Results
Life cycle inventory for corrugated board 2024
For the average corrugated board product, the paper input is 1.12 tonnes/tonne corrugated board, with an output of 0.12 tonnes paper for recycling.
The original five datasets for the four main paper grades and corrugated board/box production from which the data are derived, are reported in the Annex. The data for the corrugated box is calculated by multiplying the average paper grade composition by 1.12 and adding the corrugated board/box data reported in the Annex.
Table 4 - Life cycle inventory for the production of 1 tonne of corrugated boxes in Europe, with average corrugated base paper composition
| Product | 2024 | |
| tonne net saleable product | 1 | |
| SOLD BYPRODUCTS | ||
| Tall oil | kg/t | 2.51 |
| Tall soap | kg/t | 0.67 |
|
Turpentine |
kg/t |
0.19 |
| Bark chips |
kg/t |
1.30 |
| Wood chips | kg/t | 0.33 |
| RAW MATERIAL | ||
| Wood consumption | as bone dry weight (= 45% of transported total wet weight) |
|
| Softwood logs | t/t | 0.123 |
| Hardwood logs | t/t | 0.036 |
| Saw mill residues, softwood | t/t | 0.017 |
| Saw mill residues, hardwood | t/t | 0.001 |
| Total wood | t/t | 0.177 |
| Recovered Paper | as wet weight | 1.048 |
| Category | ||
| Mixed Grades | t/t | 0.464 |
| Corrugated and Kraft, pre-consumer | t/t | 0.083 |
| Corrugated and Kraft, post-consumer | t/t | 0.476 |
| Newspaper and Magazines | t/t | 0.006 |
| Other grades | t/t | 0.019 |
| Purchased pulp consumption | as bone dry weight | |
| Bleached pulp | t/t | 0.0139 |
| Unbleached pulp | t/t | 0.0019 |
| Pulp from paper for recycling | 0.0005 | |
| Paper consumption for corrugated board production | ||
| Total | t/t | 1.12 |
| TRANSPORT OF RAW MATERIALS | ||
| Wood | ||
| Wood with truck | t.km/t | 45 |
| Wood with rail | t.km/t | 25 |
| Wood with boat (sea) | t.km/t | 45 |
| Wood with boat (inland barge) | 10 | |
| Recovered paper | ||
| Recovered paper with truck | t.km/t | 334 |
| Recovered paper with rail | t.km/t | 29 |
| Recovered paper with Wood with boat (sea) |
t.km/t |
73 |
|
Recovered paper with Wood with boat (inland barge) |
0 | |
|
Recovered paper with Wood with boat (Ro-Ro ferry) |
t.km/t |
12 |
| Purchased pulp | ||
| Purchased pulp with truck | t.km/t | 4 |
| Purchased pulp with rail | t.km/t | 1 |
| Purchased pulp with boat (sea) | t.km/t | 51 |
|
Purchased pulp with boat (inland barge) |
t.km/t |
0 |
| Non-fibre inputs | ||
| Non-fibre with truck |
t.km/t |
23 |
| Non-fibre with rail |
t.km/t |
0 |
| Non-fibre with boat (sea) |
t.km/t |
8 |
| Non-fibre with boat (inland barge) |
t.km/t |
1 |
| Paper to corrugated board plants* | ||
| Paper with truck | t.km/t | 525 |
| Paper with rail | t.km/t | 207 |
| Paper with boat (sea) | t.km/t | 243 |
| Paper with boat (inland barge) | 26 | |
| ENERGY INPUTS | ||
| Steam | GJ/t | 0.421 |
| Bought Electricity | GJ/t | 1.431 |
| Fossil fuels | ||
| Natural gas | GJ/t | 3.839 |
| Heavy fuel oil | GJ/t | 0.032 |
| Light fuel oil | GJ/t | 0.049 |
| Diesel oil | GJ/t | 0.007 |
| LPG | GJ/t | 0.027 |
| Coal | GJ/t | 0.114 |
| Lignite | GJ/t | 0.022 |
| Peat | GJ/t | 0.026 |
| Total fossil fuel | GJ/t | 4.116 |
| Renewable fuels (biofuel) | ||
| Bark | GJ/t | 0.345 |
| Wood (scrap wood, wood pellets, saw dust) | GJ/t | 0.482 |
| Tall oil/pitch oil | GJ/t | 0.020 |
| Other biofuels | GJ/t | 0.003 |
| Total renewable fuels | GJ/t | 0.850 |
| Refuse Derived Fuel | GJ/t | 0.633 |
| Total fuel | GJ/t | 5.551 |
| WATER | ||
|
Input total |
m3/t | 13.74 |
|
Ground water (non-renewable) |
m3/t | 0.00 |
| Ground water (renewable) | m3/t | 2.44 |
| Surface water - lake | m3/t | 3.06 |
| Surface water - river | m3/t | 7.58 |
|
Municipal water |
0.56 | |
| Rain water | m3/t | 0.09 |
| Other water received | m3/t | 0.00 |
|
Water in-out |
m3/t | 1.85 |
|
|
||
| PROCESS CHEMICALS AND ADDITIVES, DRY MASS | ||
| Alum (Al2(SO4)3 | kg/t | 1.94 |
| Biocides | kg/t | 0.095 |
| Borax | kg/t | 0.13 |
| CaCO3 | kg/t | 5.97 |
| Ground Calcium Carbonate | kg/t | 4.59 |
| Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (purchased) | kg/t | 1.37 |
| CaO calcium oxide (lime) | kg/t | 0.56 |
| Coagulant | kg/t | 0.16 |
| Colorants | kg/t | 0.44 |
| CO2 carbon dioxide | kg/t | 0.64 |
| CO2 compressed gaseous form |
kg/t |
0.27 |
