Packaging

Life Cycle Inventory of Packaging Options for Shipment of Retail Mail-Order Soft Goods

Catalogs and the Internet are shifting retail purchases away from traditional "bricks and mortar" stores and towards direct marketing where goods are shipped directly from a distribution center to its customers. With the growth of e-commerce has come an increase in packaging use and waste. The Oregon DEQ, Metro, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have co-sponsored this technical study in order to evaluate the solid wastes, as well as energy, materials, and atmospheric and waterborne emissions associated with the entire life cycle (production, use, and discards) of a variety of packaging materials that are currently used to ship non-breakable items (soft goods) in catalog sales or e-commerce. This study demonstrates that within the realm of shipping non-breakable items in catalog or e-commerce sales, there are a wide variety of packaging options that directly impact the quantity of solid waste generated, amounts and types of energy and raw materials used, and amounts and types of atmospheric and waterborne emissions.

Click on the links below to view the report:

• Complete Report PDF 2.1MB
  Includes Appendices A thru E
• Report Only PDF 1.4MB
  Does not include Appendices A thru E
  • Report Table of Contents PDF
  • Executive Summary PDF
  • Chapter One PDF
  • Chapter Two PDF
  • Chapter Three PDF
  • Chapter Four PDF
  • Addendum: Peer Review Panel Report PDF
• Appendices PDF
  Complete A thru E
  • Appendix Table of Contents PDF
  • Appendix A PDF
  • Appendix B PDF
  • Appendix C PDF
  • Appendix D PDF
  • Appendix E PDF

[print version]