Packaging products' life cycle. Credit: MSU School of Packaging

New research suggests that replacing polyethylene (PE) packaging with paper, glass, aluminum or steel often does not reduce environmental impacts across a product's life cycle.

Building on previous research, the study , published in Environmental Impact Assessment Review , evaluated five common packaging applications and found that PE packaging often had lower potential impacts across indicators including global warming potential, water scarcity, land use, acidification and eutrophication.

Researchers from Michigan State University, Trayak and ExxonMobil found that environmental performance depends on material quantity, transportation packaging, recycling, reuse and the package's ability to protect the product.

"Packaging's environmental impact is often framed as a question of which material is best, but our results show that this approach is too narrow," said Rafael Auras, co-author and a professor at the Michigan State University School of…