Page 65 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

2.3 Illustration of the Component ‘Definition of Goal and Scope’ Using an Example of Practice 49

generally not mandatory, the above-mentioned ecological classification of
cartons has no direct steering effect on trade and consumers. 57)
Particularly, this effect is regarded as a challenge by the Association of
Carton Packaging for liquid foods (FKN) in analysing the LCA profiles of PET
single-use bottles and beverage carton. Both beverage packaging systems are
thereby to be compared with one another in all competing deposit-free market
segments of these two packaging systems in Germany in the year 2005. Besides,
in the comparison all market-relevant sizes of packaging are to be considered.
For the first time, with this study an ISO-conformal LCA for a comparison
of PET single-use bottles and beverage carton is conducted.
The study is elaborated closely according to the methodology of studies
conducted by the Environmental Agency (UBA) Berlin for an ecological
comparison of beverage packaging. 58)

Answers to the two additional questions
• For whom will an LCA study be conducted?
• Are comparative assertions intended in the study?

are provided in the study as follows:

• The study addresses primarily the commissioner and the represented members
of the association. The system comparisons conducted here are to provide
information on the life cycle perspective of the beverage carton in relation to
PET single-use systems and thus support the ecologically oriented adjustment
of market strategies and packaging developments.
• Further, the commissioner team and the member firms involved are to assess
the relevance of their area of responsibility for the overall beverage carton
system and to derive starting points for an optimisation.
• Beyond that, derivable facts from the study can represent important information
for decision makers in beverage industry and trade.
• Finally, the insights are meant to promote an object-driven dialogue, based on
transparent and current data, on the ecological valuation of the examined bever-
age packaging. Target groups are consumer and environmental organisations,
but in particular political decision makers.

The reason for conducting the study, addressees and goals are explicitly pointed
out. The results of the LCA must be measured according to these goals and the

57) Evidence for the fact that VerpackVO aims at a steering effect can be seen on the basis of §1Waste
Management Objectives, VerpackVO. The goal definition reads ‘the portion of beverage filled in
returnable beverage packing as well as in ecologically favourable single-use beverage packaging
shall be strengthened by this regulation with the objective to achieve a portion of at least 80%’.
58) UBA et al. (2000) and UBA (2002).