Sustainability · Lifecycle Analysis
Inside our Life Cycle Assessment: EcoPetBox 2026 carbon numbers
In June 2026 we published a full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the EcoPetBox molded-fibre litter tray and food & water bowl, prepared using recognised lifecycle analysis methodology. This is a plain-English tour of what it measures, what it found, and why it matters for pet owners, retailers and vet clinics.
Manufacturing carbon
0.0525 kgCO₂e
per litter tray, at the factory gate
Delivered to the EU
0.1262 kgCO₂e
full cradle-to-customer journey
What an LCA actually measures
A Life Cycle Assessment tracks every input and output for a product — from raw materials and manufacturing energy to transport, use and end-of-life — and converts them into a single carbon-equivalent number. It follows the same recognised lifecycle analysis framework used by food, packaging and consumer-electronics brands when they publish independent climate claims.
For EcoPetBox, the reference product is a 0.22 kg molded-fibre litter tray, produced in batches of 2,818 units from 620 kg of recycled paper feedstock. We also measured the 0.033 kg food & water bowl (18,780 units per batch).
The headline numbers
| What we measured | Litter tray | Food & water bowl |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing carbon | 0.0525 kgCO₂e | 0.0079 kgCO₂e |
| Delivered to the EU | 0.1262 kgCO₂e | 0.0189 kgCO₂e |
| vs. plastic tray or bowl | ~97–98% lower carbon | ~97–98% lower carbon |
| vs. standard pee pad | ~9× lower (single use) | — |
| Plastic content | Zero | Zero |
| PFAS ("forever chemicals") | Not detected — Intertek EN 17681-1 | Not detected — Intertek EN 17681-1 |
| Food/water contact safety | FDA 21 CFR 176.170 — Pass | FDA 21 CFR 176.170 — Pass |
Where the carbon comes from
The vast majority — 98.7% — of manufacturing carbon is process electricity used for pulping, forming, drying, hot-pressing and cutting. Local transport in Thailand contributes 1.3%. Water use is under 0.1%: the same 10,000 litres are filtered and reused across 25–30 batches. Raw material impact is effectively zero because every fibre comes from a waste stream (old corrugated cardboard, post-industrial paper scrap, waste-paper flakes). No trees are cut for EcoPetBox.
The single biggest lever we have to reduce our footprint further is transitioning our manufacturing facility to renewable electricity. That is the priority action listed in the report's roadmap.
EcoPetBox vs. plastic vs. pee pads
A plastic litter tray carries roughly 30–50× the manufacturing carbon of an EcoPetBox tray, plus 500+ years in landfill and the detergents needed for weekly washing. A standard disposable pee pad is dominated by superabsorbent polymer (SAP) and plastic backing — around 0.363 kgCO₂e in raw materials alone, versus near-zero for our recycled fibre. The pee pad also goes to landfill every time. EcoPetBox can be recycled, composted, or biodegrades naturally in under a year in landfill and just 2–4 months when composted.
Independent testing and certifications
- FSC Chain of Custody audited by Bureau Veritas — FSC 100%, FSC Mix and FSC Recycled fibre.
- PFAS-free — Intertek EN 17681-1; PFOS/PFOA not detected, total fluorine below 20 mg/kg.
- FDA 21 CFR 176.170 — TÜV Rheinland tested for food-contact safety with aqueous and fatty foods.
- RoHS — heavy metals and phthalates not detected (Directive 2011/65/EU as amended by (EU) 2015/863).
- EU Packaging & Packaging Waste (Directive 94/62/EC) and US TPCH model — heavy-metal sum limits met.
What this means for you
For pet owners, the LCA is a straight answer to "is this actually better for the planet?" — yes, by roughly 97% on carbon, with zero PFAS, zero plastic, and an end-of-life you can compost at home. For retailers and vet clinics, it is the verified data your sustainability team, buyers and Scope 3 reporting need in one document.
Request the full LCA report
The complete report, with methodology, data sources, per-process energy breakdowns and end-of-life scenarios, is available under NDA to qualified retail and distribution partners.