Circularity of packaging

Rules for calculating the packaging score

Food packaging can have many negative impacts on the environment, especially when it is not recycled. These impacts are linked to several factors: extraction of non-renewable fossil or mineral raw materials, water consumption, persistence in the environment, decomposition into micro and nanoparticles, contamination of soils, fresh water and oceans, etc.

The packaging score aims to promote the circularity of packaging and, failing that, the use of renewable and biodegradable resources. The objective is to promote packaging which benefits from a second life, and which can be reused for the same uses (in "closed loop"). This limits the extraction of virgin raw material to manufacture new single-use packaging.

The Packaging score consists of 3 parts:

• an Upstream score evaluating the origin of the raw materials used

• a Downstream score evaluating the different end-of-life scenarios

• a ratio according to the relative weight of each element

Upstream Score

For the upstream part, we consider:

• The possible use of recycled raw material

• The renewable nature or not of the raw materials

• Sustainable or unsustainable management of resources

🇧🇪Upstream Score

Downstream Score

For the downstream part, we consider all possible end-of-life options:

• Recyclable

• Biodegradable

• Incinerated

• Landfilled

🇧🇪Down stream Score - Belgium

Ratios by format

Packaging is generally made up of several components. For example, a ready meal is made up of 3 distinct elements: a tray, a lid and a case. In order to characterise them, a list of formats is available, with a ratio representing the relative weight of each format.

These ratios are detailed on the following page:

🇧🇪Ratios by format - Belgium

Score calculation

The following formula is used to obtain the packaging score, taking into account the upstream and downstream scores of a number n of packaging elements:

$$score = 100-\sum_{i=1}^{n}(100-\overline{a_i*b_i})*r_i$$

$n$ the number of elements in the package $a_i$ the upstream score $b_i$ the downstream score $r_i$ the ratio associated with the format

When the product is distributed in bulk (without packaging), the score is 100.

The packaging score is integrated into the overall product score in the form of a malus of up to 15 points. The packaging malus is calculated as follows:

$$malus = \frac{x}{10}-10$$

$x$ is the packaging score. $malus$ is between $\mathopen{[}0,-15\mathclose{]}$

Special case

In order to ensure that the Eco-score is consistent with the objective of 100% recycled plastic by 2025 (article L. 541-1 4°bis of the French Environment Code), products packaged in non-recyclable plastic are not eligible for the Eco-score (A) . These products can at best be rated (B).

This concerns products with one or more packaging elements whose ratio associated with the format is greater than or equal to 1, in non-recyclable plastic (downstream score = 0).

Example: a yoghurt sold in a polystyrene pot (a commonly used non-recyclable plastic) cannot be rated A, regardless of whether the milk comes from France or the product has an organic label. Such a product would therefore be given an Eco-score of B.

Sources

Specificities in Belgium

Annual report of the Belgian IVCIE interregional commission. https://www.ivcie.be/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/RapportdActivites2020.pdf

Interregional cooperation agreement on the management of packaging waste.https://www.ivcie.be/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2008036325_F-1.pdf

Fostplus approval for the period 2018-2023 for the selective collection, sorting and recycling of household packaging waste in Belgium. https://www.ivcie.be/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Agrément-Fost-Plus-2018-FR.pdf

Mapping of materials according to the FostPlus classification of materials, based on the Green Dot tariff. https://www.fostplus.be/fr/media/298/download

CITEO. (2018). 2018 key figures for household packaging recycling. https://bo.citeo.com/sites/default/files/2019-07/20190612-FicheA5_Chiffres_cles_2018_2_validee.pdf

French sources

ADEME. (2017, mai). Bilan National du Recyclage 2005-2014. https://www.ademe.fr/. https://www.ademe.fr/sites/default/files/assets/documents/bilan-national-recyclage-bnr_2005-2014_201705_rapport-final.pdf

CITEO. (2018b, avril). Recyclabilité des emballages en plastique - Innovations et pistes de travail issues des projets de R&D 2015-2018. https://bo.citeo.com/sites/default/files/inline-files/20180329_Citeo_Projets_Recyclabilit%C3%A9_Plastique.PDF

FEDEREC, ADEME. (2017, avril). Évaluation environnementale du recyclage en France selon la méthodologie de l’analyse de cycle de vie. https://presse.ademe.fr/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FEDEREC_ACV-du-Recyclage-en-France-VF.pdf

COTREP, ELIPSO, CITEO, VALORPLAST. (2017, décembre). Recyclabilité des emballages en plastique - Eco-concevoir pour mieux recycler. https://bo.citeo.com/sites/default/files/inside_wysiwyg_files/Citeo_Guide COTREP_WEB.pdf

ELLEN MACARTHUR FOUNDATION. (2016, janvier). The New Plastics Economy : Rethinking the future of plastics - download the infographics. https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/. https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/news/the-new-plastics-economy-rethinking-the-future-of-plastics-infographics

ECO CO2. (2013, février). Recyclage des capsules à vis en aluminium : bonnes performances pour l’Europe, mais la France en retard. https://www.ecoco2.com/. https://www.ecoco2.com/blog/recyclage-des-capsules-a-vis-en-aluminium-bonnes-performances-pour-leurope-mais-la-france-est-en-retard/

FRANCE NATURE ENVIRONNEMENT. (2018, décembre). Le recyclage et les débouchés des plastiques. https://ged.fne.asso.fr/silverpeas/LinkFile/Key/22dedc1a-0940-41a9-b9e3-77a778972c59/FNE_fiche_rep_plastiques.pdf

Matthieu Glachant, CERNA, Ecole des Mines de Paris. (2006, octobre). La prévention des déchets d’emballages en France. https://www.cerna.minesparis.psl.eu/Donnees/data05/554-Rapport-UFC-final-v2-.pdf

Projet Métal : recycler plus de petits emballages métalliques. (2020, 15 juin). CITEO. https://www.citeo.com/le-mag/projet-metal-recycler-plus-de-petits-emballages-metalliques/

SPHERE, KAKEKA. (2019, juillet). Les bioplastiques biodégradables et compostables - Rapport d’information. https://www.emballagesmagazine.com/mediatheque/2/9/0/000035092.pdf

TETRA PAK. (2019, novembre). Tetra Pak packaging made with fully traceable plant-based polymers. https://www.tetrapak.com/. https://www.tetrapak.com/about/newsarchive/tetra-pak-first-company-fully-traceable-plant-based-polymers-packaging

ECO EMBALLAGES, ADEME. (2007, décembre). Synthèse d’études environnementales sur des plastiques de différentes origines (renouvelables et fossiles). http://www.ecoemballages.fr/sites/default/files/documents/synthese-etudes-environnementales-plastiques.pdf

Tout ce que vous rêvez de savoir sur le recyclage. (2018, 5 septembre). CITEO. https://www.citeo.com/le-mag/470/

LOI n° 2020-105 du 10 février 2020 relative à la lutte contre le gaspillage et à l'économie circulaire. https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000041553759?r=iGc9foqKm2 COTREP. (2020, octobre). Comportement des gourdes PE et PP au tri et au recyclage https://www.cotrep.fr/content/uploads/sites/3/2020/11/cotrep-ag63-gourde-pepp.pdf