Wooden packaging presents a significantly lower environmental impact compared to corrugated cardboard packaging. This assessment, focusing on greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, ecotoxicity, food safety, and water footprint, highlights the benefits of using wooden materials over cardboard in packaging solutions.

The technical evaluation has been conducted by the consulting firm Géminis Tools, in collaboration with researchers from the Information and Communication Technologies against Climate Change (ICTvsCC-ITACA) group at the Universitat Politècnica de València. This pioneering study showcases their scientific-technical expertise, marking a significant advancement in the sector.

The scope of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) involves a comparison between two types of single-use packaging utilized in the international refrigerated transport of fruit and vegetable products by road. Specifically, it contrasts wooden packaging with corrugated cardboard packaging.

The LCA study is based on the most representative functional unit defined by exporting companies: a packaging system designed to store and transport 1,000 tons of mandarins from Valencia, Spain, to Germany over a distance of 2,000 km by truck.

For this assessment, the Pitufo® packaging system was selected. Pitufo® is a brand registered by Fedemco and conforms to the UNE 49051 standard. The chosen Pitufo® format measures 300 x 200 mm and has a load capacity of 2 kilograms.

An exhaustive classification of all production and logistics processes within the entire value chain was developed for both wood and cardboard packaging. This classification includes processes related to materials, semi-finished products, and final products, from cradle to grave, and was agreed upon by the most representative companies in the sector.

Following a thorough analysis of impacts based on ISO 14044:2006 and 14040:2006 standards and using the ReCiPe 2016 methodology, the study reveals several key findings:

• The global warming potential of cardboard packaging is significantly higher than that of wood packaging.
• The water footprint is also greater for cardboard packaging compared to wood packaging.
• In terms of eutrophication of fresh and marine water, cardboard packaging has a much larger impact than wooden packaging.
• Cardboard packaging has a notably higher impact on land acidification compared to wood packaging.

Overall, the study concludes that wooden packaging demonstrates a lower environmental impact than its corrugated cardboard counterpart. The Observatory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions at the Universitat Politècnica de València recognizes wooden packaging as the more sustainable option, with reduced environmental impact across several critical categories.