IBC’s (intermediate bulk containers) are generally reused many times and last 5-10 years. these are made of steel and HDPE and so easy to model in terms of embodied impacts. However how would you take into account the re-use aspect of the container? Or should you assume no re-use? An image of one can be found here 1000 Litre New Greif IBC - Wooden Pallet - UN Approved - Kingfisher Direct Ltd
Hi David!
Regarding your question about modeling reusable IBCs in LCA, the recommended approach is to allocate the environmental burden of their production and end-of-life across their expected number of uses.
This involves calculating the total embodied impact of the IBC (considering materials and manufacturing) and then dividing it by the estimated times it is reused. It’s also important to include the environmental impacts associated with cleaning and any maintenance per use.
Assuming no reuse would lead to a significant overestimation of the packaging’s environmental contribution.
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