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How we make fair comparisons with other products

Pickler's consistent methodology and system boundaries for calculating the impact of packaging products enable product impact comparisons.

Daan van Hal avatar
Written by Daan van Hal
Updated over a year ago

Strict comparison rules for LCA

Making comparisons between the environmental impact results (LCAs) of products isn't easy. There are strict rules to ensure credible and fair comparisons.

It's crucial to use the exact same:

  • LCA method. (Pickler's eco cost methodology),

  • Database (Pickler's database Idemat). To ensure the same secondary impact references are used.

  • System boundaries. In *Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to make fair comparisons between products. That's because the environmental impacts of a product can vary depending on which methodology and stages of its life cycle are included in the assessment.

For example, if one product's system boundaries are assessed from cradle-to-grave (from raw material extraction to disposal) and another product is only assessed from cradle-to-gate (until the product leaves the factory), the environmental impact of the two products may not be comparable.

Therefore, it is important to establish consistent system boundaries for all products being assessed to ensure that the comparisons are fair and accurate.

*Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): The scientific method to calculate the environmental impact of products.

How Pickler makes fair comparisons possible

Pickler allows for the establishment of consistent system boundaries by providing a comprehensive eco forecast that assesses the environmental impact of a product throughout its entire life cycle.

The tool calculates eco-costs and CO2-equivalent emissions for each life cycle stage of the product, ensuring that the same method, database, and system boundaries are used for all products assessed.

This allows for fair and accurate comparisons between products and helps consumers make more informed purchasing decisions. By making sustainability claims clear and comparable, Pickler helps businesses green up their sales and design choices, and supports B2B and B2C consumers in making more sustainable choices.

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