Elopak's D-PAK™ cartons are emerging as a powerful sustainable alternative to plastic pouches for laundry detergent refills, following a recent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) conducted by sustainability consultancy Anthesis. The study, commissioned by Elopak, compared the environmental impact of D-PAK™ fiber-based cartons with traditional LDPE plastic pouches in the EU market.

According to the results, D-PAK™ cartons offer a significantly smaller carbon footprint across multiple environmental categories. These findings are particularly relevant as consumer demand for sustainable packaging rises and as manufacturers look to reduce plastic use in home and personal care products.

“We are delighted to be able to share these findings, which show that Elopak cartons are a significantly more sustainable packaging solution for laundry detergent than common refill alternatives like pouches,” stated Emilie Olderskog, Elopak’s Senior Director for Sustainability.

Key Findings from the LCA

• Lower Carbon Emissions: D-PAK™ cartons produce 24% fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1L plastic pouches. For 1.8L pouches, this advantage increases to 28%, even when the pouches are made with recycled plastic.
• Reduced Resource Scarcity Impact: Cartons show a 33% lower impact than 1L pouches, and 38% for 1.8L formats.
• Plastic Usage: D-PAK™ cartons use 44% less plastic than LDPE pouches, containing only 9g of plastic, compared to 20.1g in pouches and 76.7g in polypropylene bottles.

These results reinforce the position of fiber-based packaging as a practical and impactful solution for reducing the environmental burden of common household products. Elopak aims to provide the same level of sustainability achieved in the food and beverage sector to home and personal care products.

Building on Previous Successes

This new LCA follows a 2020 meta-analysis from the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (now the Food and Beverage Carton Alliance), which found that beverage cartons had a far lower carbon footprint compared to PET and glass bottles. By extending the benefits of cartons to non-food categories, Elopak continues to push the boundaries of packaging innovation.

Since relaunching the D-PAK™ format in 2021, Elopak has helped major retail and consumer brands—such as Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Omo, and Paperdent—transition to more sustainable packaging for products like fabric softener, mouthwash, and wiper fluid.

Consumer Appetite for Carton-Based Refills

Consumer interest in sustainable packaging is on the rise. Research by Elopak in 2024 showed that a majority of shoppers in the UK and Germany were open to buying household refills in cartons: 64% would buy fabric softener, 61% would choose detergent, and 59% would opt for floor cleaner if offered in carton refills.

Elopak’s strategy, ‘Repackaging Tomorrow’, launched in September 2024, centers around using fiber-based solutions to reduce plastic reliance. By focusing on sectors beyond food and beverage, Elopak seeks to drive wider industry adoption of sustainable practices.

As the packaging industry continues to prioritize sustainability, the findings from this LCA reaffirm cartons as a viable, lower-impact option—not just for drinks, but for an expanding range of household and personal care products.