2022-07-07 - Fefco Lca 2021

2021
EUROPEAN DATABASE FOR CORRUGATED

BOARD LIFE CYCLE STUDIES
Report prepared by RISE Bioeconomy on behalf of FEFCO and CCB
Cepi ContainerBoard
CONTENTS
FOREWORD 3
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCT SYSTEM 5

Paper production process 5
Corrugated board production 7
Corrugated base papers and corrugated board 9
METHODOLOGY QUESTIONS 12
Boundaries and declared unit 12
System boundaries for corrugated base papers 14
System boundaries for corrugated board and boxes 16
The closed-loop approach 18
DATA DESCRIPTION 21
Questionnaire Data collection for corrugated base papers 21
Data collection for corrugated board and box production 21
Weighted averages 21
Material inputs 22
Material outputs 23
Energy input and output 24
Water inputs and outputs 25
Transport 25
Emissions to air 26
Emissions to water 27
DATA 29
Coverage and comparability of the datasets 29
Production trends unique to 2020 29
European database for corrugated board life cycle studies, 2021
Relationship to the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) 30
RESULTS 31
Life cycle inventory for corrugated board 2020 31
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON ENERGY AND FUELS 35

Internal fuels 35
Year-on-year trends 36
Sustainable forest management 36
PEER REVIEW 37
DEFINITIONS 38
ANNEX 1 39
ANNEX 2 43
2
FOREWORD
Every three years FEFCO (European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers) and CCB (Cepi
ContainerBoard1) issue a report and database of gate-to-gate life cycle inventory data for the production
of corrugated base papers and corrugated products. The intention is to make available high quality and
transparent LCI data for use in life cycle studies.
Over the course of multiple iterations of the project a robust process has been developed in which the data
provided is processed and checked by both LCA practitioners and industry experts. The process and data
are then subjected to an independent peer review by ifeu – Institute for Energy and Environmental Research
Heidelberg GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany, a leading research institution with experience of life cycle data and
methods as applied in the paper and board sector.
The Annex of the report contains environmental data of the production of
• Corrugated base papers from primary fibres: kraftliner, white top kraftliner and semi chemical fluting
(based on data supplied by members of CCB)
• Corrugated base papers from recovered papers: testliner, white top testliner and recycled fluting
(sometimes referred to as Wellenstoff) (based on data supplied by members of CCB)
• Corrugated board products (based on data supplied by members of FEFCO).
The data in this tenth edition of the report represents the weighted averages of the inputs and outputs from
the production sites per tonne paper and per tonne of corrugated board product for the year 2020. The
database handles the production sites as a black box. Details of the different processes in the production
site are not provided. Emissions etc. originating from production of resources consumed, energy production
outside the mill or corrugated plant, transport and waste treatment are not included in the datasets, but the
impacts of these additional unit processes can be added by the user to facilitate full cradle-to-gate or cradle-
to-cradle life cycle studies.
The data collected for this study covers a significant proportion of the sector. For semi chemical fluting and
kraftliner, the collected data represents about 84% of the total annual production of corrugated base papers
from primary fibres in Europe, whilst the data for the production of testliner (including white top testliner)
and recycled fluting (wellenstoff) were collected from mills, together producing about 71% of the total annual
production of corrugated base papers from recovered paper in Europe. Data for corrugated board production
covered approximately 73% of the total annual production in Europe. The high levels of data provision
mean that the datasets presented in Table 3 and in the Annex are highly representative of the practices and
subsequent overall environmental performance of the sector.
The report is available for interested parties on the condition that the data in this report may only be used
for environmental studies such as Life Cycle Inventory Analysis, Life Cycle Impact Assessment as separate
steps or as a whole Life Cycle Assessment.

The database may only be used for environmental studies regarding product development and improvement
and the comparison of the entire system of corrugated board packaging with that of other materials. The
database cannot be used for comparisons between the production of primary fibre and recovered fibre-
based materials as such.
LCA methodology, with its systematic, scientific approach, gives an insight into the environmental impact that
a product may have on a case-by-case basis.
When LCA data is used to make comparative studies, a specific scenario is chosen and the result can and
will vary depending on various parameters. It should be clearly understood that, whatever the outcome of a
comparative study, the conclusion should not and cannot be generalized.
It is therefore not recommended to use a single message from a comparative LCA study as the basis for
lobbying activities.
According to ISO 14044, allocation of the impacts of primary fibre production (the cradle) and waste treatment
1 In the past, the project was a joint undertaking by three associations FEFCO, GEO (European Association of makers of Corrugated Base
3
Papers) and ECO (European Containerboard Organisation). GEO and ECO have merged to become Cepi ContainerBoard.
(the grave) of wood fibre to the phases in between the cradle and the grave of the life cycle should be avoided,
wherever possible. In our case this is done by expanding the product system and considering the expanded
system with a closed-loop approach.
FEFCO and CCB are committed to ongoing and regular updates of the database. The user of the database
should therefore check whether it is the latest edition of the database report prior to using the information
enclosed. The latest version will always be available online or through direct contact with either of the
Associations.
We would like to thank all participants from the industry for providing the necessary input from their
plants. Collecting, processing and checking the data is a significant undertaking. The high level of ongoing
participation of the membership base of both organisations is highly appreciated.
We are also grateful for the positive response and valuable feedback and comments we have received from
users of the previous editions of the database and reports. We welcome comments on this report and
feedback on the experiences of users of the database. Such feedback can only help to further improve the
quality and value of future updates!
May 2022
Eleni Despotou Klaus Spielmann

FEFCO Cepi ContainerBoard
4
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCT SYSTEM
PAPER PRODUCTION PROCESS
Liner and fluting papers can be manufactured from primary wood fibres from sustainably managed forests
and/or from recovered fibres from paper for recycling. As a general rule, kraftliner and semi chemical fluting
are manufactured from predominantly primary fibres whereas testliner and recycled fluting are predominantly
manufactured from recovered fibres.
Production of liner and fluting is typically performed at an integrated pulp and papermill (meaning that the
pulp and the paper are produced at one single site, and the wet pulp is pumped directly to the paper machine
with no additional drying or transport required).
For mills utilising primary wood fibre, most of the wood is delivered in the form of pulpwood logs. A proportion
is also brought in as wood chips, a by-product of nearby sawmills. The pulpwood logs have to be debarked and
chipped before pulping. For Kraftliner production, the kraft pulping process is used. This is a highly alkaline
cooking process with caustic soda and sodium sulphide as active cooking chemicals. The cooking takes place
in a digester at high pressure and a temperature of 150 -170 oC. The pulp yield is normally around 55% (i.e. 1000
kg of dry wood gives 550 kg of pulp).
For semi chemical fluting production, the wood chips are converted into pulp by the semi chemical cooking
process. It is a slightly alkaline cooking process most commonly using sodium sulphite and sodium carbonate
as active cooking chemicals. The pulp yield is normally around 80%.
The spent cooking liquor is drained off and washed out from the pulp. It contains the wood substance
dissolved during the cooking together with the spent cooking chemicals. The spent liquor is concentrated and
burnt as a fuel for energy production and recovery of cooking chemicals. The pulp produced is defiberized in
refiners, screened and washed before being sent to the paper mill.
For mills utilising recovered fibres, the main recovered paper grade utilised for manufacture of testliner
and recycled fluting is old corrugated cases 2, meaning that most of the fibres are recycled in a closed loop
system.
The bales of recovered paper are submerged in water and the mixture is agitated so that the paper is broken
up to form a pumpable suspension. Large non-paper components such as pieces of plastics, wood, metal and
textiles are removed using a “ragger” or “junker” and smaller remaining non-paper components are removed by
screening and cleaning. The hot pulp may also undergo a disperging treatment, in which contaminants such
as hot melt, wax, ink and coating binders loosen from the fibres and together with small fragments of paper
are reduced to fine particles which are no longer visible. Pulp for recycled fibre-based paper for corrugated
packaging does not normally undergo a deinking process.

For pulps from both primary fibres and recycled fibres, functional chemicals, fillers and other pulps can be
added to give the final paper the properties required.
Figure 3 shows an example of the production stages for a typical paper machine. The wet stock passes
through one or two headboxes onto the paper machine. The paper web is formed from the head box onto the
wire and dewatered primarily by the action of gravity and vacuum. Further dewatering by mechanical means
takes place in the press section where water is taken out of the sheet by pressing between felts. The final
drying takes place in the drying section of the paper machine where the sheet runs against steam heated
cylinders to get its final dryness of 91-93%. The collected water is reused for diluting the thick stock coming
from the stock preparation.
5
2 Grades 1.04 or 1.05 defined in EN643 European List of Standard Grades of Paper and Board for Recycling, 2013 revision
Figure 3
Example of paper machine for containerboard grades
Semi chemical fluting is a paper with just one ply and therefore the paper machine has one headbox and one
wire. Kraftliner is normally a two-ply product and therefore requires a paper machine with two headboxes
and usually two wires. The base brown ply contains the internal machine broke pulp in addition to wood fibres
from the usually integrated pulp production and could also contain recycled paper pulp. The top ply is normally
wood pulp from the integrated pulp production that is more refined and cleaner to give the top surface the
right characteristics and printability. For white surface grades bleached fibres are used for the top ply.
Testliner mostly consists of two plies of paper. Different mixes of recovered pulp stock will be used in each
layer. Generally, a better grade of mix is used for the upper layer for reasons of appearance and strength.
In order to increase its strength testliner receives a surface treatment in the size press. This involves the
application of a starch solution to one or both sides of the sheet. The top ply of testliner is given an even,
mostly brown colour by colouring the mass or by means of the size press treatment. This colouring is never
given to white top testliners. The addition of special additives (in the mass or by means of the size press)
makes it possible to produce testliners with special properties, including extra water-repellent, low-germ and
anti-corrosion grades.
Recycled fluting can be a one-ply or two-ply product. Usually, a size press treatment with a starch solution is
applied in-line on the paper machine in order to obtain sufficient strength and stiffness properties
After the paper machine there is a slitter winder where the jumbo reel from the paper machine is rewound and
cut down to customer reel formats according to customer orders. These reels are weighed, marked, labelled
and prepared for shipment to the customer, the corrugated board industry.
Corrugated base papers comprise the largest share of paper and board production in Europe, representing
37% of total paper and board production. European production of corrugated base papers in 2020 stood at
30.1 million tonnes3. The majority of product is produced from recovered fibres. 88% of corrugated packaging
is derived from recycled content. Corrugated base papers have a paper for recycling utilisation rate of 94%
and use 61% of total paper for recycling volumes used by the industry 4.
Table 1 summarises the base paper consumption for corrugated board in 2020.
3 CCB statistics
6
4 CEPI Key Statistics 2020
Table 1 Base Paper Consumption for Corrugated Board in Europe 2020 (from CCB Statistics)
Fibre composition
Million tonnes Total Primary Recycled

