Remote monitoring cloud promotes packaging sustainability

Remote monitoring of packaging production delivers accurate sustainability data, creating transparency across the supply chain and helping enterprises meet growing environmental reporting requirements.

Converting facilities can now precisely measure the environmental impact of their processes through real-time equipment monitoring. By tracking resource consumption and production results, ei³'s remote monitoring server provides an effective method for gathering, analyzing, and reporting sustainability metrics across packaging processes—enabling a more transparent supply chain and supporting collaboration toward sustainability goals.

Meeting consumer demand for transparent sustainability information

Consumers and stakeholders increasingly expect brand owners to provide detailed information about product packaging sustainability. This demand has sparked the use of scorecards and labels that describe a package's environmental impact. However, creating accurate labels presents challenges when brand owners lack comprehensive data.

To bridge this gap, converters must share transparent data with their brand customers. Unfortunately, this information may not currently exist, making it difficult for converters to quantify and report on:

• Energy consumption
• Water usage
• Carbon footprint
• Material waste
• Other sustainability aspects

A proven solution for sustainability data collection

ei³'s remote monitoring cloud effectively addresses these data requirements. The system works by:

1. Collecting real-time measurements of energy consumption
2. Tracking packaging units produced per machine and building
3. Securely storing this information in the cloud
4. Analyzing and visualizing the data
5. Generating comprehensive sustainability reports

This approach gives converters the information needed to provide customers with accurate sustainability documentation while identifying optimization opportunities.

The importance of standardized measurement

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), an industry working group dedicated to advancing packaging sustainability, offers a "Sustainable Packaging Indicators and Metrics Framework." This framework provides common indicators to help companies measure progress against sustainable packaging criteria using a comprehensive "Cradle to Cradle" approach.

At the converting stage, specific measurements that support this framework include:

• Material usage
• Production yield percentages
• Energy consumption
• Water usage

All these metrics are normalized per production unit (pounds, square feet, etc.). Converting represents a critical step in package creation with significant opportunities for energy reduction across manufacturing methods and equipment types.

How the ei³ system gathers plant floor data

The ei³ remote monitoring cloud:

• Uses established industrial communication standards
• Securely transports data via internet to cloud applications
• Builds upon existing infrastructure already in place

Most modern plant floor equipment (installed within the past 25 years) contains electronic controllers that track key production values. By connecting to these controllers using standard communications hardware and software, the ei³ system records production parameters without interfering with existing control systems.

When needed, additional electricity, gas, or water measuring devices can be easily integrated to complete the sustainability profile. The building housing the equipment should also have utilities monitored to calculate a weather-normalized energy use index per square foot.

Transforming data into actionable insights

Once collected, data from different production stages must be applied to the final converted product. Many converting operations involve multiple processes—printing, die-cutting, folding, gluing—each adding to the energy intensity of the product.

The comprehensive energy index is calculated by:

Converting Stage Energy Intensity = (Machine Energy + Building Energy + Other Energy) / Production Yield

This calculation enables:

• Benchmarking products across machines and facilities
• Establishing baseline values for optimizing operations
• Creating dashboards showing relative energy intensity for similar products
• Using sustainability metrics as tools for production planning optimization

Transparent reporting across the supply chain

The Global Packaging Project, established in 2009, works to standardize packaging sustainability measurement using common language, terminology, and metrics across the supply chain. The project aims to ensure data requests use standard indicators and that collected data follows common protocols.

ei³'s remote monitoring cloud enables converters to comply with sustainability data requests effectively. The system's reporting capabilities are similar to other ei³ services, such as "Certificates of Analysis," which compile machine performance and quality data for delivery to end customers.

Why cloud-based sustainability monitoring makes business sense

Cloud computing applications are ideal for measuring sustainability data throughout the supply chain. Within the converting stage, many data points are best collected through automatic measurement. ei³'s remote monitoring cloud:

• Promotes accuracy in data collection
• Eliminates the need for additional staff hours
• Leverages collaboration features typical of internet applications
• Builds on 12+ years of sustainability tracking experience

The platform not only meets today's sustainability reporting needs but is positioned to address tomorrow's environmental challenges as requirements continue to evolve.

Read the complete technical paper here.