Acid rain refers to a mixture of wet and dry deposition (deposited material) from the atmosphere containing higher than normal amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids.  The precursors, or chemical forerunners, of acid rain formation result from both natural sources - volcanoes and decaying vegetation - and man-made sources - primarily emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) resulting from fossil fuel combustion.  When fossil fuels are combusted, acid-forming nitrogen and sulfur oxides are released to the atmosphere.  These compounds are transformed in the atmosphere.  These compounds are transformed in the atmosphere, often traveling thousands of kilometers from their original source, and then fall out on land and water surfaces as acid rain.  Acid rain is best known for the damage it causes to forests and lakes.  Less well known are the many ways it damages freshwater and coastal ecosystems, soils and even ancient historical monuments, or the heavy metals these acids help release into groundwater.

Alternative fuels, as described by the U.S. DOE, include bio-diesel, electricity, ethanol, methanol, natural gas, propane and hydrogen. Some alternative transportation fuels, such as ethanol and bio-diesel, are renewable while others, such as propane and natural gas, are non-renewable.

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A product determined to be a commercial or industrial product other than food or feed that is composed, in whole or in significant part, of biological products or renewable domestic agricultural materials (including plant, animal, and marine materials) or forestry materials.

The degradation of material from naturally occurring microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi or algae over a period of time.

Bio-fuel is fuel derived from organic matter (obtained directly from plants,* or indirectly from agricultural, commercial, domestic and/or industrial wastes) instead of from fossil products.

 *The environmental, economic and social impacts of corn-based bio-fuel should be considered when comparing it with traditional fuels.

Boundary and scope are terms used in measurement processes to define the physical and functional attributes and conditions and the timeframe that will be included within the parameters of the measurement project.

Chemical oxygen demand is a measure of the oxygen-consuming capacity of inorganic and organic matter present in water or wastewater. it is defined as the quantity of a specified oxidant that reacts with a sample under controlled conditions. The quantity of oxidants consumed is expressed as a rapid indicator of organic pollutants in water. COD is expressed as mg/LO2.

Consistent with International Labor Organization (ILO), child labor is defined as any work performed by a child younger than 15 years of age or younger than the age of compulsory schooling in a locality if that age is greater than 15 years; and/or any work, which by its nature or circumstances may jeopardize health or safety, performed by a young person under the age of 18 years.

Closed Loop System refers to an industrial system that functions within a zero-waste supply chain that completely reuses, recycles or composts all materials.

Collective Bargaining, consistent with ILO conventions, is defined as the negotiations of a contract for labor between an employer or group of employers and one or more worker organizations, which specifies the terms and condition of employment.

Plastic that undergoes degradation by biological processes during composting to yield CO2, water, inorganic compounds, and biomass at a rate consistent with other known compostable materials and leave no visible, distinguishable or toxic residue.

Discrimination, consistent with ILO conventions, is defined as treating people differently because of certain characteristics, such as race, color, or sex, which results in the impairment of equality of opportunity and treatment.

Disposal refers to any end-of-life management process including recycling, recovery for reuse, composting, incineration or landfilling, etc.

Eutrophication is a process whereby water bodies, such as lakes, estuaries or slow moving streams, accumulate nutrients that stimulate excessive algal growth. Nutrients can come from many sources, such as: 1)fertilizers applied to agricultural fields, golf courses and suburban lawns; 2) deposition of nitrogen from the atmosphere; 3) erosion of soil containing nutrients; 4) sewage treatment plant discharges; and 5) the burning of fossil fuels. As the algae grow faster, they shade existing plants until both the algae and some plants die off. As the dead algae and plants are decomposed by microbes, dissolved oxygen is used up, creating an anoxic condition - an environment without oxygen. Such an environment becomes unsuitable for plants and animal life. Algal blooms also lead to oxygen depletion resulting in fish population decline and the creation of aquatic conditions that can be harmful to human health.

