A comprehensive assessment by researchers, including Rafael Auras from Michigan State University, sought to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of replacing polyethylene, or PE, packaging like bags, films and containers with alternative materials, including paper, glass, aluminum and steel.

The findings reveal that PE packaging can have an average life cycle global warming potential, or GWP, savings of approximately 70% compared to a mix of commonly used packaging materials in the U.S. When comparing plastic packaging and alternative materials based on mineral resource use, fossil energy consumption and water scarcity, plastic packaging was generally found to have lower impacts than the alternatives. 

The paper, “Polyethylene packaging and alternative materials in the United States: A life cycle assessment,” was published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. Authored in collaboration with Trayak, Inc. and ExxonMobil, it provides fresh insights into the potential for product elimination or material switching to yield unintended consequences for the environment. Findings were critically reviewed by a panel of independent experts and determined to be in conformance with standards set by the International Organization for Standardization — ISO 14040 and ISO 14044, the international standards for principles, requirements and guidelines for life cycle assessments.