Cleaner Technology Projects in Denmark 1996
Environmental Screening of Milk Wrapping
Miljømæssig screening af emballage til mælk
Miljørapport nr. 345, 1996, Miljøstyrelsen
During the past 6 months the debate on milk carton wrapping has become fiercer. In Denmark there are two different types of wrapping: Laminated gable-top cartons, and plastic cans made of HDPE (High Density Polyethylene). The aim of this project is to describe the environmental impacts of each of these two types.
The environmental evaluation is done on the screening-level, which means it is based on already existing literature data. Specific data from Danish producers has not been collected, which means that the screening does not cover all relevant Danish conditions.
The examination/ evaluation provides insight into:
 | The type of environmental impact for each system |
| The size of particular impacts in each system |
| Areas where knowledge about the two systems is lacking |
| A preliminary indication of pros and cons of each wrapping system |
| Results from relevant research on milk wrappings from Denmark’s neighbour countries. |
The screening cannot be used to evaluate which system is most environmentally sound, but does give an indication of the pros and cons of each system and points at the most important environmental conditions.
The environmental evaluation consists of:
| A description of aim and system limitation |
| A summary of resources, emissions and waste |
| An environmental evaluation where the results from the summary are recalculated to resource consumption and environmental effects (greenhouse effect, acidification, toxic effects etc.) |
The final waste deposit is used as an indicator of the environmental effects the deposit of waste can cause. (E.g. ground water pollution)
The environmental effects are presented as potential environmental effects. The actual environmental impact is dependent on the circumstances. In the environmental evaluation the potential environmental effects are valued as:
| Greenhouse effect |
| Ozone layer breakdown |
| Acidification (Acid rain) |
| Nutrient salt burden |
| Photochemical ozone creation |
| Human toxicity via air |
| Waste volume |
| Dangerous waste |
| Radioactive waste |
Author/ institution
Marianne Suhr Wesnæs, Institute for Product Development
ISSN no. 0105-3094
ISBN no. 87-7810-674-5