Below is a full overview of all default values Pickler applies when specific product or packaging data is not provided. These defaults enable fast, conservative, and consistent footprint calculations.
1. Product: Raw Materials & Processing
Processing method
Pickler applies default processing methods based on the selected material category to ensure calculations remain consistent with IDEMAT’s underlying LCA datasets.
These defaults reflect the most common or representative production processes for each material type, preventing incorrect assumptions when no specific processing data is provided.
Metals – Rolling aluminum foil: A common finishing process for metal sheets and foils.
Glass – No additional or negligible processing: Glass is typically used in its final form after forming; further processing has minimal impact.
Wood – Power sawing: Represents standard machining for wooden components.
Paper – No additional or negligible processing: Paper is often only cut or folded, requiring very little extra energy.
Cardboard – No additional or negligible processing: Cardboard is used as-is for many applications and typically needs no extra processing.
Paper for corrugated boxes – Corrugated board making: The standard industrial process for producing corrugated packaging.
Plastics – Extrusion: The primary and most common process for shaping plastic films and components.
Processing & printing location
When no location data is provided
Processing & printing location: location Global and general industry energy record from IDEMAT:
Pickler uses a global average energy mix when no production location is provided. This prevents incorrect assumptions about where a component is made, since packaging supply chains are spread across multiple regions. By applying an equal share of EU, USA, and Asia energy mixes, Pickler provides a fair, neutral, and conservative baseline that reflects global manufacturing reality while keeping results consistent with IDEMAT’s industry-average energy data.
2. Additional Packaging
Default values are only applied when the use of pack, case and pallet levels are indicated by entering the number of products for every of those packaging levels.
Pack level
Pack materials: LDPE
Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is the most common material used for light protective packaging such as bags, sleeves, wraps, or inner liners. Using LDPE as the default reflects standard industry practice for primary or near-primary flexible packaging when no specific material is provided.
Pack material weight: 1% of the total weight of the products in the pack
Light protective packaging usually represents a very small share of the total product weight. A 1% assumption provides a realistic, conservative estimate based on typical lightweight films, ensuring that minor packaging does not get overestimated when exact weights are unknown.
Pack processing: Extrusion (for LDPE)
Extrusion is the standard processing method for LDPE film in LCA datasets such as IDEMAT. Choosing extrusion ensures that Pickler’s default matches how LDPE-based flexible packaging is normally produced and keeps the calculation consistent with established LCA sources.
Pack processing location: Global average (33% EU / 33% USA / 33% Asia energy mix)
Flexible packaging is produced worldwide and often sourced through global supply chains. By applying a global average energy mix, Pickler avoids making incorrect regional assumptions and ensures a neutral, traceable baseline when the production location is not known.
Case level
Case materials: Solid board
Solid board is the most common material used for secondary packaging such as boxes, trays, and cases. Using this as the default reflects standard industry practice and provides a realistic, conservative baseline when no specific material is provided.
Case material weight: 3% of the total weight of the products in the case.
Secondary packaging typically adds only a small fraction of the product weight. A 3% ratio reflects an industry-average assumption for transport and shelf-ready cases. This keeps the estimate realistic while preventing overestimation of packaging impact when exact weights are unknown.
Case processing: No processing
Processing energy is already included in the material.
Case processing location: Global average (33% EU / 33% USA / 33% Asia energy mix)
Pallet level
Only when products per pallet are entered.
Pallet dimensions: 120 × 80 cm
Represents the standard EURO pallet, the most commonly used pallet size in European logistics. Using this as the default ensures compatibility with typical supply chains and avoids over- or underestimating transport volume.
Pallet height: 180 cm
Reflects a realistic maximum stack height used in warehouses and transport. This helps Pickler estimate loading efficiency and transport volume in a consistent, conservative way.
Pallet gross weight: 300 kg
Typical fully loaded EURO pallet across many industries. It allows Pickler to calculate transport impact even when the exact weight is unknown, without assuming unusually heavy or light loads.
Pallet materials:
Spruce FSC wood (Euro Pallet 30 use cycles)
Scots Pine FSC (Euro Pallet (30 use cycles)
Steel nails (Euro pallet (30 use cycles)
Pickler applies a well-established, peer-reviewed environmental profile that reflects the average material composition and lifecycle of a standard pallet.
Pallet material weight: 0.96 m²
The IDEMAT dataset defines the Europallet’s material quantity in square meters (m²) rather than kilograms. This comes directly from the pallet’s surface footprint: 80 × 120 cm = 0.96 m². Pickler uses this value to stay fully consistent with the IDEMAT source data and ensure results remain traceable to the original LCA dataset.
Pallet material processing: No additional processing
Processing energy is already included in the material.
Pallet processing location: Global average (33% EU / 33% USA / 33% Asia energy mix)
Pickler uses a global average energy mix. This prevents incorrect assumptions about a specific regional energy profile and ensures a fair, neutral, and conservative baseline when the source location is unknown.
3. Transport
Used when no transport distance and method are empty.
Transport unit dimensions & weight: Same as EURO pallet default (120×80 cm, 180 cm height, 300 kg).
When no transport details are provided, Pickler uses the standard EURO pallet dimensions and weight to estimate transport volume and mass. This avoids unrealistic assumptions and ensures consistency with the pallet defaults used across the model. Using a common reference unit keeps calculations reliable and comparable across products.
Transport method & distance: truck with container (1,000 km) and Container ship (20,000 km) from IDEMAT
Pickler uses a standard truck journey (1,000 km) and a long-distance container ship route (20,000 km) as defaults. These represent typical regional and global transport patterns and prevent incorrect assumptions about specific routes or distances. They provide a fair, neutral, and conservative baseline when no transport details are available.
4. End of Life — Default Values
End of life region: 100% Europe
Pickler uses 100% Europe as the default end-of-life region because most customers operate within the European market. This avoids making incorrect assumptions about global disposal systems, which vary widely in performance. Using a fully European scenario ensures a consistent, traceable, and conservative baseline when the actual end-of-life locations are not known.