Kraftliner 4.4 3.2 1.2
Testliner 12.5 12.5
Other recycled liner (Schrenz) 1.0 1.0
Semi chemical fluting 0.6 0.5 0.1
Recycled fluting 11.6 11.6
30.1 3.7 26.4
12% 88%
CORRUGATED BOARD PRODUCTION
Corrugated board is made from a combination of flat sheets of paper (called “liners”) glued to a crenulated
corrugated inner medium (called “fluting”). These layers of paper are assembled to one another (typically using
a starch glue) in a way which gives the overall structure a better strength.
Most commonly, a single layer of fluting is sandwiched between two liners. This type of construction, as shown
in Figure 1, is known as single wall corrugated board.
Figure 1: Single wall corrugated board
Double wall and triple wall boards are also available on the market. A corrugated board grade called single face
board consists of corrugated medium glued to only one flat liner (see Figure 2).
Figure 2: Corrugated board constructions

7
This ingenious construction forms a series of connected arches, a geometric form that is well known for its
ability to support strong weights. This structure gives corrugated board considerable rigidity and resistance.
The air circulating in the flutes also serves as an insulator. These properties of strength and insultation mean
that, when converted into boxes, corrugated board provides excellent protection of the packed goods against
damage and temperature variations.
The corrugated board industry is made up of three types of plant:
• Sheet plants – these take in liner and fluting paper and produce corrugated board in sheets which is sold on
to box plants for production of boxes
• Box plants – these take in sheets of corrugated board and convert them into corrugated boxes
• Integrated plants – these take in liner and fluting paper and produce corrugated board, which they then
convert into corrugated boxes. They may also purchase some corrugated board in sheets from other sheet
plants to supplement their own production. Conversely, they may also sell some corrugated board in sheets
to other box plants.
The majority of production in Europe is in integrated plants.
Reels of fluting and liner are fed into a machine called a corrugator (Figure 4). The fluting paper is conditioned
with heat and steam and fed between large corrugating rolls that give the paper its fluted shape. Starch is
applied to the tips of the flutes on one side and the inner liner is glued to the fluting. The corrugated fluting
medium with one liner attached to it is called single face web and this travels along the machine towards the
double backer, where the single face web meets the outer liner and forms corrugated board. A number of
layers of single faced web may be built up to produce double and triple wall corrugated board (Figure 2). The
corrugated board is slit into the required widths and cut into sheets which are then stacked or palletised.
Figure 4: Corrugated board production
The main conversion steps when converting corrugated sheets into corrugated boxes include printing,
slotting, folding and gluing. The printing and gluing steps may be absent, depending on the specific design
of the corrugated box. Depending on design, corrugated boxes are typically delivered to the end user as flat
blanks (Figure 6) ready for erection (Figure 7). This ensures space efficiency during distribution.
Most boxes are printed in one or more colours to identify the product they are going to contain, the product
manufacturer, the box manufacturer and other information regarding the distributed goods. Different
converting operations are carried out according to the customer’s specification and according to the type
of packaging. The two main categories are the regular slotted box and the die-cut box. The latter concerns
packaging that requires a very precise cutting and which can have a complex design.
Regular slotted boxes are usually produced with an in-line flexographic Printer/Slotter/ Folder/Gluer which, in
one operation, prints, cuts, folds and glues the board into its final shape. The die-cut boxes are manufactured
on a die-cutter (rotary or flatbed) which cuts and creases the board. After converting, the corrugated
packaging is put on a pallet and delivered to the customer.
8
CORRUGATED BASE PAPERS AND CORRUGATED BOARD
This study covers the production of the following grades of corrugated base papers5:
• Kraftliner, including brown kraftliner, white top kraftliner and white coated kraftliner
• Testliner, including brown testliner, brown kraft top liner, uncoated white top testliner, coated white top
testliner, and mottled testliner
• Semi chemical fluting
• Recycled fluting and light-weight recycled medium.
These materials are used to manufacture corrugated board, which is then converted into corrugated
packaging solutions (corrugated boxes) and other corrugated board products such as point of display stands.
This study also covers the conversion of corrugated base papers into corrugated board and corrugated boxes.
The base weight of corrugated base papers can vary significantly but for liner it is typically in the range of 90-
200gsm and for fluting it is typically in the range of 90-150gsm. The average base weight of corrugated base
papers produced in the mills participating in this data survey was 135gsm.
The base weight of corrugated board depends on the specific corrugated base papers being used in the
construction, plus the kind of flute (wave type) used. Different wave types lead to different heights of the
corrugated layer and to different paper consumption (due to the take-up factor). In Table 2 indicative figures
are given for different flute types, as an example.
Table 2 Flute types
Flute Flute height* Number of flutes Take-up factor Glue consumption g/

mm per m length of the m2 glue layer
corrugated board
A 4.8 110 1.50-1.55 4.5-5.0
B 2.4 150 1.30-1.35 5.5-6.0
C 3.6 130 1.40-1.45 5.0-5.5
E 1.2 290 1.20-1.35 6.0-6.5
F,G,N 0.5-0.8 400-550 1.15-1.25 9.0-11.0
*facings excluded
The take-up factor governs the amount of fluting material required to manufacture the corrugated board.
It allows for the fact that, when laid out flat before converting, the area of fluting material required to
manufacture a defined area of corrugated board is greater than the surface of the converted board itself. For
example, a typical take-up factor for C-flute is 1.43, meaning that 1.43m2 of fluting (measured flat) is required
to manufacture 1m2 of converted corrugated board, as shown in the example in Figure 5.
9
5 As identified in European List of Corrugated Base Papers, Cepi Containerboard, 5th Edition, September 2015
Figure 2
Illustrating the take-up factor
1m
Linerboard 1m
Converted corrugated board
1m
1,43 m
1m
Fluting
1m
medium
1m
Linerboard 1m
• Example: FEFCO Code 0201

• Box weight: 650 g
• Dimensions : 575 x 385 x 225 mm (L x B x H)
corrugated board C flute
• Facings: Kraftliner 175 g/m2, Testliner 175 g/m2
• Corrugating
• Medium: Recycled Fluting 140 g/m2
The composition of the corrugated board is then:
g/m2
Kraftliner 175
Recycled Fluting 1.43 x 140 = 200
Testliner 175
Glue 2 x 5 = 10
Grammage 560
Figure 5
Illustrating the take-up factor
The base weight of corrugated board can vary significantly, from less than 300gsm to more than 900gsm. The
average grammage of corrugated board produced by manufacturers participating in this study was 515gsm,
which is close to the average grammage of 506gsm across the industry6.
The corrugated board manufacturer can give the weight of the sheet before die-cutting. For a standard type
construction the weight can also be calculated using the International Fibre Board Case Code published
by FEFCO. In this code the form of the box blank is shown and by using the box dimensions it is possible to
calculate the total length and width of the blank. Adding a 20 mm broad strip to the edges of the blank gives a
fair estimate of the sheet area before die-cutting.
10
6 FEFCO Annual Statistics 2020
Figure 6
Box blank example
Figure 7
Converted box
Considering an example from Figure 6 where L tot = 1.95m and W tot = 0.61m, the dimensions of the sheet are:
Asheet = (1,95 + 0,04) x (0,61 + 0,04) = 1,2935 m2
and the weight:
msheet = 1,2935 x 560 = 724 g
Assuming 3% as corrugator trimmings (i.e. ŋcorrugator = 0.97, a common value for modern corrugators), the
consumption of liner and fluting can be calculated as follows:
g/box
Kraftliner 175 * 1.2935/0.97 = 233
Recycled Fluting 200 * 1.2935/0.97 = 267

Testliner 175 * 1.2935/0.97 = 233
Glue 10 * 1.2935/0.97 = 13
746
Total (shavings) = 746 - 650 = 96 g/box = 12.9% of the input.
Please note that this is only an example of a particular box of a certain construction. Corrugated board
boxes are far from standardised. They show a huge variation in composition, design and appearance. Boxes
are usually tailor made to fit the user’s needs and requirements which are determined by the product to
be packed. The percentage of trimmings/shavings vary according to the design of the packaging. Since
standard boxes do not exist, the database is set up in a flexible way giving the user the possibility to make
calculations for any composition needed and using project specific assumptions on transport distance, waste
management scenarios etc.
11
METHODOLOGY QUESTIONS
BOUNDARIES AND DECLARED UNIT
The gate-to-gate life cycle inventories for each grade of corrugated base papers are presented in the Annex
according to the following declared unit:
one air dry tonne (1000 kg) of net saleable paper at the parent reel,
before conversion to finished products
The gate-to-gate inventory for conversion of corrugated base papers into corrugated board and boxes is
presented in the Annex according to the following declared unit:
one tonne (1000 kg) of printed, slotted, folded and glued corrugated boxes
The compiled results presented in Table 4 of this report relate to the production one tonne (1000kg) of
printed, slotted, folded and glued corrugated boxes. The system boundaries considered for these results
consider and quantify the flows to and from the technosphere and the environment from the papermill in-gate
to corrugated box plant out-gate, as illustrated in Figure 8. In order to complete a cradle-to-gate analysis for
corrugated boxes, life cycle data for the items shown in red must be added.
12
Figure 8
System boundaries for the results shown in Table 3
INPUTS FROM THE TECHNOSPHERE
Pulp Chemicals &

Paper for Purchased Purchased Purchased External Municipal
wood/ other raw Transport
recycling pulp electricity heat/ steam fuels water materials
wood chips
Emissions to air:
• Particulates
Wellenstoff/ Semi-chemical • CO2 fossil
Kraftliner Testliner fluting • CO2 biomass
Ground water recycled fluting
production production production production
• NOx (as NO2)
INPUTS FROM NATURE
OUTPUTS TO NATURE
• SOx (as SO2)
• TRS
Cooling water
Corrugator
Surface water Process water after
treatment
Emissions to water:
Printing, • COD
slotting, folding • BOD5
• TSS
and gluing
• Total N
• Total P
Key
• AOX
System boundary
Included unit
Process water Offsite waste
processes
to third party management
Declared unit: treatment of residues
1 tonne of
corrugated Declared unit
boxes
Unit processes to
be added to
complete cradle-
OUTPUTS TO THE TECHNOSPHERE to-gate analysis
13
In addition to the compiled results shown in Table 4, separate data is presented in the Annex for production of
the corrugated base paper grades (kraftliner, testliner recycled fluting and semi chemical fluting) and for the
conversion of corrugated base papers into corrugated boxes (corrugating plus printing, slotting, folding and
gluing). The system boundaries for these separate datasets are described below.
SYSTEM BOUNDARIES FOR CORRUGATED BASE PAPERS
The system boundaries of the life cycle inventories for corrugated base papers presented in the Annex include
all activities within the pulp and papermill boundaries. Thus, included in the inventory are all the inputs and
outputs (from/to the technosphere and from/to nature) associated with:
• Pulp production from pulp wood/wood chips
• Pulp production from paper for recycling
• Stock preparation, refining, and operation of the paper machine
• Drying
• Reeling and reel winding
• Supporting activities used in paper production, e.g. water and solid waste treatment, onsite electricity and
heat/steam generation.
Figure 9 summarises the system boundaries. These system boundaries are representative of the core
processes.
In cases where the mill produces and sells excess energy (e.g. electricity or steam), this is treated as a
multifunctional situation. The system provides two functions (i.e. corrugated base paper plus energy). In this
case, subdivision has been applied – i.e. only the inputs and outputs that are allocated to the paper production
are reported in the life cycle inventory.
No allocation was made to by-products such as tall oil, turpentine and wood/bark chips, so the reported inputs
and outputs include the production of these by-products.
For those paper mills producing more than one grade of paper and/or market pulp it is necessary to allocate
inputs and outputs to the different paper grades or pulp. Mill staff who filled in the questionnaire have made
the allocation according to causality.
Data has been collected relating to the following key non-fibre inputs to the pulp and papermaking processes:
• Sulphuric acid (H2SO4)
• Sodium hydroxide (NaOH)
• Oxygen (O2)
• Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)
• Sodium Chlorate (NaClO3)
• Calcium oxide (CaO)
• Chlorine dioxide (ClO2)

