The following guide is a condensed version of the five available articles related to how you should understand and use comparisons in Pickler. Click here to access all the articles and enhance your understanding of proper comparison use even further.
Let's get to it!
Step 1: Creating Your Comparison:
Select Products: From the Impact Reports page, check the boxes next to the products you want to compare and click "View comparison in the pop-up at the bottom of your screen."
Alternatively, go to "Comparisons" and click "Create comparison," then select the products to add.
Edit Products (Optional): Hover over a product card to "Remove" it, "Duplicate" it into a scenario for modifications, or "Edit" its data directly.
Adjust Units: Choose to view the comparison "Per product" or "Per kg" based on your analysis needs. For products with multiple components, "Per piece" allows component-level comparison.
Add More Products: Click the blue "+ Add product" button to include additional items in your comparison.
Step 2: Understanding the Comparison Data:
Select Indicator: Choose between "Eco-costs" (full environmental impact) and "Carbon Footprint" (GHG emissions).
View Impact: See the absolute impact (eco-costs or carbon footprint) for each product and the percentage difference compared to the benchmark product (the first product listed).
Analyze Stages: Examine the impact breakdown across the lifecycle stages: "Material," "Production," "Transport," and "End of Life." Absolute values and percentage differences highlight where the impact originates.
Identify Hotspots: Look for lifecycle stages or materials with the largest absolute impact (or, the biggest outliers) to pinpoint areas for potential improvement.
Optional Configuration:
Sales Price & True Cost: Add the sales price to see the "True Cost" (sales price + eco-costs).
Quantity: For "Per piece" view, multiply the impact by a specific quantity.
Sorting: Sort products by impact (high to low or vice versa).
Eco Score: Quickly assess overall sustainability with the A+ to G rating on each product card.
Step 3: Improving Your Comparisons:
Specify Unspecified Values: Ensure all product data fields are filled. "Unspecified" values often lead to inflated worst-case scenario results.
Complete Production Processes: Verify that a production process is assigned to every material in your Bill of Materials.
Refine Transport Data: Ensure accurate transport locations are mapped for realistic distance calculations.
Consider Primary Data: If market average data seems inaccurate, explore using supplier-specific primary data for materials and energy.
Step 4: Troubleshooting Your Comparison Results:
Check for Extreme Differences: Unusually high or low impact scores often indicate missing data ("unspecified values").
Verify Production Processes: Missing production processes can lead to incomplete impact calculations.
Analyze Impact Hotspots: Understand where the impact is coming from – a product sourced locally might still have a high impact due to material choices.
Review IDEMAT Sources: Understand the market average data by clicking the "i" icons to see the underlying LCAs and assumptions.
Understand EOL Credits: Lower-than-expected End-of-Life impacts can be due to incineration credits or the use of recycled materials. Remember, Pickler credits recycling at the input stage, not EOL.
Compare Similar Categories: Ensure you are comparing products with comparable functions for meaningful insights.
By following these steps, you can effectively create, understand, refine, and troubleshoot your comparisons in Pickler to make informed decisions and communicate the environmental benefits of your packaging options.