Frozen Food Packaging (CPET Tray)

Material Composition Assumptions

The default reference product is a standard frozen food tray with film lid and cardboard sleeve (total packaging weight ~60 g), composed of:

• CPET tray: Crystallized PET thermoformed tray (~30 g). CPET withstands oven temperatures up to 220 degC, making it suitable for oven-from-frozen meals. CPET requires additional annealing (crystallization) energy beyond standard PET thermoforming.
• Lidding film: Printed OPP or PET film with peelable heat-seal layer (~5 g). Provides barrier and tamper evidence.
• Cardboard sleeve: Printed folding carton sleeve (~20 g) for branding and product information.
• Adhesive and ink: Lamination adhesive and gravure/flexo printing inks (~2-3 g total).

This score covers the packaging only — the food content inside is excluded. Frozen food carbon footprints are dominated by the food itself (meat, vegetables, sauces) and the cold-chain energy (freezing, frozen storage, frozen transport), not the packaging.

Manufacturing Geography

Frozen food packaging is produced near food processors:

• CPET trays: Thermoformed by specialist converters in EU (Faerch, Sealed Air), USA, and China.
• Film and sleeves: Globally distributed packaging converters.
• Grid intensity (China): 565 gCO2e/kWh (IEA 2024). Conservative default.
• Rationale: Thermoforming is moderately energy-intensive (heating PET sheet to forming temperature, crystallization annealing). Upstream PET resin production dominates the total packaging footprint.

Regional Variation

Manufacturing Region	Estimated CCI Score	Adjustment
China (default)	1.0 kgCO2e	Baseline
EU	0.8 kgCO2e	-20%
USA	0.9 kgCO2e	-10%

Provenance Override Guidance

1. Packaging EPD per EN 15804 or ISO 14025.
2. Recycled PET content: rPET trays can reduce tray-stage emissions by 40-60%.
3. Alternative tray materials: Molded fiber trays, aluminum trays, or PP trays have different emission profiles.
4. Converter energy data: Thermoforming facility renewable energy and efficiency data.

Methodology Notes

• CCI score of 1 kgCO2e per packaging unit represents a conservative estimate for a CPET tray + film + sleeve combination (~60 g total). Based on PlasticsEurope PET resin data scaled to tray weight plus converting energy.
• Scope breakdown: Scope 3 at 80% (0.8 kgCO2e) from PET resin, cardboard, and film production. Scope 2 at 20% (0.2 kgCO2e) from thermoforming and converting. Scope 1 negligible.
• Confidence: Low — limited published LCA data specific to frozen food packaging trays. Estimate based on component material LCA data.
• Functional unit: One frozen food packaging unit (tray + lid + sleeve, ~60 g), cradle to gate.
• Included: CPET tray production, film lidding, cardboard sleeve, printing, adhesives.
• Excluded: Food content, cold-chain energy (freezing, frozen storage, frozen transport), retail display.