroh.de/en/services/consulting/packaging-optimisation/

About Sphera

Sphera is the world-leading provider of integrated risk management software and information services which focus on the environment, health, safety and sustainability. In acquiring the German sustainability expert thinkstep last year, the company expanded its portfolio of software and consulting solutions in the fields of EHS and product stewardship. For further information about Sphera, please visit www.sphera.com.

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