Amcor – Gengyu Li – 2024
SummaryGengyu Li conducted a data-driven analysis of the manufacturing process of recycled plastic packaging and evaluated the related environmental benefits based on life cycle assessment (LCA).GoalsAmcor is a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging solutions. To advance a circular economy for packaging, Amcor has pledged to reach 30% recycled content across all products by 2030. The main objective of this fellowship was to optimize the production process of recycled plastic packaging as well as quantify its environmental performance and sustainability.SolutionsGlobal policy research:
-Organized the landscape of policy developments in the European Union, North America, and Asia, focusing on types of policies with different sustainability momentum.
-Identified the compliance obligations added to Amcor’s operations overseas.
Life cycle assessment:
-Conducted a life cycle assessment of recycled plastic packaging and compared it to virgin plastic packaging.
-Divided the quantitative metrics into three elements: non-renewable primary energy demand, carbon footprint, and water consumption.
Data-driven analysis of packaging manufacturing:
-Focused on the manufacturing stage within the life cycle of packaging.
-Quantified the loss in terms of operation descriptions and identified the primary issue.
-Collaborated with over 10 internal stakeholders to analyze the current situation and provide advice on solutions to address the challenge.
-Updated the standard operation procedures and calculated the environmental metrics of optimizing the process based on life cycle assessment.Potential ImpactAmcor Shenheng site’s efforts to address the issues discovered by Gengyu can result in both cost savings and environmental benefits. By taking improvement measures, the Amcor Shenheng site is expected to save 13365.14 MJ of non-renewable energy, 363.65 kg eq. of carbon footprint (fossil), and 2418.10 kg of water consumption annually. As global policies (especially in the EU and US) scale the amount of recycled material coming into the market, packaging companies need to find a balance between ensuring a certain proportion of recycled material in their products and reducing production losses while maintaining product quality performance. We believe that Gengyu’s proposals will continue to create greater value for the Amcor Shenheng site and even other facilities in the future.