• Sodium bisulphite (NaHSO3)
• Ground calcium carbonate (GCC)
• Precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) – purchased
• Clay
• Wet strength agent
• Dry strength agent
• Synthetic binders (latex)
• Starch – maize
• Starch – potato
• Starch – corn/wheat
• Starch - cationic
The total mass of other non-fibre inputs not listed above is below 1% of the paper weight. As a general
rule, these other non-fibre inputs could have been omitted from the study as insignificant. However, for
completeness all non-fibre inputs for which data was reported by more than 6 mills have been included in the
14 inventory.
Figure 9
Gate-to-gate system boundaries – production of corrugated base paper
Purchased Transport
Paper for Pulp wood / Purchased Purchased External Municipal
heat / Chemicals
recycling wood chips pulp electricity fuels water (pulp, chemicals,
steam fuels)
Emissions to air:
• Particulates
• CO2 fossil
• CO2 biomass
Ground water Pulp Stock • NOx (as NO2)
Refining
INPUTS FROM NATURE
OUTPUTS TO NATURE
preparation preparation •
•
SOx (as SO2)
TRS
Cooling water
Power plant (heat, steam, Waste water
Surface water electricity) treatment Process water after
treatment
Paper machine including •

Emissions to water:
COD
winding/rewinding
• BOD5
• TSS
• Total N
• Total P
• AOX
System boundary
Corrugated Sold Sold heat/
Residues
base papers electricity steam
OUTPUTS TO THE TECHNOSPHERE

15
SYSTEM BOUNDARIES FOR CORRUGATED BOARD AND BOXES
The system boundaries of the life cycle inventory for conversion of corrugated base papers into corrugated
board and boxes presented in the Annex include all activities associated with assembling corrugated base
papers into corrugated board and converting corrugated board into corrugated boxes. Thus, included in the
inventory are all the inputs and outputs (from/to the technosphere and from/to nature) associated with:
• The corrugator machine
• Printing
• Slotting
• Folding
• Gluing
• Supporting activities used in conversion process, e.g. onsite heat/steam generation, onsite wastewater
treatment.
Figure 10 summarises the system boundaries.
16
Figure 10
Gate-to-gate system boundaries – production of corrugated board and corrugated boxes
Corrugated
Corrugated Purchased Purchased External Municipal Transport
base Chemicals
board electricity heat/ steam fuels water (pulp, chemicals,
papers fuels)
Emissions to air:
• Particulates
• CO2 fossil
• CO2 biomass
Ground water • NOx (as NO2)
Corrugator
INPUTS FROM NATURE
OUTPUTS TO NATURE
• SOx (as SO2)
• TRS
Cooling water
Printing Slitting Folding Gluing

Surface water Process water after
treatment
Emissions to water:
Onsite heat and steam Onsite waste water • COD
production treatment •
•
BOD5
TSS
• Total N
• Total P
• AOX
System boundary
Corrugated
Residues
boxes
OUTPUTS TO THE TECHNOSPHERE

17
THE CLOSED-LOOP APPROACH
Many of the corrugated base paper grades considered in this life cycle database incorporate recovered
fibres, and all of the paper grades achieve a high level of recycling after use, and the fibres themselves will be
recycled multiple times.
This potentially introduces complexity to the analysis, as choices have to be made regarding the allocation of
impacts between the primary fibre-based paper and the recovered fibre based paper, in particular:
• the impacts of the primary fibre pulp production and the final waste treatments
• the avoided impacts resulting from the recycling.
However, for the production of corrugated base papers a closed loop recycling situation is considered – i.e.,
the recovered material is assumed to be used in the same product life cycle. In this case, the collected fibres
displace the input of primary fibres, and the need for allocation is avoided (as per ISO 14044).
Thus, to simplify the system, recycling of corrugated board may be considered as processing of the primary
fibre after use in corrugated board or as raw material processing for the secondary product (or recycled
products), also used in corrugated board. This is an appropriate and justifiable simplification as the main raw
material for the recovered paper mills producing corrugated base papers is used corrugated board, thus flows
in and out of the system of other kinds of paper are ignored.
The closed-loop approach requires that the total system is considered during a certain period of time and a
specific geographic area. A simplified system for a closed-loop corrugated board packaging system is given in
Figure 11.
There are different definitions for recycling and recovery (which could mean collection of waste or treatment
of waste), depending on the application. This of course leads to the publication of different recycling/recovery
rates.
For example, CEN 13440:2003 describes a procedure for calculating the rate of material recycling to
demonstrate compliance with the recycling targets given in the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive
94/62/EC (as amended by 2018/852/EC).
For the system described in Figure 11, fibres are recovered (in the sense of collected) from shavings from the
production of corrugated board and from collected corrugated board after use, and following that are recycled
in a papermaking process to become new paper.
18
Figure 11
Illustrating the closed-loop approach
CCB data CCB data

Pf pulp and Pf Rf pulp and
paper(Ppf): Rf paper(Prf):
Kraftliner Testliner
Semichemical Recycled Fluting
Fluting
1-R1 R1
transport transport
FEFCO data
q1
CB corrugated
sheet/ box
production
q2
corrugated box
product product use,
use, transport
production waste
product
q3
corrugated box
corrugated box
collected, but
not collected
not recycled
corrugated box other treatment,

