How can recycled paper (testliner) be worse than virgin (kraft)?
This is mainly because recycled paper is often produced using regular grid energy, which has higher CO₂ emissions, while virgin kraft is typically made using energy from wood leftovers, which counts as much lower CO₂.
So even though the material is recycled, the average energy mix behind its production can lead to a higher footprint. When comparing these energy differences, virgin kraft can sometimes show a lower overall carbon footprint.
Mixed-materials have a better score than mono-materials
Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and Biaxially-Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) are part of two separate types of materials, Polyethylene and Polypropylene. These two materials are extracted and processed in different ways, meaning that different levels of energy are used in the making of LDPE and BOPP.
The way this is accounted for is through the IDEMAT database, where all market average values are measured and utilized. What this means is that for all Polyethylene and Polypropylene materials, there will be different levels of energy expedited for them, something that will reflect in a different score - despite one being mono-material and another mixed material.
To get more insights you can look at how the data moves through all the processes in IDEMAT by doing the following:
Go to the "Raw materials" section in your comparison, click "Show more", and then click on the little icon next to either "Polypropylene - Market average" or "Low-density Polyethylene - Market average"
Under "Data License", click "Read more", to get forwarded to this link. This link outlines the Eco-profiles that are used for determining the environmental impacts of plastics.
How FSC-certified wood can cause more harm to biodiversity more non-certified
FSC-certified wood is meant to protect biodiversity, but sometimes it can unintentionally cause more harm than non-certified plantation forestry. Certified forests often produce less wood per area, meaning more land is needed to meet demand, impacting a larger area of biodiversity.
In contrast, plantation forests have a higher impact on smaller areas but leave more land untouched. While certified forests aim for low biodiversity impact, managing forests for both wood production and biodiversity is challenging, especially with the removal of deadwood, a crucial part of many ecosystems.