Awarded the German Packaging Prize 2022 in the digitalization category and Gold-Award

CHIRA was developed as a multifunctional tool to assess the recyclability and to optimise packaging ecologically. Intelligent query menus for individual packaging types enable the user to evaluate packaging which can be created in the packaging archive, e. g. specific to the article number. The assessment is performed for all material types with EU-wide scope in national differentiation in conformity with the German minimum standard and ISO 14021.

The recyclable design of packaging is a fundamental prerequisite for closing material circles. In addition, environmental policy requirements and economic drivers are forcing brand, private label manufactures and the packaging industry to design recyclable packaging. Particularly in the case of extensive product portfolios, there is a requirement for a practicable, legally and standard-compliant instrument for the assessment and documentation of ecological parameters as well as for the pursuit of sustainability goals. Keeping this objective in mind, the development of the Software tool CHIRA was started in 2018 based on the expertise and the testing standard for the assessment of recyclability of the Institut cyclos-HTP. The greatest challange was to combine expert knowledge with the structural possibilities of an IT-supported solution while maintaining user-frinedliness. For solving this task, an input module was designed that allows the query of packaging specifications through intelligent individual menus for more than 140 packaging types. The evaluation algorithms, based on the CHI's expert knowledge, are stores in separate databases.

For more detailed information on CHIRA, please see the product information sheet below as well as the CHIRA presentation.

Institute cyclos-HTP Expands CHIRA for Environmental Assessment of Packaging

The Institute cyclos-HTP, in collaboration with the Fraunhofer IBP / GaBi, has developed a new application for the rapid calculation of carbon footprints (CF) for packaging. With PACFAST (Packaging Carbon Footprint Fast and Standardised), companies can efficiently calculate the CO² footprint of their packaging.

PACFAST uses automatically generated files from CHIRA that contain all relevant packaging specifications. This accelerates the calculation of environmental profiles and is ideal for sustainability reports. The application is based on the established CHIRA software for measuring the recyclability and ecological optimization of packaging.

The Fraunhofer IBP / GaBi has developed a workflow that links packaging information with environmental profiles of materials as well as processing and recycling processes. This allows a complete life cycle analysis from raw material extraction to end-of-life or reuse.

PACFAST can also be adapted with country-specific EU data sets, eliminating time-consuming steps such as data collection.

This development enables companies to simultaneously calculate the recyclability and carbon footprint of packaging.

If you have any questions or are interested in our CHIRA-software, please do not hesitate to contact our support team.

Contact: chira-support@cyclos-htp.de