e.g. incineration or final disposal
The recycled fibre content (R1) for this report is defined as total recovered fibre recycled from shavings (q1)
as well as from used corrugated boxes (q2) divided by the total paper production used for corrugated board
production.
• q1 is paper used for corrugated board production. Recycling is the common practice for collected (and
if necessary sorted) corrugated board, but it may be that fibres are lost from the loop because not all
corrugated packaging is collected. For corrugated board that is not recycled, other recovery options, such
as incineration with energy recovery may take place. According to an estimation based on CEPI statistics
for 2014, about 87% (R2) of the corrugated board used in Europe was collected and recycled.
• In a simplified system for closed-loop corrugated board packaging, this means that the percentage of
recovered material is equal to (R2 x [1- rsh ]) = 87% x [1 – 0.120] = 76.6% of the input of the base papers would
be recycled after use if all the recovered corrugated board was recycled only within the system. This is a
simplification as a small part of the recovered fibre input originates from, for example, graphic paper loops
and some collected corrugated board is recycled into other paper grades7.
For the purposes of this document, imports and exports of the corrugated board system are ignored, as are
used packaging imports and exports. The application of this specific assumption means that the recycling
rate of corrugated board (shavings + used packaging) is equal to the recovery rate of these products.
Table 2 shows that the average R1 for Europe in 2020 is about 88%. In this simplified approach this roughly
7 Based in the equation presented in Figure 11, the life cycle of the paper fibres in corrugated packaging is estimated to be fully circular at
87%. Within the context of the European recovered paper production environment, recovered fibres will typically be sent for use at the
nearest appropriate recycled paper manufacturer. This may not necessarily be a packaging paper line. Some 60% of packaging is recov-
ered at mills producing recycled paper for packaging, some 12% originate from other paper types such as recovered newsprint and the
19
rest, 12% is clippings and trimmings from corrugating and conversion manufacturing.
corresponds with the total amount of collected shavings and used packaging as a percentage of the weight
of the input of the base papers for the corrugated board production ([q1 + q2]/total paper production =~ 90%),
showing the validity of the closed-loop approach.
Note rsh is not included in the calculation of the recycling rate according to the Directive on Packaging and
Packaging Waste 94/62/EC and R2 does not include organic recycling as defined for the same purpose.
Therefore, the recycling rate differs from the rate calculated to assess compliance with the recycling targets
according to the Directive.
20
DATA DESCRIPTION
QUESTIONNAIRE
DATA COLLECTION FOR CORRUGATED BASE PAPERS
The data was collected via a bespoke questionnaire issued to the mills requesting information on the flows
into and out of the integrated pulp and paper mill. The questionnaire was designed to cover the main inputs
to and outputs from the pulp and papermaking processes, including the supporting ancillary processes such
as energy production, wastewater treatment, etc. The questionnaires were reviewed by technical experts and
the peer reviewer before issuing to the industry. The questionnaires were issued during 2021, and data was
provided representative of production scenarios in 2020.
The data for semi chemical fluting and kraftliner represent about 84% of the total annual production of
corrugated base papers from primary fibres in Europe. These paper grades are produced in large mills,
located in Austria, Finland, France, Portugal, Poland, and Sweden. Their total production was 4,698,905 tonnes
net saleable paper in 2020. The mills each have an annual production of semi chemical fluting or kraftliner
of between 94,000 and 467,000 tonnes net saleable paper. The data for the production of testliner (including
white top testliner) and recycled fluting were collected from mills, together producing about 71% (17,084,104
tonnes) of the total annual production of corrugated base papers from recovered paper in Europe (EU-27
countries plus Norway, Switzerland and UK). They were provided by paper mills in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Spain,
Sweden and the United Kingdom. The mills each have an annual production of testliner and/or recycled fluting
of between 70,000 and 1,250,000 tonnes net saleable paper. The data for the production of white top testliner
are included in the average of testliner.
For all papers, data was collected covering the average market and technology situation for the calendar
year 2020. The collected data was sense-checked by technical experts and compiled as a weighted average
representing production of each paper grade in 2020.
DATA COLLECTION FOR CORRUGATED BOARD AND BOX PRODUCTION
In order to gather data relating to converting, a questionnaire was designed covering the main inputs to and
outputs from corrugated board production and corrugated box production processes. The questionnaires
were reviewed by technical experts and the peer reviewer before issuing to the industry.
The data on corrugated board production and production of corrugated boxes are based on 470 plants (out
of a total of 646 plants across Europe8). These were mostly integrated plants with corrugated board and box
production on the same site. The plants were located in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United
Kingdom. Together they produced 18,730,000 tonnes saleable product, which is approximately 73% of the
total annual production of corrugated board products in Europe. The production sites have an average annual
production of corrugated sheets and boxes of 35,660 tonnes, varying from 320 – 148,000 tonnes each.
WEIGHTED AVERAGES
The Annex presents the weighted averages of the inputs into and outputs from the sites (i.e., gate to gate)
per tonne net saleable product for each paper grade and for corrugated board/boxes for 2020 from the
participating paper mills and corrugated board and box making plants. It is important to understand that the
figures do not represent a certain mill or plant with a certain technology. On the contrary the figures represent
a “virtual mill” and a “virtual converting plant” utilising different technologies. The technology which is applied
21
8 FEFCO Annual Statistics 2020
in the participating paper mills and corrugated board plants is not the same.
For example: some mills use a combined heat power generation, some wastewater treatment is external, a
large variety of additives is used. In some cases, this leads to a large variation of inputs and outputs between
the mills. Furthermore, different inputs and outputs are strongly interrelated, so a mill can be high in one input
compared to the others but low in another input, but a mill cannot be low or high for both. Therefore, no range
of the data is given to prevent studies from being made using a false combination of highest and lowest data.
Due to confidentiality requirements by the mills, it is not possible to split input and output data per country.
Similarly, a split in applied technologies is not possible.
In Table 4, the separate life cycle inventories for corrugated base papers and for corrugated board and
box production are combined to compile the life cycle inventory for an average tonne of corrugated boxes,
considering both the production of the corrugated base paper and the conversion of the corrugated base
papers into corrugated board and conversion of the corrugated board into boxes. For this average corrugated
box scenario, the following composition has been assumed:
• Krafliner 14.6%
• Testliner and other recycled liner 45.1%
• Semi chemical fluting 1.8%
• Recycled fluting 38.5%
These relative shares are calculated from the relative consumption that is found in Table 1. The relative
shares are used to calculate the inputs and outputs for the weighted average corrugated base paper. The
paper production inputs and outputs are then multiplied with the average input of paper (1.12 tonne/tonne
corrugated board product) and added up to the inputs and outputs per tonne of corrugated board product as
reported in the Annex. This total includes the production of the paper that is used to produce the corrugated
board, including the 12.0% losses that are reported as “paper for recycling”. It has to be kept in mind that the
industry averages for inputs of paper, glue and starch are used. As previously highlighted, corrugated board
boxes are far from standardised and inputs of paper, glue and starch depend on the box design.
MATERIAL INPUTS
Raw Material
The wood input has been reported as bone dry solid wood under bark. The species are specified, although in
the datasets they are reported only as softwood or hardwood. 92% of the pulp wood used for the production of
corrugated base papers by the companies returning the survey was certified and third party verified as being
sourced from sustainable managed forests and delivered through a certified chain-of-custody system (PEFC
or similar). A pulp yield (oven dry pulp/oven dry wood) of 54-56% is normal for Kraftliner. A high pulp yield of
80-85% is normal for Semi Chemical Fluting. The input of recovered paper has been reported as total weight
including moisture and other materials (sand, metal objects, plastics, wood etc.). In European countries the
water content of recovered paper is generally assumed to be about 10%. The total input of recovered paper
is given. The content of other materials in the recovered paper is about 5%. These materials are eliminated
from the pulp as rejects during the pulping. It is estimated that about a third of these rejects are materials
that were associated with the previous use of the paper (for example, staples, paper clips, tags, adhesive
labels, unrecovered fibres, etc). The remaining two thirds is material that is not in any way associated with the
previous use of the paper (for example, foreign items such as textiles, plastic packaging, glass, sand and grit,
etc). The main raw material inputs for corrugated board production are different grades of paper. The liners
are used for the surface layers of the corrugated board, fluting is used for the corrugated layers. There are
endless possibilities for the composition of corrugated board. The amount of the different grades of paper and
glue used as input for the corrugated board production varies accordingly. These inputs should be considered
when the LCA of a certain box is studied. An example is given in Figure 6. This should be kept in mind when
considering the averages for paper consumption and the additives for corrugated board production in Table 4.
Chemicals and other non-fibre inputs
22 Data were collected for chemicals and other non-fibre inputs which may be used either within the process
or as additives. Chemicals are given as dry weight. Some of the inputs have been reported grouped together
according to their function in the mill. The functional additives, mainly starch, influence the properties of the
paper, whilst process additives are used to guarantee that the process of paper production runs smoothly or
to increase the production. Water treatment additives include additives used for all water treatment on the
site, including the treatment of water for the power station, paper production and waste water treatment
if this is done internally. The different mills use a large variety of process and water treatment chemicals.
Those that are commonly used and are above the cut-off criterion per mill are reported in the database. A very
limited quantity of other additives, e.g. synthetic polymers (polyethylenamine, polyacrylamide, polyvinylamine)
are being used. The main input for corrugated packaging is starch glue, containing starch and small amounts
(less than 0.5 kg/tonne nsp) of caustic soda, borax, and wet strength agent. Only a few plants laminate
the board and/or add a protective coating. All reporting plants that print the board use the flexo printing
technique. For box making cold glue and small amounts (< 0.1 kg/tonne nsp) of hot melt, tape (paper or plastic),
plastic tear strip and stitch wire are used.
Packaging
Data on cores and other packaging materials associated with paper reels and for packaging materials used
around corrugated products was not collected and updated for 2021. Looking at previous data collections, the
values showed little change over the years and other LCA studies show that the impacts of these packaging
components are relatively small. Packaging for corrugated board products amounts to relatively small inputs
of tape, wrappings of paper or plastic film, steel bands and pallets used as packaging of the saleable product.
Pallets are also used in the logistic operations of the corrugated board industry. However, data on usage of
pallets has not been collected. Previous iterations of the study have shown that the reported data on the use
of pallets are confusing because of the complexity of the matter. Pallets can be returnable or one-way, only
used internally in the plants and produced of wood, plastic or paper/ wood combinations. Previously some
plants have reported their use in number of pallets while others have reported in kilogram pallet per tonne net
saleable product, making it difficult to produce a meaningful figure.
Allocation to paper grades when a mill produces more than one paper grade
The basic data for raw material and chemical inputs are mainly based on recipes used for the production.
When allocation was necessary, this was done according to mass production of the different papers.
MATERIAL OUTPUTS
The main output from the paper mills is of course paper. This includes about 2 kg of cores and plugs per
tonne paper, which are considered and weighed as part of the net saleable product. The corrugated board
plants produce corrugated board and boxes. The average moisture content of the saleable product is 9% for
Semichemical Fluting and 8% for Kraftliner, 7.5% for Testliner and Wellenstoff, 7-8% for corrugated board. The
main saleable by-products from the production of Kraftliner are tall oil and turpentine. These are included in
the report.
Residues
All residues are reported as wet weight, separated according to their basic nature. Residues are only reported
where they leave the system boundaries (i.e., where they are removed from and managed away from the site).
As the mill is considered as a blackbox, energy and emissions associated with managing residues internally
(onsite) are included within the gate-to-gate inventory data. The waste treatment was not reported by all
mills. From the residues of the recycled paper mills, which are mainly rejects from the pulp preparation, it is
estimated that about a third is due to rejected materials that were associated with the previous use of the
paper (for example, staples, paper clips, tags, adhesive labels, unrecovered fibres, etc). The remaining two
thirds is material that is not in anyway associated with the previous use of the paper (for example, foreign
items such as textiles, plastic packaging, glass, sand and grit, etc). Primary sludge from wastewater treatment
in mills producing Testliner and Recycled Fluting are mostly recycled in the process and do not leave the site.
Ashes, green liquor sludge and lime mud are commonly reported residues from the production of primary
23 fibre-based paper. They are usually landfilled, but lime mud is also used as fertilizer. For corrugated board the
main waste stream is paper for recycling, which is recycled and thus should not be called waste but recyclable
material.
Allocation of residues to paper grades when a mill produces more than one paper
grade
Data for material outputs are based on measurements. These have to be done because the mills have to pay
for landfill and incineration or get paid for residues that are reused or recycled, like lubricants, according to
the weight. When allocation was necessary, this was done according to mass of the different papers.
ENERGY INPUT AND OUTPUT
Fuel inputs to the sites have been reported in GJ. The lower calorific heat values have been used to calculate
GJ from m3 or tonnes of fuel. Fossil fuel and biomass fuel have been reported separately. The energy figures
for the sites include both energy for process and energy for infrastructure. No attempts have been made to
differentiate between these two types of energy usage because process energy dominates (98% or more).
Input of electricity into the sites is also reported. The electricity produced at the site itself is not reported.
Some mills sell energy externally in the form of electricity, steam or warm water. The production sites are
treated as a black box in the database, giving data on inputs and outputs only. Because no information is
given about what happens within the box it is not possible to calculate an energy balance with the data in
the database. Within this black box, energy is recovered through the burning of black liquor and bark from
the wood coming in at production sites for primary fibre-based paper production. Most of the energy used in
the process for Kraftliner production comes from internal burning of the black liquor. This inherent energy
is not reported as part of the fuel input in the gate-to-gate inventory, although it is reported separately in
Table 5. The total energy input for the process for Kraftliner production including the black liquor burning is
around 14 GJ/tonne. The total energy input for the process of Semi Chemical Fluting production is around 10
GJ/tonne. The total energy input for the process of testliner and recycled fluting production is around 7 GJ/
tonne. Combined heat power generation is applied at most of the production sites for recycled fibre based
paper, but not always in the same way. The combined heat power generation can cover all or part of the steam
consumption (Figure 12). When it covers only part of the steam consumption, then additional boilers also
produce steam. The process always uses more heat (steam) than electricity. Therefore, when the installation
is designed to cover the whole steam consumption more electricity is generated than is needed for the
process. The excess of electricity is sold to the public grid. There are two possible ways of treating this excess
electricity in an LCA.
a. The production of electricity is an integral part of the paper production: it would not be produced if the
paper were not produced. Paper is thus considered as the only “product” of the process. In an LCA this would
mean that electricity generation for the public grid is “saved” when an excess of electricity produced at a
