Pioneering Packaging Sustainability: A Conversation about the Industry’s First Verified CO₂e Calculator
Sustainability data in packaging has long had a credibility problem. Life Cycle Assessments vary by methodology, boundaries, and assumptions, which leaves too much room for figures that flatter rather than inform. Our new pricing tool and Carbon Calculator changes that.
adapa’s CO₂e Calculator
Developed in partnership with Benchmark Consulting and certified to ISO 14067, it’s the first independently verified carbon calculation system to be built directly into a packaging group’s commercial quoting process. It covers materials, production, transport, and energy usage: delivering verified CO₂e data at the exact moment a sourcing decision is being made.
Using live machine data makes the tool easy to use and helps create transparency during the sourcing stage. Every quote comes with a CO₂e Certificate, allowing customers to make product decisions based on both price and environmental impact. Numbers you can trust, for fully informed choices.
We spoke with Michelle Marrone, Head of Sustainability, and Mark Weatherbed, Group Procurement Senior Director, to find out what the CO₂e Calculator means for adapa, our customers, and the industry at large.
What does having certified, real data mean for your customers?
Michelle: It means every carbon footprint we provide follows a recognised, consistent methodology – ISO 14067 – using the Ecoinvent database. That consistency matters because LCA and PCF results can vary significantly depending on the modelling conditions chosen. By anchoring to one method, we give customers numbers they can actually rely on when making packaging and procurement decisions.
Mark: Customers can now capture CO₂e values by campaign, by product, by volume; it’s data they can feed directly into their own ESG reporting, with full confidence in the methodology behind it. And when the emissions profile of a material becomes visible, procurement conversations change. More sustainable alternatives stop being a nice-to-have and start being a genuine option.
How does this change the way adapa talks with its partners and customers?
Mark: A progressive partner that has ESG embedded in its sourcing process is exactly what customers are looking for. Our supplier base is already aligned to our EcoVadis onboarding approach, and this tool takes that further. It brings transparency to sourcing decisions and gives customers real confidence in our ability to deliver competitive, sustainable solutions across material types and designs.
Michelle: We change the timing entirely for our customers. They can now make product decisions that are simultaneously based both on price and on environmental impact. Furthermore, adapa is moving from general commitments to concrete numbers. We’re fact-based, measurable, and backed by genuine internal expertise. That puts us in a different category from companies doing only what’s required. We’re in a position to lead.
Why is this tool such a significant moment for adapa and the industry?
Mark: Being able to report a CO₂e value that’s certified is a game changer in our industry. First off, this allows the business to align with its ESG goals and focus. Secondly, this gives adapa the ability to review a material make up, operational process and raw material for its CO₂e value and not just its quality, cost, or availability. All of these mechanics are certified and accredited to ISO 14067; making adapa the first to give customers the full picture when getting quotes and making sourcing decisions.
Michelle: The timing matters. Retailers and all major consumer goods brands are under real pressure to reduce their carbon footprint, and for most, the bulk of GHG emissions sits in Scope 3: upstream, in raw materials and purchased goods like packaging. As 2030 targets get closer, that pressure moves down the supply chain. This tool is our answer to this wave: we meet and anticipate our customers’ requests by enabling their procurement to compare products by price and by carbon footprint at the same time, thereby addressing their own SBTI targets or other ESG goals.
What does it mean to you that adapa is first to market with this?
Michelle: Being first to market with a pricing tool that simultaneously offers a certified carbon footprint feels obvious in hindsight, which is exactly the mark of a good idea. I hope it becomes standard practice, not just in flexible packaging, but across all manufacturing sectors.
Mark: It means a lot. I’ve pushed hard for this programme – I’m sure my colleagues would confirm that – but that persistence reflects how significant this is, both for adapa and for our customers. Having a certified process available at the touch of a button makes this pricing tool efficient as well as effective. That combination is what makes it useful in practice.
Why was it so important to you personally to get this right?
Michelle: What I find genuinely compelling about this tool is that it works for everyone involved. We save time and improve accuracy across functions internally. Our customers get faster answers and comparable, reliable values they can take to market while meeting their decarbonisation targets. And collectively, we move the industry in the right direction in fighting climate change. That’s a result worth working for.
Mark: I’ve spent over 40 years in the packaging and paper industry. Sustainable sourcing has been central to my work since the mid-nineties, when I began advising the WWF and PEFC on sustainable purchasing. I’ve seen first-hand what the wrong decision costs; not just commercially, but environmentally. This programme is another step towards making those decisions more sustainable by default.
The Carbon Calculator is now rolling out group-wide, supporting customers with CO₂e reporting, sustainability claims, and the growing wave of regulatory requirements around environmental transparency. Helping customers make informed decisions based on price and carbon impact is yet another way we are adapting today for tomorrow, and walking the talk in sustainability.
For more information, speak to your adapa representative today.
