Design Strategies for Reducing the Environmental Impacts of Tertiary Packaging Films: The Role of Extensibility, Coreless Solutions and Recycled Content

Abstract

Abstract

Modern supply chains have grown more intricate and globally widespread, often involving high consumption of single-use plastic materials for tertiary packaging. LLDPE stretch films represent a widely adopted solution, fully integrated into industrial automation systems and capable of providing effective load protection and pallet stability. However, large volumes of tertiary packaging consumed worldwide are associated with significant environmental impacts. In this context, it is necessary to rethink these systems from an ecodesign perspective, analyzing product design aspects such as usage conditions, film thickness, stretchability, and the presence of additional components. The present study evaluates, through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the environmental performance of five LLDPE stretch films for which primary industrial data were collected. A comparison based on 1 m2 of film shows that the solution containing 30% recycled content, characterized by minimal thickness and a high pre-stretch ratio (200%), outperforms the solution with the highest recycled content. Furthermore, the elimination of the cardboard core and its replacement with reusable dispensers further contributes to impact reduction. These findings demonstrate that a system-based approach, which considers multiple parameters and prioritizes functional efficiency, enables a more substantial improvement in the environmental performance of stretch film packaging than merely increasing recycled content.