paper mill is sold to the public grid. Thus environmental inputs and outputs are saved since combined heat
power installation produces electricity with a higher efficiency than the public grid.
b. Another possibility is to consider the paper and excess electricity as co-products. Paper and electricity are
then both “products” from the process. In an LCA this would require allocation of inputs and outputs to both
products.
The reported weighted averages of the fuel consumption and emission to air associated with the paper
production are calculated according to method b, as this has become common practice at the mills. This
means that the fuel consumption and emissions to air do not include the production of the sold electricity and
the amount of the sold electricity is not reported. This was calculated as follows: the fuel consumption and
emissions to air associated with the total heat production and the net electricity used on site were allocated
to the paper production
24
Figure 12
CHP, Combined heat and power generation
Diesel or gasoil/LPG used for internal transports are reported. Most of the energy consumed by the mills
producing Kraftliner are by-products from the process and thus originates from the trees i.e. have biomass
origin.
Allocation of energy to paper grades when a mill produces more than one paper
grade
The energy is measured, because it is paid for. Allocation for fuels and electricity input is calculated according
to energy (heat and electricity) required for the production of the different paper grades. Allocation of the
other fuels, such as diesel oil used for internal transportation, was calculated according to mass production of
each paper grade.
WATER INPUTS AND OUTPUTS
When paper mills use water, they do not consume this water during the production process. After (re)use it
is returned to the rivers, lakes or seas as cooling water and purified effluent water. A limited amount of water
is evaporated (about 1-1.5 m3/tonne nsp) in the drying section of the paper production. The water debate
focuses on the impact of water consumption. This is best reflected in the local water availability rather than
in the amount of water taken into the mills. Therefore, the appropriate indicator is the net difference of water
taken in and water returned to the rivers or lakes (water consumed, not taken in).
TRANSPORT
The transport distances of wood raw materials from the harvesting sites in the forests to the mills have
been reported separately for trucks, rail and ships. The trucks and rail wagons are normally loaded to full
capacity but go back empty. The trucks carry 40-44 tonnes of wood. This information has been collected on
a species-species basis for each mill, considering the wet weight of the wood. Data has also been collected
for the delivery of saw mill residues and similar sources of fibre. Distances and tonnages of wood delivered
have then been used to calculate the total t.km for delivery of wood by each mode of transport (truck, rail and
boat). This is then used to calculate the t.km/t of production for each grade (Kraftliner, Semi Chemical Fluting
and Recycled Fluting and Testliner) at each mill, calculated on a mill-by-mill, input-by-input basis. A weighted
average t.km is then calculated based on the relative production share of each mill. A similar approach is
applied for calculating the transport requirements for recovered paper. Transport distances from point of
origin of the recovered paper bales to the mills have been reported on a recovered paper grade-by-grade
basis for each mill. Distances and tonnages of recovered paper delivered have then been used to calculate the
total t.km for delivery of recovered paper by each mode of transport (truck, rail and boat). This is then used
to calculate the t.km/t of production for each grade (Kraftliner, Semi Chemical Fluting and Recycled Fluting
and Testliner) at each mill, calculated on a mill-by-mill, input-by-input basis. A weighted average t.km is then
based on the relative production share of each mill. Generally, the lorries are loaded to full capacity. On the
return trip it is estimated that 40% of the trucks return empty. Assuming this is transported by a truck with
a loading capacity of 40 tonnes this means that this figure has to be used in combination with data on inputs
and outputs for transport by a 40t truck. Transport of the residues was not included in the questionnaire as
this was seen to be part of the residue treatment. During the discussions with the technical experts it became
25
clear that the transport of rejects is mainly to nearby landfill, 3-30 km. Data was also collected from the
papermills on average delivery distances and modes of transports to their customers. This data was provided
on a product-by-product basis and was used to calculate a weighted average t.km for delivery of paper to
the corrugated board plants. However, any one corrugating plant will of course source the substrates they
use from many different suppliers. Therefore, the values presented in the inventory are only indicative and in
practice users of the data may wish to consider delivery of materials on a case-by-case.
Internal transport is included in the energy input.
EMISSIONS TO AIR
Emissions from fuel combustion (transport, electricity generation for the public grid) outside the mill are not
included in the data. In case the site sold electricity, the emissions associated with the sold electricity are not
included. Emissions to air from the sites have been reported. For dust, TRS (H2S), NOx and SOx the figures
from the paper mills are mostly based on measurements. For CO2 the figures reported are based on emissions
reported to authorities where provided, or where these were not provided they are based on calculations and
reported separately for fossil and biomass origin. Corrugated board plants have no measured air emission data
to report. Therefore, the air emission figures for corrugated board production reported in Table 4 and in the
Annex are calculated from reported figures for consumption of different fuels in the corrugated board plants.
The emission factors in Table 3 were used for the calculations for fossil fuels. For biofuels, the following
factors were applied: black liquor 110 kgCOe2 per GJ; wood, bark and wood chips 125 kgCO2e per GJ; biogas 55
kgCO2e per GJ. These emission factors were based on data provided by the mills.
Table 3 Default factors for calculating emissions to air from fossil fuels
Emissions to air in the flue gas from the CHP the power station are given for the mills producing testliner
and recycled fluting that use combined heat power generation. Emissions from the incineration of rejects
with energy recovery at the mill are included. Emissions in the steam from the drying section of the paper
26 machines are not included. When mills have anaerobic wastewater treatment on the site, biogas originating
from this process is used as a fuel by the mill. The emissions to air originating from the use of biogas as fuel
are included.
Very few mills were able to report any figures for emissions such as metals etc. Where data was reported the
same substances were not always covered and where common emissions were reported these showed a large
variation per mill, primarily due to differences in measuring/monitoring and/or calculation regimes. Therefore,
this information has not been included in the datasets. For conducting their own LCI or LCA studies, users
of the dataset are advised that they should include such emissions. These can be estimated through the
application of standard emissions data for the combustion of different fossil fuels, together with the amount
of fossil fuels used in the processes (as indicated in Table 4 and the Annex). This will allow an estimation to be
made of the order of magnitude of these emissions.
Allocation of emissions to paper grades when a mill produces more than one
paper grade
Emissions to air are calculated from measurements, applied technology, permit values or from the input of
fuels. Necessary allocations were done in the same way as for energy input.
EMISSIONS TO WATER
Water that is taken in must be treated before it is used in the process, and it is again treated after the process
before it is released as effluent to a recipient. The substances in the effluent after wastewater treatment are
reported. All mills have some sort of effluent water treatment, either mechanical treatment by sedimentation
or in addition biological anaerobic and aerobic or chemical treatment of the effluent. A few mills send their
effluent water to an external communal treatment plant. The volume of effluent water is reported separately
for treated process water and thermally polluted effluent (e.g. cooling water). All mills have reported the
figures for outgoing effluent water to the recipient i.e. effluent water after final treatment. The amount
of substances (COD, BOD, suspended solids) per m3 of effluent from the different mills show very little
variation when the efficiency of the waste water treatment station is the same. The amount of substances
per tonne paper production may however vary according to the amount of effluent, depending on specific
circumstances in the paper production process in the different mills. In the questionnaire for data collection,
a number of other emissions were asked for such as oils, nitrates, acids, AOX, chlorate, chlorides, borates,
phenol, Hg, Pb etc. Few mills were able to report figures, probably because there are no or few measurements.
Only COD, BOD5, suspended solids, total nitrogen and total phosphorus are based on data from most mills in
addition to the total volume of effluent waters. Due to the water treatment it is possible that the content of
certain substances per m3 is higher if the water is taken from a river than in the effluent released into the river.
In an LCA this would mean that the production of paper could be credited for the reduction in substances,
although in practice this rarely happens. This principle is illustrated in Figure 13.
Figure 13
Potential credit for reduction of substances in the effluent water
27
Since only a few mills analyse their incoming water the available data cannot be considered as representative.
Therefore, only data for the emissions to the recipient are given, without taking into account the substances
in the incoming water. Most of the corrugated board plants have internal wastewater treatment that can be
treated externally afterwards. In case the wastewater is not further treated externally and released to the
environment, the emission level of substances is so low that reporting them is not required by authorities.
The reported data are therefore based on a small sample. Besides the substances reported in Table 4 and the
Annex, very few plants have also given data on some of the following emissions: metals (Cadmium, Chromium,
Lead, Nickel, Iron, Boron, Aluminium), AOX, Chlorine and Phosphorus. The amounts are below 0.001 kg/tonne
nsp.
Allocation of emissions to paper grades when a mill produces more than one
paper grade
As far as waterborne emissions per m3 are measured for a mill, these data are well documented. The figures
reported are usually based on continuous measurements according to control programmes set by official
authorities. Given emissions to water are measured according to standard methodology. Where necessary,
allocation between paper grades is done according to mass of produced paper grade. The water used for
the production of White Top Testliner is relatively higher than for Brown Testliner and Recycled Fluting. No
separate data are reported as the effluent from its production is mixed with that from the production of other
grades produced on site. Data on emissions to water from the corrugated plants were also collected. However,
the corrugated plants are not subject to Industrial Emissions legislation, and therefore the quantity and quality
of available data is inconsistent. This is further complicated by the fact that the corrugated plants do not all
have their own effluent treatment facilities or treat only certain aspects of the wastewater associated with
specific processes (for example, ink recovery). Many plants discharge a proportion of their wastewater under
specific agreement to public effluent treatment facilities and therefore do not have access to data on the
releases to the environment (after final treatment). It did not prove possible to make a reliable analysis with
the data collected during the latest survey. For this reason, data representative of emissions after a public
waste water treatment plant should be considered for the waste emissions from the corrugated plant.
28
DATA
COVERAGE AND COMPARABILITY OF THE DATASETS
CCB and FEFCO have regularly surveyed the environmental performance of the corrugated industry for more
than 25 years. This is the tenth edition of the report. Inevitably, over time the coverage of the surveys has
changed:
• Old paper mills and converting facilities have closed and new mills and converting facilities have opened
• Additional mills and converting facilities have opted to participate in the survey, increasing the coverage
and representativeness of the datasets
In particular, for the 2020 survey there was a significant increase in the number of mills and converting
facilities which contributed data to the surveys:
• 59 mills producing corrugated base papers contributed to the 2020 survey compared to 50 mills
participating in the 2017 survey, representing an 18% increase in participation
• 470 converting plants contributed to the 2020 survey compared to 389 converting plants participating in
the 2017 survey, representing a 21% increase in participation
This increased participation in the survey means that the weighted averages generated are more
representative of average European production, and therefore represents an improvement in the quality
of the datasets. However, it also means that comparing the weighted averages across the surveys is
meaningless, with trends obscured by changes in participation in the surveys. The weighted average results
presented in this edition of the report should therefore not be compared directly with the weighted average
results in the previous editions of the report.
Therefore, in order to investigate trends, a comparison has also been made on a like-for-like basis,
considering only those mills which also contributed data to the 2017 survey.
PRODUCTION TRENDS UNIQUE TO 2020
The data was collected in 2021, representative of the production environment in 2020.
It is worth noting that in some mills and converting plants production parameters during 2020 were affected
by the external influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, some respondents to the questionnaires
reported the following deviations from standard production processes:
• For some mills co-producing energy as a product, external demand for electricity was reduced and
therefore there was less sold electricity. As a result, a greater share of purchased fuels and emissions to air
are allocated to paper production compared to previous years
• During the pandemic, demand was higher than usual for standard brown boxes. Production of these is more
efficient as there is less board waste. This may in part account for the lower board wastage rates at the
corrugated converting plants observed in the current survey compared to the 2017 survey.
In addition, it was observed that:
• Corrugated base paper base weights (measured in grams per square metre) have been reduced during
this period – and therefore, whilst energy consumption per square meter may have reduced, energy
consumption per tonne of production may have increased
• There is a continued drive to improve recycled fibre quality and an increase in sizing and coated papers,
which may have contributed to an increase in energy consumption per tonne of production.
It is not possible to ascertain if these trends have influenced the results of the life cycle inventory, but this
qualitative information provides some context to some of the results achieved and trends observed.
29
RELATIONSHIP TO THE PRODUCT ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT (PEF)
CCB and FEFCO have been compiling the environmental database for the European corrugated industry
for more than twenty-five years. Over the course of multiple iterations of the project a robust process has
been developed in which the data provided is processed and checked by both LCA practitioners and industry
experts. The process and data are then subjected to an independent peer review.
This experience has led to the generation of a well-respected and transparent life cycle inventory dataset for
the production of corrugated base papers and the conversion of these base papers into corrugated board and
corrugated boxes. Therefore, CCB and FEFCO intend to continue to collect and process the data using the
same methods and present the information in the same format.
More recently, the European Commission has proposed the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) as a
common way of measuring environmental performance9. To facilitate the adoption of the PEF methodology,
the European Commission is developing a database of life cycle inventory data. Category rules for compiling
life cycle studies in compliance with the PEF methodology are also in development. PEF category rules have
already been published for Intermediate Paper Products10, but no category rules have been published covering
the conversion of these into end products.
The PEF methodology and the PEF database are still in development and open to discussion, and category
rules are currently only available for the production of base papers not including conversion. Therefore, whilst
the data for this life cycle inventory has been collected with reference to the PEF and, where relevant, the
Product Category rules for Intermediate Paper Products, no claim of compliance with the PEF methodology or
data requirements is made.
9 https://eplca.jrc.ec.europa.eu/EnvironmentalFootprint.html?msclkid=d1c44024bd6311ec9a31602979545205
30
10 Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules: Intermediate Paper Products, CEPI, October 2018
RESULTS
LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY FOR CORRUGATED BOARD 2020
Table 4 shows the calculated inputs and outputs for the production of 1 tonne of corrugated board products in
Europe with an average corrugated base paper composition. The production of corrugated board is normally
expressed in m2. However, for LCA it is preferable to have it expressed in weight.
For the average corrugated board product, the paper input is 1.12 tonnes/tonne corrugated board, with an
output of 0.12tonnes 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 2021
tonne net saleable 1