| CO2 liquid form | kg/t | 0.37 |
| Defoamer | kg/t | 0.058 |
| Fillers (clay, kaolin) | kg/t | 1.26 |
| Flocculants | kg/t | 0.12 |
| Glue, cold + hot melts | kg/t | 1.33 |
| H2O2, peroxide | kg/t | 0.27 |
| H2SO4 sulfuric acid | kg/t | 1.18 |
|
H3PO4 phosphoric acid |
kg/t | 0.019 |
| Water- based ink for flexo printing | kg/t | 2.66 |
| Varnish for printing | kg/t | 0.65 |
| Ligno sulphonate | kg/t | 0.70 |
| Lubricants | kg/t | 0.022 |
| MgO magnesium oxide | kg/t | 0.0091 |
| NaClO3 sodium chlorate | kg/t | 0.22 |
| Na2CO3 sodium carbonate (soda) | kg/t | 0.069 |
| Na2SO4 sodium sulfate | kg/t | 0.073 |
| NaOH sodium hydroxide | kg/t | 2.18 |
| NH3 ammonia | kg/t | 0.039 |
| Oxygen, O2 | kg/t | 0.54 |
| O2 compressed gaseous form | kg/t | 0.49 |
| O2 liquid form | kg/t | 0.05 |
| Pitch dispergents | kg/t | 0.012 |
| Polymer and retention agents | kg/t | 0.31 |
| S, sulphur | kg/t | 0.16 |
| Sizing agents | kg/t | 0.193 |
| AKD sizer (alkyl ketene dimer) | kg/t | 0.118 |
| ASA sizer (alkenyl succinic anhydride) | kg/t | 0.049 |
| Rosin | kg/t | 0.025 |
| SO2 sulfur dioxine | kg/t | 0.00 |
| Talc malusil | kg/t | 0.0042 |
| Urea | kg/t | 0.24 |
| Starch, corn (incl modified & cationic starch from corn) | kg/t | 19.08 |
| Starch, potato (incl modified & cationic starch from potato) | kg/t | 11.08 |
| Starch, wheat (incl modified & cationic starch from wheat) | kg/t | 25.35 |
| Starch, other (flour, pea, undefined) | kg/t | 12.80 |
| EMISSIONS TO AIR | ||
| Particulates, < 2.5 µm | kg/t | 0.0073 |
| Particulates, > 2.5 µm, and < 10µm | kg/t | 0.0041 |
| Particulates, > 10 µm | kg/t | 0.0201 |
| CO2 (fossil) | kg/t | 260.46 |
| CO2 (biomass) | kg/t | 299.04 |
| CO | kg/t | 0.27 |
| NOx (as NO2) | kg/t | 0.32 |
| SOx (as SO2) | kg/t | 0.10 |
| TRS (H2S as S) | kg/t | 0.0034 |
| EMISSIONS TO WATER | ||
| Water output | m³/t | |
| Thermally polluted water- cooling water to freshwater | m³/t | 2.32 |
| Thermally polluted water - cooling water to seawater | m³/t | 0.75 |
|
Process water to off-site wastewater treatment |
m³/t | 1.36 |
| Process water to freshwater after treatment onsite wastewater treatment |
m³/t | 5.87 |
| Process water to seawater after treatment onsite wastewater treatment |
m³/t | 1.57 |
| Total water out | m³/t | 11.88 |
| COD | kg/t | 1.18 |
| BOD 5 | kg/t | 0.22 |
| TOC | kg/t | 0.21 |
| Suspended solids | kg/t | 0.22 |
| Total Nitrogen | kg/t | 0.067 |
| AOX | kg/t | 0.0021 |
| Total Phosphorus | kg/t | 0.0054 |
|
Waterborne emissions - seawater |
kg/t | |
| COD | kg/t | 0.35 |
| BOD5 | kg/t | 0.054 |
| TOC | kg/t | 0.056 |
|
Suspended solids |
kg/t | 0.056 |
| Total Nitrogen | kg/t | 0.015 |
| AOX | kg/t | 0.0003 |
|
Total Phosphorus |
kg/t | 0.0017 |
| RESIDUES | wet weight | |
| Calcium Carbonate | kg/t (75% dry content) | 0.074 |
| Ink residues | kg/t (50% dry content) | 0.355 |
| Inorganic ashes (10 01 01) | kg/t (85% dry content) | 9.49 |
| Green liquor sludge |
kg/t (32% dry content) |
1.48 |
| Organic primary fibre sludge | kg/t (43% dry content) | 20.17 |
| Lime mud |
kg/t (32% dry content) |
1.70 |
| Organic biological treatment sludge |
kg/t (43% dry content) |
18.41 |
| Bark and wood | kg/t (45% dry content) | 0.034 |
| Paper for recycling | kg/t (90% dry content) | 120.00 |
| Rejects - total |
kg/t (57% dry content) |
45.58 |
| Rejects, paper related** | kg/t (57% dry content) | 15.51 |
| Rejects, other*** | kg/t (57% dry content) | 31.02 |
| Starch, glue (wet weight) | kg/t (30% dry content) | 0.102 |
| Lubricants and oil | kg/t | 0.081 |
«0.00» no input or below reporting requirements see «chemical input»
«na» not available
*As this life cycle inventory is intended to be representative of average European production, only transport from European paper mills to
European corrugated board production sites has been considered in the weighted average. Transport associated with export of paper
outside of Europe has not been considered
**Rejected materials that were associated with the previous use of the paper (for example, staples, paper clips, tags, adhesive labels, unrecovered
fibres, etc)
***Material that is not in anyway associated with the previous use of the paper (for example, foreign items such as plastic packaging, glass,
sand and grit, etc)
Get the excel file of the data 2024
