As sustainability reporting expectations continue to rise, companies are looking more closely at the data behind their packaging decisions. For paper and board packaging, Life Cycle Assessments can play an important role in evaluating environmental impact, but the accuracy of those assessments depends heavily on the quality and specificity of the data used.
In a recent webinar, ResourceWise’s VP of Sales, Forest Value Chain, Trip Jobe, and Trayak’s Sustainability Consultant, Scott Hickman, shared findings from a collaborative study comparing industry-average data with site-specific primary data across three packaging grades and ten U.S. paper mills.
Industry-average data can be a valuable starting point. It supports benchmarking, early-stage assessments, and decision-making when supplier-specific data is not available.
However, averages can also obscure important differences across suppliers, regions, mills, energy sources, fiber inputs, technologies, and production processes. As Jobe explained:
“If you work with a lot of suppliers, or you potentially get packaging from different parts of the world, think about how varied that might be—and whether or not you’re getting data as accurate to what you’re utilizing.”
That variation matters. In the study, some differences between primary data and industry-average data exceeded 50% for key indicators, including global warming potential, resource use, and water use.
Primary data provides a more specific view of what is happening at the mill or facility level. Instead of relying only on broad averages, companies can better understand how actual operating conditions influence environmental impact.
Hickman noted:
“Primary data is collected directly from a mill or facility, and it reflects the actual energy, the actual processes, the conditions of that facility that you are using.”
That level of detail can help companies identify meaningful differences between suppliers, evaluate sourcing decisions more accurately, and better reflect on sustainability improvements already being made across the value chain.
The webinar doesn’t position primary data and industry averages as an either-or choice. Instead, the discussion emphasized the importance of using the right data for the right purpose.
Industry averages remain useful for speed, scalability, and early comparisons. Primary data becomes more important when companies need greater precision, more transparent reporting, or a clearer understanding of how specific sourcing decisions affect environmental outcomes.
As sustainability standards, regulations, and customer expectations continue to evolve, demand for more transparent and traceable packaging data will continue to grow. The Trayak and ResourceWise study reinforces a simple but important point: better data leads to better LCA results, and better LCA results support more informed sustainability decisions.
To learn more about the study findings, including how primary data compares with industry-average data across paper and board packaging grades, watch the on-demand webinar.