product
SOLD BYPRODUCTS
Tall oil kg/t 3.39
Turpentine kg/t 0.19
RAW MATERIAL
Wood consumption as bone dry weight (=

45% of transported
total wet weight)
Softwood logs t/t 0.10
Hardwood logs t/t 0.04
Sawmill residues softwood t/t 0.03
Sawmill residue hardwood t/t 0.00
Total wood t/t 0.18

Recovered paper as wet weight 1.04
Category
Mixed grades t/t 0.49
Corrugated and Kraft, pre-consumer t/t 0.09
Corrugated and Kraft, post-consumer t/t 0.44
Newspaper and Magazines t/t 0.01
Other grades t/t 0.02
Purchased pulp consumption as bone dry weight
Bleached pulp t/t 0.0072
Unbleached pulp t/t 0.0062
Paper consumption for corrugated board production
Total t/t 1.12
31
TRANSPORT OF RAW MATERIALS
Wood
Wood with truck t.km/t 181
Wood with rail t.km/t 18
Wood with boat t.km/t 50
Recovered paper
Recovered paper with truck t.km/t 456
Recovered paper with rail t.km/t 23
Recovered paper with boat t.km/t 22
Paper to corrugated board plants*
Paper with truck t.km/t 553
Paper with rail t.km/t 614
Paper with boat t.km/t 320
ENERGY INPUTS
Steam GJ/t 0.568
Bought electricity GJ/t 1.376
Fossil fuels
Natural gas GJ/t 4.720
Heavy fuel oil GJ/t 0.037
Light fuel oil GJ/t 0.031
Diesel oil GJ/t 0.005
LPG GJ/t 0.015
Coal GJ/t 0.331
Lignite GJ/t 0.149
Peat GJ/t 0.045
Total fossil fuels GJ/t 5.333
Renewable fuels
Biofuel (bark, scrap wood, tall oil) GJ/t 0.662
Total renewable fuels GJ/t 0.662
Refuse derived fuel GJ/t 0.134

Total fuel GJ/t 6.129
WATER
Input total m3/t 13.61
Ground water (non-renewable) m /t

3
0.41
Ground water (renrewable) m /t

3
2.65
Surface water m /t
3
10.20
Municipal water m /t
3
0.69
Rainwater m /t
3
0.08
Other water received m /t

3
0.00
Water in – water out m /t

3
1.64
32
PROCESS CHEMICALS AND ADDITIVES, DRY MASS
Alum (Al2(SO4)3 kg/t 0.26
Biocides kg/t 0.49
Borax kg/t 0.24
CaCO3 kg/t 5.17
CaO kg/t 0.84
Colourants kg/t 0.30
CO2 kg/t 0.29
Defoamer kg/t 0.15
Fillers kg/t 3.24
Glue, cold and hot melts kg/t 1.10
H2O2, peroxide kg/t 0.44
H2SO4 kg/t 1.06
Water-based ink for flexo printing kg/t 0.93
Varnish for printing kg/t 0.53
Ligno sulphonate kg/t 0.76
Lubricants kg/t 0.06
MgO kg/t 0.03
NaClO3 kg/t 0.04
Na2CO3 (soda) kg/t 0.29
Na2SO4 kg/t 0.11
NaOH kg/t 2.67
NH3 kg/t 0.02
Oxygen, O2 kg/t 0.29
PAC (polyaluminiumclorid) kg/t 0.30
Pitch dispergents kg/t 0.02
Polymer and retention agents kg/t 1.30
S, sulphur kg/t 0.10
Sizing agents kg/t 0.61
SO2 kg/t 0.00
Starch, corn kg/t 22.31

Starch, potato kg/t 0.00
Starch, wheat kg/t 28.17
Starch, modified kg/t 5.15
33
EMISSIONS TO AIR
Particulates, <2.5µm kg/t 0.0076
Particulates, >2.5µm and <10µm kg/t 0.0041
Particulates, >10µm kg/t 0.0202
CO2 (fossil) kg/t 346.17
CO2 (biomass) kg/t 256.88
CO kg/t 0.31
NOx (as NO2) kg/t 0.68
SOx (as SO2) kg/t 0.13
TRS (H2S as S) kg/t 0.001
EMISSIONS TO WATER
Water output m3/t
Thermally polluted water m3/t 8.15
Process water after treatment m /t

3
3.79
Total water out m /t

3
11.94
Waterborne emissions
COD kg/t 3.08
BOD5 kg/t 0.36
TOC kg/t 0.19
Suspended solids kg/t 0.67
Total Nitrogen kg/t 0.12
AOX kg/t 0.02
Total Phosphorous kg/t 0.01
RESIDUES wet weight
Calcium carbonate kg/t (75% dry content) 2.22
Ink residues kg/t (50% dry content) 2.00
Inorganic ashes (10 01 01) kg/t (85% dry content) 13.10
Inorganic sludges kg/t (32% dry content) 1.43
Organic sludges (03 03 01 and 03 03 11) kg/t (43% dry content) 135.35
Paper for recycling kg/t (90% dry content) 121.49
Rejects, paper related** kg/t (57% dry content) 15.47

Rejects, other*** kg/t (57% dry content) 30.93
Starch, glue (wet weight) kg/t (30% dry content) 0.25
Lubricants and oil Kg/t 0.10
«0» 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 any way associated with the previous use of the paper (for example, foreign items
such as plastic packaging, glass, sand and grit, etc)
34
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON ENERGY
AND FUELS
INTERNAL FUELS
The energy inputs presented in Table 4 and in the life cycle inventories detailed in the Annex refers only to
external fuels supplied to the process. However, many papermills also produce their own internal fuels as a by-
product of the pulping processes or from the management of waste streams. In particular, the following are
the main internal fuels relevant to the papermaking process:
• Black liquor – a by-product from the kraft process when digesting pulpwood into paper pulp. It is an
aqueous solution of lignin residues, hemicellulose, and the inorganic chemicals used in the process
• Bark – from the debarking process
• Biogas and biosludge – from the wastewater treatment process
• Refuse-derived fuel – from the processed rejects from processing of paper for recycling
The consumption of all fuels and energy (purchased fuels and electricity and internal fuels) for each of the
corrugated paper grades is summarised in Table 5. This data is for information purposes only and should not
be added to the life cycle inventory for each paper grade as it refers to fuels that are generated and consumed
within the “black box” of the papermill. The internal fuels will be used for production of heat (in the form of
steam) and electricity at the mill.
Table 5
External energy inputs and internal fuels consumed for the production of corrugated base papers
Semi chemical Kraftliner Recycled Testliner

fluting production fluting production
production production
EXTERNAL ENERGY INPUTS
Steam GJ/t 0.000 0.366 0.508 0.508
Bought electricity GJ/t 0.920 1.088 0.785 0.785
External fuels GJ/t 3.683 2.965 5.036 5.036

Total external energy inputs GJ/t 4.603 4.419 6.329 6.329
INTERNAL FUELS
Black liquor GJ/t 3.964 8.203 0.000 0.000
Bark GJ/t 1.707 1.372 0.000 0.000
Biogas and biosludge GJ/t 0.069 0.087 0.266 0.266
Refuse derived fuel (RDF) GJ/t 0.000 0.024 0.299 0.299
Other internal fuels GJ/t 0.116 0.114 0.035 0.035
Total internal fuels GJ/t 5.856 9.800 0.600 0.600
TOTAL ENERGY (BOUGHT ELECTRICITY, PURCHASED STEAM, EXTERNAL FUELS, INTERNAL FUELS)
Total energy GJ/t 10.459 14.219 6.929 6.929
35
YEAR-ON-YEAR TRENDS
The life cycle inventory presented in Table 4 represents the average European production of corrugated
board products with an average corrugated base paper composition, based on the data received during from
mills and plants participating in the 2020 survey. As previously explained, the coverage of the 2020 survey is
significantly increased for the 2020 survey compared to the 2017 survey. Whilst this means that the life cycle
inventory presented in this version of the report is more representative of the weighted European average
production, it also means that it is not valid to compare this current inventory with previous versions of the
dataset.
Changes in the coverage of the papermills participating in the survey are particularly influential on the results
achieved.
Therefore, in order to investigate trends, a comparison has also been made on a like-for-like basis,
considering only those mills which also contributed data to the 2017 survey. Key findings from this like-for-like
comparison are:
• Total wood consumption per tonne of corrugated board product is reduced by 18% from 0.22 tonnes per
tonne to 0.18 tonnes per tonne.
• Total recovered paper consumption per tonne of corrugated board product is reduced by 4% from 1.09
tonnes per tonne to 1.05 tonnes per tonne.
• Purchased electricity is increased by 7% from 1.24 GJ per tonne to 1.33 GJ per tonne, but consumption of
external fuels has decreased by 3% from 6.18 GJ per tonne to 6.00 GJ per tonne. In particular, consumption
of fossil fuels has decreased by 5% from 5.43 GJ per tonne to 5.14 GJ per tonne.
• Subsequently, fossil CO2 emissions have been reduced by 2% from 342 kg per tonne to 336 kg per tonne.
Emissions of CO2 from biogenic sources have also been reduced by 12% from 294 kg per tonne to 258 kg per
tonne
• Other emissions to air have also been reduced. For example:
- NOx emissions have been reduced by 28% from 0.58 kg per tonne to 0.42 kg per tonne.
- SOx emissions have been reduced by 33% from 0.15 kg per tonne to 0.10 kg per tonne.
• Total water input is reduced by 6% from 13.55 m3 per tonne to 12.79 m3 per tonne.
SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT
There is currently no life cycle impact assessment methodology for biodiversity impacts of forest
management to produce primary fibres for fibre-based products. Nevertheless, biodiversity impacts are
an essential element of forest industry products. Sustainable forest management practices have been
developed to protect and maintain the ecosystem services in managed forests and plantations. The voluntary
sustainable forest management certification schemes have been designed to address relevant practices
that help protect ecosystem services such as biodiversity or those that are impacted by land use and their
implementation has been verified through an accredited, independent third party. These practices set a proxy
for mitigating land use impacts and protecting biodiversity.
The data collection revealed that 92% of the pulp wood used for the production of corrugated base papers
by the companies returning the survey was certified as being sourced from sustainable managed forests.
Predominantly, primary fibres are FSC or PEFC certified.
Details of the specific countries of origin and species of wood used are not provided in this report. The data
provided by incomplete and when reviewed it was not deemed representative of the complete situation.
36
PEER REVIEW
The study presented in this report has been subject to a peer review by ifeu - Institute for Energy and
Environmental Research Heidelberg GmbH. The peer review concludes that:
• the methods used to compile the database are scientifically and technically valid, and consistently used.
• the data used are appropriate and reasonable in relation to the goal of the LCA database.
• the LCA database report is transparent and consistent.
The full peer review statement is available as Annex 2 of this report.
37
DEFINITIONS
ALLOCATION PAPER FOR RECYCLING
Technique used in life cycle assessment for paper collected for repulping at a papermill to
partitioning the inputs and outputs of a system produce papers containing recycled fibres. Paper for
amongst products. recycling may originate from pre-consumer sources
(e.g., process waste) or post-consumer sources
CONVERTED CORRUGATED BOX
PRIMARY FIBRE
The corrugated board that is ready to use as a box. All
shavings are accounted for. Virgin fibre, fibres that have not been recycled before
use in paper production.
EFFLUENT
PROCESS ADDITIVES
Water leaving the mill after treatment.
Additives that are used to guarantee that the process
INCINERATION + ENERGY of paper production runs smoothly or to increase the
Incineration of residues with energy recovery. production.
FLUTING REJECTS
Paper grades used for the corrugated layer of Material in recovered paper, which is eliminated
corrugated board. during pulp preparation.
FUNCTIONAL ADDITIVES SHAVINGS

