A Comparison of Methods for Evaluating "Environmental Choice" Packaging

Three simple evaluation methods and one practice-based assessment of environmentally friendly product packaging are compared. The Cornell product evaluation system assesses weight and volume, with an adjustment for local recyclability of the packaging materials and a transportation efficiency measure. In the Tellus method, a dollar value for each pollutant is derived and applied to life cycle inventory data to obtain a single figure representing the total environmental burden for each packaging material. The CONEG method qualitatively prioritizes packaging practices. The practice-based assessment was obtained from a solid waste reduction educator. These methods were applied to product choices in dishwashing liquid, fabric softener, cranberry juice, pancakes, and soap. The methods ranked products similarly within categories when choices involved different sized versions of the same packaging materials, but differently when different packaging materials were involved.