Ecological Footprint Assessment and Its
Reduction for Packaging Industry
Vishal Nawandar, Dilawar Husain, and Ravi Prakash
Abstract Packaging of products is unavoidable as it is necessary to keep the products safe and to carry them easily during their transport and distribution. The paper
packaging products are an important part of the overall packaging industry in India.
The growth in the Indian paper packaging industry has been largely driven by the
enhanced demand for transportation and distribution of several products. Generally,
the paper used in the corrugation industry is the recycled kraft paper, while the
virgin paper is used in food packaging where food comes in direct contact with the
carton or paper. As some kind of packaging is unavoidable, it is expected to be of
low environmental impact as well as low cost for both environmental and economic
benefits. This study is dedicated to assess the environmental impact of the manufacture of different types of paper packaging corrugated sheets and boxes (two ply,
three ply, five ply and seven ply) in terms of Ecological Footprint (EF) as well as
to suggest economically viable measures for its reduction through energy efficiency
improvements. This study was carried out for an existing packaging industry M/S
Vishal Packaging located at Khamgaon, Maharashtra, India. A detailed survey of the
industry was carried out for relevant data collection in order to evaluate the associated EF of the corrugated sheets and boxes being produced. This study also suggests
some sustainable measures that have the potential to reduce EF as well as production
costs for the industry. The EF of two ply, three ply, five ply, and seven ply sheet boxes
have been estimated as 0.515, 0.537, 0.527 and 0.524 gha/ton, respectively, for the
existing mode. In this study, three different modes of sustainable measures for EF
reduction were examined: (1) grid-connected solar PV system for all energy needs,
V. Nawandar · R. Prakash
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology,
Allahabad, UP, India
e-mail: vishalnawandar@gmail.com
R. Prakash
e-mail: rprakash234@gmail.com
D. Husain (B)
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Maulana Mukhtar Ahmad Nadvi Technical Campus,
Malegaon, India
e-mail: dilawar4friend@gmail.com
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
S. S. Muthu (ed.), Assessment of Ecological Footprints,
Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0096-8_2
41
Reduction for Packaging Industry
Vishal Nawandar, Dilawar Husain, and Ravi Prakash
Abstract Packaging of products is unavoidable as it is necessary to keep the products safe and to carry them easily during their transport and distribution. The paper
packaging products are an important part of the overall packaging industry in India.
The growth in the Indian paper packaging industry has been largely driven by the
enhanced demand for transportation and distribution of several products. Generally,
the paper used in the corrugation industry is the recycled kraft paper, while the
virgin paper is used in food packaging where food comes in direct contact with the
carton or paper. As some kind of packaging is unavoidable, it is expected to be of
low environmental impact as well as low cost for both environmental and economic
benefits. This study is dedicated to assess the environmental impact of the manufacture of different types of paper packaging corrugated sheets and boxes (two ply,
three ply, five ply and seven ply) in terms of Ecological Footprint (EF) as well as
to suggest economically viable measures for its reduction through energy efficiency
improvements. This study was carried out for an existing packaging industry M/S
Vishal Packaging located at Khamgaon, Maharashtra, India. A detailed survey of the
industry was carried out for relevant data collection in order to evaluate the associated EF of the corrugated sheets and boxes being produced. This study also suggests
some sustainable measures that have the potential to reduce EF as well as production
costs for the industry. The EF of two ply, three ply, five ply, and seven ply sheet boxes
have been estimated as 0.515, 0.537, 0.527 and 0.524 gha/ton, respectively, for the
existing mode. In this study, three different modes of sustainable measures for EF
reduction were examined: (1) grid-connected solar PV system for all energy needs,
V. Nawandar · R. Prakash
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology,
Allahabad, UP, India
e-mail: vishalnawandar@gmail.com
R. Prakash
e-mail: rprakash234@gmail.com
D. Husain (B)
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Maulana Mukhtar Ahmad Nadvi Technical Campus,
Malegaon, India
e-mail: dilawar4friend@gmail.com
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
S. S. Muthu (ed.), Assessment of Ecological Footprints,
Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0096-8_2
41