Additives that influence the properties of paper. The total of all base paper cuttings that do not
end up in the converted corrugated box (e.g. from
LINER corrugator trimmings, die-cuttings). Shavings are
Paper grades used for the surface layer of corrugated 100% recycled.
board.
TONNE NSP (NET SALEABLE PRODUCT)
LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA) 1 tonne of paper/corrugated board product sold to
Compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs the customer, including core plugs for the paper.
and the potential environmental impacts of a product
system throughout its life cycle. TRANSPORT DISTANCE OF RECOVERED PAPER
Distance from recovered paper supplier to the paper
LIFE CYCLE IMPACT ASSESSMENT mill.
Phase of the life cycle assessment aimed at
understanding and evaluating the magnitude and TRANSPORT DISTANCE OF WOOD
significance of the potential environmental impacts Distance from harvesting site to the paper mill.
of a product system.
RECYCLED FLUTING
LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY ANALYSIS Recovered fibre-based Fluting
Phase of the life cycle assessment involving
RECOVERED FIBRES
compilation, and the quantification of inputs and
outputs, for a given product system throughout its fibres produced from recycled paper ready for use in
life cycle. paper production
PACKAGING MATERIALS
Materials bought and used for the packaging of the
saleable product (wrappings, pallets).
38
ANNEX 1
GATE-TO-GATE INVENTORIES FOR CORRUGATED BASE PAPERS AND CORRUGATED

CONVERTING PROCESSES
fluting production
Corrugated board
Recycled fluting
Semi chemical
production
production
production
production
Kraftliner
Testliner
tonne net
PRODUCT saleable 1 1 1 1 1
product
SOLD BYPRODUCTS
Tall oil kg/t 14.91 18.88 0.00 0.00 0.00
Turpentine kg/t 1.51 0.97 0.00 0.00 0.00
RAW MATERIAL
Wood consumption as bone dry weight (= 45% of transported total wet weight)
Softwood logs t/t 0.00 0.63 0.00 0.00 0.00
Hardwood logs t/t 0.80 0.14 0.00 0.00 0.00
Sawmill residues softwood t/t 0.00 0.20 0.00 0.00 0.00
Sawmill residue hardwood t/t 0.06 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Total wood t/t 0.85 0.97 0.00 0.00 0.00
as wet
Recovered paper 0.1527 0.2782 1.0632 1.0632 0.0000
weight
Category
Mixed grades t/t 0.0184 0.1141 0.5065 0.5065 0.0000

Corrugated and Kraft, pre-consumer t/t 0.0318 0.0258 0.0903 0.0903 0.0000
Corrugated and Kraft, post-consumer t/t 0.0833 0.1373 0.4407 0.4407 0.0000
Newspaper and Magazines t/t 0.0000 0.0000 0.0082 0.0082 0.0000
Other grades t/t 0.0193 0.0010 0.0175 0.0175 0.0000
Purchased pulp consumption as bone dry weight
Bleached pulp t/t 0.0000 0.0422 0.0003 0.0003 0.0000
Unbleached pulp t/t 0.0000 0.0378 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
Paper consumption for corrugated board production
Total t/t 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 1.120
TRANSPORT OF RAW MATERIALS
Wood
Wood with truck t.km/t 512 737 0 0 0

39
Wood with rail t.km/t 88 101 0 0 0
Wood with boat t.km/t 89 297 0 0 0
Recovered paper
Recovered paper with truck t.km/t 104 118 464 464 0
Recovered paper with rail t.km/t 0 143 0 0 0
Recovered paper with boat t.km/t 0 51 14 14 0
Paper to corrugated board plants*
Paper with truck t.km/t 0 0 0 0 553
Paper with rail t.km/t 0 0 0 0 614
Paper with boat t.km/t 0 0 0 0 320
ENERGY INPUTS
Steam GJ/t 0.000 0.366 0.508 0.508 0.032
Bought electricity GJ/t 0.920 1.088 0.785 0.785 0.444
Fossil fuels
Natural gas GJ/t 0.000 0.887 4.028 4.028 0.803
Heavy fuel oil GJ/t 0.187 0.133 0.002 0.002 0.010
Light fuel oil GJ/t 0.010 0.055 0.014 0.014 0.009
Diesel oil GJ/t 0.002 0.001 0.005 0.005 0.001
LPG GJ/t 0.000 0.023 0.001 0.001 0.011
Coal GJ/t 0.025 0.037 0.333 0.333 0.013
Lignite GJ/t 0.000 0.000 0.159 0.159 0.000
Peat GJ/t 2.184 0.006 0.000 0.000 0.000
Total fossil fuels GJ/t 2.408 1.142 4.541 4.541 0.847
Renewable fuels
Biofuel (bark, scrap wood, tall oil) GJ/t 1.275 1.823 0.352 0.352 0.008
Total renewable fuels GJ/t 1.275 1.823 0.352 0.352 0.008
Refuse derived fuel GJ/t 0.000 0.000 0.144 0.144 0.000
Total fuel GJ/t 3.683 2.965 5.036 5.036 0.855
WATER
Input total m3/t 41.97 31.65 7.68 7.68 0.40

Ground water (non-renewable) m /t

3
0.00 0.00 0.42 0.42 0.01
Ground water (renrewable) m /t

3
0.00 0.14 2.71 2.71 0.09
Surface water m /t
3
41.97 31.19 4.53 4.53 0.01
Municipal water m /t
3
0.00 0.06 0.44 0.44 0.28
Rainwater m /t
3
0.00 0.32 0.03 0.03 0.00
Other water received m /t

3
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Water in – water out m /t

3
0.84 1.29 1.30 1.30 0.19
PROCESS CHEMICALS AND ADDITIVES, DRY MASS
Alum (Al2(SO4)3 kg/t 0.00 1.54 0.009 0.009 0.00
Biocides kg/t 0.09 0.23 0.48 0.48 0.00
Borax kg/t 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.24
CaCO3 kg/t 0.00 14.23 3.03 3.03 0.00
CaO kg/t 0.00 4.29 0.15 0.15 0.00

40
Colourants kg/t 0.00 0.01 0.32 0.32 0.00
CO2 kg/t 0.00 1.77 0.00 0.00 0.00
Defoamer kg/t 0.03 0.17 0.13 0.13 0.00
Fillers kg/t 0.00 12.48 1.28 1.28 0.00
Glue, cold and hot melts kg/t 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.10
H2O2, peroxide kg/t 0.00 2.68 0.00 0.00 0.00
H2SO4 kg/t 0.06 6.10 0.07 0.07 0.00
Water-based ink for flexo printing kg/t 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.93
Varnish for printing kg/t 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.53
Ligno sulphonate kg/t 0.00 0.00 0.81 0.81 0.00
Lubricants kg/t 0.00 0.069 0.050 0.050 0.00
MgO kg/t 1.47 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
NaClO3 kg/t 0.000 0.000 0.040 0.040 0.000
Na2CO3 (soda) kg/t 14.13 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Na2SO4 kg/t 0.00 0.68 0.00 0.00 0.00
NaOH kg/t 4.36 6.72 0.34 0.34 1.17
NH3 kg/t 0.015 0.037 0.010 0.010 0.000
Oxygen, O2 kg/t 0.00 1.78 0.00 0.00 0.00
PAC (polyaluminiumclorid) kg/t 0.00 1.09 0.13 0.13 0.00
Pitch dispergents kg/t 0.00 0.00 0.025 0.025 0.00
Polymer and retention agents kg/t 0.58 1.88 1.05 1.05 0.00
S, sulphur kg/t 4.72 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Sizing agents kg/t 0.062 0.689 0.526 0.526 0.000
SO2 kg/t 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Starch, corn kg/t 0.00 0.00 17.37 17.37 6.04
Starch, potato kg/t 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Starch, wheat kg/t 0.00 3.31 28.27 28.27 1.16
Starch, modified kg/t 0.00 5.02 0.40 0.40 3.95
EMISSIONS TO AIR
Particulates, <2.5µm kg/t 0.0233 0.0268 0.0021 0.0021 0.00077

Particulates, >2.5µm and kg/t 0.0129 0.0149 0.0011 0.0011 0.00030

<10µm
Particulates, >10µm kg/t 0.0687 0.0790 0.0061 0.0061 0.00023
CO2 (fossil) kg/t 252.51 80.31 299.39 299.39 47.62
CO2 (biomass) kg/t 746.39 1176.98 51.32 51.32 1.33
CO kg/t 0.74 1.40 0.067 0.067 0.00
NOx (as NO2) kg/t 1.02 0.83 0.54 0.54 0.018
SOx (as SO2) kg/t 0.52 0.17 0.081 0.081 0.011
TRS (H2S as S) kg/t 0.0395 0.0035 0.000 0.000 0.000
EMISSIONS TO WATER
Water output m3/t
Thermally polluted water m3/t 17.06 15.21 5.68 5.68 0.00036
41
Process water after m3/t 24.07 15.15 0.69 0.69 0.18
treatment
Total water out m3/t 41.13 30.36 6.37 6.37 0.18
Waterborne emissions
COD kg/t 5.59 4.06 2.12 2.12 0.31
BOD5 kg/t 0.20 1.04 0.20 0.20 na
TOC kg/t 0.00 1.06 0.014 0.014 na
Suspended solids kg/t 0.41 0.77 0.49 0.49 0.074
Total Nitrogen kg/t 0.44 0.084 0.10 0.10 0.0061
AOX kg/t 0.000 0.0017 0.0258 0.0258 na
Total Phosphorous kg/t 0.0078 0.0127 0.0093 0.0093 0.0012
RESIDUES wet
weight
Calcium carbonate kg/t 0.0030 13.6 0.00 0.00 0.00

(75% dry
content)
Ink residues kg/t 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.00

