Esko and CarbonQuota have developed a new carbon emissions calculation capability, allowing packaging converters and brands to automate carbon footprint calculations and align their environmental impacts with internal and legislative sustainability goals.
Available via Esko’s S2 platform, the integrated solution connects with CarbonQuota’s calculation engine to automate the otherwise time-consuming process of calculating carbon footprints.
It intends to track and measure a company’s environmental impact throughout the life cycle of its packaging, including the design, product development, and production stages.
As the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, Extended Producer Responsibility, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, carbon taxes, and other legislative measures are introduced, the new tool is expected to allow companies to comply with new rules and disclose their environmental impacts.
It is also set to facilitate the transfer of environmental impact data from major brands to suppliers, thus reducing friction throughout the value chain, and to improve decision-making throughout the packaging development process via actionable sustainability insights.
The carbon calculation capability is set to be integrated into Esko’s Cape Prime cloud-based palletization software this month. Integrations into its AI-driven preproduction software, Phoenix, and its WebCenter artwork and label management software are said to be in development.
Reportedly, a ‘comprehensive’ roadmap has been laid out for and beyond 2025.
“Sustainability is no longer a choice, but a necessity across the packaging value chain,” said Geert De Proost, director of Product Partnerships at Esko. “As climate change concerns intensify, consumers are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious and exerting pressure on companies to adopt less impactful practices, while increasing regulations are applying pressure on brands to take more responsibility for their broader environmental impact.
“The open nature of S2 means we have been able to work with CarbonQuota to make it possible for users to connect with their calculation engine and integrate automated carbon footprint reporting within the Esko workflow platform. With this new capability we are enriching our ecosystem and making it significantly easier for customers to effectively calculate the carbon footprint of any package or label design.
“To do this at the very start of the production process paves the way for the most sustainable packaging solution for the end-user. This new partnership with CarbonQuota makes it simpler for our customers across the value chain to meet their own sustainability goals - driven by both mounting regulatory demands and escalating consumer expectation.”
“As consumer brands face mounting pressure to deliver on ambitious sustainability promises, their suppliers grapple with practical implementation challenges, creating a widening communication gap that’s further complicated by inconsistent standards and tight financial margins on both sides,” said Dominic Harris, co-founder of CarbonQuota. “Brands wanted sustainability, but print and packaging suppliers couldn’t keep up. The path forward lies in finding collaborative solutions that better align these disconnected perspectives in the packaging industry.”
“This groundbreaking platform eliminates the disconnect by standardizing methodologies, streamlining data collection, and providing verified environmental impact measurements that both brands and converters can trust,” said Geert De Proost. “This latest strategic collaboration delivers an unparalleled solution to customers, equipping brands and their packaging suppliers with the power to overcome one of the most significant challenges they face today.”
Earlier this year, Together for Sustainability updated its ‘drop-in’ Product Carbon Footprint Guideline for the chemical industry. It expressed a similar desire to help companies calculate their carbon emissions – particularly Scope 3 emissions – and align with global sustainability frameworks
EA Earth Action, SAP, Systemiq, and Delterra also sought to help companies measure and downscale the impact of their plastic waste by updating their data-driven platform into Packaging IQ 2.0 during INC-4 negotiations. The solution is set to help companies make informed strategic decisions and report on progress for corporate targets, including the introduction of corporate frameworks and data-driven digital platforms for data reporting and plastic waste mitigation.
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