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.
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:
ei3's remote monitoring cloud effectively addresses these data requirements. The system works by:
This approach gives converters the information needed to provide customers with accurate sustainability documentation while identifying optimization opportunities.
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:
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.
The ei3 remote monitoring cloud:
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.
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:
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.
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:
The platform not only meets today's sustainability reporting needs but is positioned to address tomorrow's environmental challenges as requirements continue to evolve.