(50% dry
content)
Inorganic ashes (10 01 01) kg/t 20.1 12.9 11.3 11.3 0.0
(85% dry
content)
Inorganic sludges kg/t 0.40 8.70 0.00 0.00 0.00

(32% dry
content)
Organic sludges (03 03 01 kg/t 44.6 10.2 141.3 141.3 0.44

and 03 03 11) (43% dry
content)
Paper for recycling kg/t 0 0 0 0 121

(90% dry
content)
Rejects, paper related** kg/t 3.0 3.7 15.8 15.8 0.0

(57% dry
content)
Rejects, other*** kg/t 6.0 7.5 31.6 31.6 0.00

(57% dry
content)
Starch, glue (wet weight) kg/t 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.25
(30% dry
content)
Lubricants and oil Kg/t 0.133 0.130 0.040 0.040 0.043
«0» 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, unre-
covered 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)
42
ANNEX 22: PEER REVIEW STATEMENT
Review statement on European database

for corrugated board life cycle studies,
2021
Dataset owners: CEPI Containerboard & FEFCO corrugated packaging
Dataset developer: Michael Sturges, RISE - Research Institutes of Sweden
Reviewer: Frank Wellenreuther, ifeu - Institut for Energy and Environmental

Research
Heidelberg, June 2022
ifeu Wilckensstraße 3 D - 69120 Heidelberg Telefon +49 (0)6 221. 47 67 - 0 Telefax +49 (0)6 221. 47 67 - 19 E-Mail [email protected] www.ifeu.de
Index
1 Background and Goal 3
2 Review procedure 4
2.1 Documents provided and reviewed 4
3 Conclusion 8
ifeu  review statement 3
1 Background and Goal
CEPI ContainerBoard (CCB) and the European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufac-
turers (FEFCO) collected data from the industry to document the environmental impact of
corrugated board.
The result is a European database for life cycle studies that includes data for the produc-
tion of:
• Corrugated base papers from primary fibres: Kraftliner, White Top Kraftliner and
Semichemical Fluting (data from CCB)
• Corrugated base papers from recovered papers: Testliner, White Top Testliner and
Wellenstoff (data from CCB)
• Corrugated board products (data from FEFCO).
The data is the tenth edition of the database and represents averages of the inputs and
outputs from the production sites per tonne paper and per tonne of corrugated board
product for the year 2020.
The database report has been prepared bei RISE Bioeconomy.
The updated database was presented to Frank Wellenreuther of ifeu gGmbH for critical
review.
The goal of the review presented here is to ensure that:
• the methods used to compile the database are scientifically and technically valid,
• the methods are used consistently within the FEFCO LCA database,
• the data used are appropriate and reasonable in relation to the goal of the LCA
Database
• the LCA database report is transparent and consistent
4 review statement  ifeu
2 Review procedure
This review has been commissioned by FEFCO on the 04th of December 2020. The review
work has been conducetd in two steps. For the first step, on the 11th of December 2020,
the dataset developer provided the data collection questionnaries for review before send-
ing them out to the data providers. In the second step the final draft database report in-
cluding an annex with gata-to-gate inventory data for corrugated base papers and corru-
gated converting processes was provided for review on the 25th of April 2022. An updated
database report was sent on the 16th of June 2022.
This review statement has been send to the commissioner and the dataset developer on
the 24th of June 2022. It refers to the latest version of the database report received on the
16th of June 2022.
2.1 Documents provided and reviewed

The dataset developer provided the reviewer with several documents relevant for a clear
understanding of the data compilation process. Those documents were as follows:
Data collection questionnaires
- Papermills questionnaire – draft final 10-12-2020.xlsx

- Draft questionnaire – corrugated sheets and boxes.xlsx
The draft data collection questionnaires were made accessible to the reviewer on the 11th
of December 2020.
After receiving and considering comments from the crictical reviewer the final revised
versions of these data questionnaires as used for the actual data collection were then also
shared on the 05th of January 2021:
- Papermills questionnaire – final 05-01-2021.xlsx

- corrugated sheets and boxes questionnaire – final 05-01-2021.xlsx
• The questionnaires follow a top-down approach to data collection consistently.

• Information about all annual inputs and outputs was requested.
• As no allocation was made for by-products the inputs and outputs include the
production of these by-products
• The participation of mills and converting facilities have increased compared to ea-
lier versions of this dataset, therefore the representativeness has been further
improved.
 The questionnaires are considered to be well-suited to their purpose to

collect all relevant gate-to-gate data.
Database report
- FEFCO environmental database – draft final report 25-04-2022-marked-up.docx

- FEFCO environmental database - draft final report 16-06-2022-changes highlight-
ed.docx
This final draft of the database report has been sent to the reviewer on the 16th of June
2022.
• The report contains a single European average inventory dataset covering corru-
gated board production including the production of the four main paper grades
used.
• In an annex to the report the separate gate-to-gate inventory datasets for the four
paper grades and the converting process are also included.
• It contains a very detailed section describing the production processes.
• The dataset for the corrugated board is calculated by multiplying the average pa-
per grade composition data from the paper mills with 1.12 (as on average 1.12
tonne of paper is used for 1 tonne corrugated board) and adding the corrugated
board data from converting facilities.
 The detailed section describing production processes is well written and

very much appreciated as it will help non-professionals to understand and
therefore use this dataset correctly.
 This calculation approach is transparently presented in the report and

considered suitable for the generating of one average dataset.
• The underlying datasets differ in their representativeness. The data for Semi-
chemical Fluting and Kraftliner represent more than 84% of the total annual pro-
duction of corrugated base papers from primary fibres in Europe. The data for the
production of Testliners and Wellenstoff represent about 71% of the total annual
production of corrugated base papers from recovered paper in Europe. The data
on corrugated board production represents 73% the total annual production
of corrugated board in Europe.
 The resulting dataset is considered to be representative of the European

production of corrugated board and the reference year 2020. The overall
representativity could be improved compared to the previous version (#9)
of this database.
• Allocation of inputs and outputs was not necessary in all cases of data collection.
At some sites only one grade of product is produced, at some the mills were able
to assign inputs of raw materials to the different products. In remaining cases al-
location between co-products has been done by data providers according to cau-
sality.
• Inputs and outputs allocated to other products (not by-products) and sold energy
have been excluded from the inventory data.
• No allocation was made to by-products, so the reported inventory includes the
production of these by-products.
6 review statement  ifeu
 The allocation procedure is considered suitable to deliver the most valid

results possible.
Inventory data
Unlike the previous version of this database report, the inventory data is not presented in
a separated excel file but directly included into the report. An annex also presents the
separate gate-to-gate datasets for the production of the main paper grades and the con-
verting process.
• The inventory tables include the inputs and outputs per ton net saleable product.
• The list of material inputs does not include packaging material.
• The list of material outputs includes residues.
• Total sums for some material or energy inputs are additionally presented.
• Apart from material and energy flows also transport parameters for wood, recov-
ered paper and also paper to corrugating plants are listed.
• An additional table listing internal fuels, which are not added to the inventory da-
ta as their emissions are already accounted for, is presented.
 Biogenic and fossil based CO2 is reported transparently

 The reviewer appreciates the consideration of peat as fossil fuel regarding
the quality of CO2 emissions.
 Packaging materials are not included although they have been collected
via the data questionnaires and were included in the 2018 version of this
database.
 Water balances have been checked by the reviewer and are found to be
sufficiently closed (the difference is also reported in the inventory)
 The inclusion of internal fuels for information purposes only is appreciat-
ed
3 Conclusion
The presented documentation of the dataset is considered transparent and correct, clearly
describing how the dataset has been built up and what it represents in terms of produc-
tion, technology, geography and time. This is considered appropriate for the intended
application: gate-to-gate LCI dataset for production of corrugated board for use in LCI/LCA
studies.
 the methods used to compile the database are scientifically and technically valid,
 and consistently used within the FEFCO LCA database,
 the data used are appropriate and reasonable in relation to the goal of the LCA
database
 the LCA database report is transparent and consistent
The input and output flows have been cross-checked by the reviewer with other paper
sector datasets and have been found to have a high level of completeness including all
relevant flows of inputs of raw materials and energy.
Limitations
The data set refers to European industry average. This review does not apply to any indi-
vidual datasets collected at single mills or corrugated board plants.
Heidelberg, 24.06.2022
Frank Wellenreuther, ifeu gGmbH

The Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers
Avenue Louise 250
B – 1050 Brussels
Tel + 32 2 646 40 70
www.fefco.org
Twitter: @FEFCO
General information and requests for publications:

[email protected]
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2021

EUROPEAN DATABASE FOR CORRUGATED

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCT SYSTEM 5

Relationship to the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) 30

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON ENERGY AND FUELS 35

steps or as a whole Life Cycle Assessment.

Eleni Despotou Klaus Spielmann

PAPER PRODUCTION PROCESS

packaging does not normally undergo a deinking process.

Million tonnes Total Primary Recycled

Figure 1: Single wall corrugated board

Figure 2: Corrugated board constructions

Figure 4: Corrugated board production

Table 2 Flute types

Flute Flute height* Number of flutes Take-up factor Glue consumption g/

A 4.8 110 1.50-1.55 4.5-5.0

B 2.4 150 1.30-1.35 5.5-6.0

C 3.6 130 1.40-1.45 5.0-5.5

E 1.2 290 1.20-1.35 6.0-6.5

F,G,N 0.5-0.8 400-550 1.15-1.25 9.0-11.0

• Example: FEFCO Code 0201

Recycled Fluting 200 * 1.2935/0.97 = 267

Total (shavings) = 746 - 650 = 96 g/box = 12.9% of the input.

BOUNDARIES AND DECLARED UNIT

INPUTS FROM THE TECHNOSPHERE

Pulp Chemicals &

SYSTEM BOUNDARIES FOR CORRUGATED BASE PAPERS

• Chlorine dioxide (ClO2)

INPUTS FROM THE TECHNOSPHERE

Paper machine including •

OUTPUTS TO THE TECHNOSPHERE

INPUTS FROM THE TECHNOSPHERE

Printing Slitting Folding Gluing

OUTPUTS TO THE TECHNOSPHERE

CCB data CCB data

corrugated box other treatment,

DATA COLLECTION FOR CORRUGATED BOARD AND BOX PRODUCTION

Chemicals and other non-fibre inputs

ENERGY INPUT AND OUTPUT

WATER INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

COVERAGE AND COMPARABILITY OF THE DATASETS

PRODUCTION TRENDS UNIQUE TO 2020

LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY FOR CORRUGATED BOARD 2020

tonne net saleable 1

Tall oil kg/t 3.39

Turpentine kg/t 0.19

Wood consumption as bone dry weight (=

Softwood logs t/t 0.10

Hardwood logs t/t 0.04

Sawmill residues softwood t/t 0.03

Sawmill residue hardwood t/t 0.00

Total wood t/t 0.18

Recovered paper as wet weight 1.04

Mixed grades t/t 0.49

Corrugated and Kraft, pre-consumer t/t 0.09

Corrugated and Kraft, post-consumer t/t 0.44

Newspaper and Magazines t/t 0.01

Other grades t/t 0.02

Purchased pulp consumption as bone dry weight