This technical report examines the energy and transport scenarios used in a life cycle assessment (LCA) of packaging systems for beer and carbonated soft drinks filled and sold in Denmark. It is Technical Report 7 in a series of eight reports. The wider study compares the potential environmental impacts of different packaging systems; this volume documents the energy and transport data and scenarios used in that assessment.
The report explains why electricity supply is represented through scenarios rather than treated as one fixed European average. Its main case uses long-term marginal electricity production in a deregulated European Union market, with hard coal condensing power as the assumed marginal technology under the conditions discussed in the study. Sensitivity cases consider fragmented national or regional markets, a natural-gas-based electricity supply, and average European electricity production in 1994. These alternatives allow readers to see how the electricity assumption may affect results and comparisons with studies that use average electricity data. The report also discusses fuel extraction and refining, electricity production, and thermal energy sources used in industry, including coal, oil, natural gas, biomass and waste incineration.
For road distribution, the study models several routes between breweries, central stocks, wholesalers and retailers. It distinguishes truck sizes and driving conditions, including urban, rural and highway use. The transport model accounts for both delivery and return journeys. For refillable packaging, trucks bring empty packaging back through the distribution system; disposable packaging is returned to central stock or taken to recycling, according to the scenario described. The report also considers whether the load is limited by package volume or weight. This matters because bottles, PET containers and metal cans differ in mass, while empty packages occupy a different share of truck capacity. Fuel-use estimates are based on truck data and adjusted for load and driving mode; emission factors are drawn from documented transport inventories.
The authors describe limitations in the available transport data. Manufacturer-specific fuel use and emission information could not be obtained for every truck and driving condition, so the study combines available truck data with standard emission factors. The report assesses uncertainty in energy and transport inventories and identifies fuel combustion as a major source of uncertainty. It notes that emission estimates vary with fuel origin and power-plant characteristics, while distribution-scenario uncertainty is assessed separately. These qualifications are important when interpreting the inventory: the results reflect the scenarios, data sources and assumptions documented for this Danish packaging study, rather than a universal ranking of packaging materials.
