Ever wondered how the packaging of your parcel contributes to the carbon footprint of what you post? New Zealand Post are committed to making packaging more sustainable and commissioned thinkstep-anz to carry out a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on their courier bags to find a more environmentally friendly alternative.
The study compares New Zealand Post’s original A5 courier bags made of virgin LDPE to a range of five packaging options.
Our LCA study shows that the New Zealand made LDPE bags with 80 percent recycled content have the lowest carbon footprint out of all options. The study examines the carbon footprint, but also looks at the bigger picture of sustainability, covering a range of other environmental impacts using indicators such as water consumption and waste production.
The recycled LDPE bags made in New Zealand outperform the other bags in 11 out of 14 of the indicators included in the LCA.
Highlighted in a recent Stuff article, the key findings of the study can be found in our New Zealand Post case study.
In the announcement below, New Zealand Post shares their motivations behind the study, what was and wasn’t included, and their long-term ambitions of sustainability.