Final packaging material refers to the material substrates and ready-to-use auxiliaries such as inks, adhesives and coatings used to produce packaging. The phrase is also used to distinguish substrates from raw source materials and processed auxiliary materials from the individual formulation chemicals that comprise them.

Forced or compulsory labor, consistent with ILO conventions, is defined as all work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of punishment or retaliation, or demanded as a means of repayment of debt for which said person had not offered himself or herself voluntarily.

According to the ISO 14040 series of standards for life cycle assessment, a functional unit provides a way to "normalize" the data that is collected so that the measurement is expressed in comparable terms.

A goal or objective is an endpoint that a person or organization intends to achieve or bring about.

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are often called greenhouse gases.  Some greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide occur naturally and are emitted to the atmosphere through natural processes and human activities.  The international Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recognizes four primary greenhouse gases (GHGs).  These are water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxides (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4).  However, the IPCC and other leading climate change agencies include a number of entirely human-made gases in their GHG inventory which by category, include halocarbons and other chlorine and bromine containing substances, also known as fluorinated gases, which are dealt with under the Montreal Protocol, and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs) dealt with under the Kyoto Protocol.  Carbon dioxide has a global warming potential of one, while methane and nitrous oxide have warming potentials of 25 and 310 respectively.  Fluorinated gases can be intense greenhouse gasses with the multiplier for sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) being 23900 times as potent as carbon dioxide.  A complete list of pertinent GHGs can be found on the IPCC website.  The principal greenhouse gases that enter the atmosphere because of human activities are:

• Carbon Dioxide (CO2):  Carbon Dioxide enters the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels (oil, natural gas and coal), solid waste, trees and wood products, and as a result of other chemical reactions (e.g., manufacturing cement).
• Methane (CH4):  Methane is emitted during the production and transport of coal, natural gas and oil.  Methane emissions also result from waste elimination by livestock, some agricultural processes and by the decay of organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills.
• Nitrous Oxide (N2O):  Nitrous oxide is emitted during agricultural and industrial activities, as well as during combustion of fossil fuels and solid waste.
• Fluorinated Gases:  Hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride are synthetic, powerful greenhouse gases that are emitted from a variety of industrial processes.  Fluorinated gases are sometimes used as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances (i.e., CFCs, HCFCs, and halons).  These gases are typically emitted in smaller quantities, but because they are potent greenhouse gases, they are sometimes referred to as High Global Warming Potential gases ("High GWP gases").

An indicator stands as a quantitative or qualitative proxy for an issue or characteristic an organization wants or needs to measure

• Core indicator:  A core indicator is quantifiable or qualitative representation of a measurable issue or characteristic considered to be of interest to most stakeholders.  In aggregate, core indicators provide a robust evaluation of the big picture.
• Correlating Indicator:  A correlating indicator is a quantifiable or qualitative representation of a measurable issue or characteristic considered to be of significant importance but may not be of interest to all stakeholders.  Correlating indicators provide additional information relative to but outside the scope of the core and supplemental indicators.
• Supplemental Indicator:  A supplemental indicator is a quantifiable or qualitative representation of a measurable issue or characteristic which when measured, provides data that augments a core indicator, generally providing a more specific or detailed measure of an aspect of a core indicator.

Latent energy refers to energy stored in packaging material that may be recovered and valorized.

LCA is the "compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental benefits and impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle" (ISO 14040:2006).  It is a rigorous approach to assessing environmental aspects and potential impacts of industrial or other systems.  LCA enables the estimation of the cumulative impacts resulting from all stages in the product life cycle, often including impacts not considered in more traditional analyses (e.g., raw material extraction, material transportation, ultimate product disposal, etc.).  The LCA methodology may be applied on individual phases of a life cycle, e.g., a manufacturing process.  Partial life cycle assessments are called cradle-to-gate or gate-to-gate.  A full life cycle assessment is known as cradle-to-grave assessment.

• Cradle-to-gate:  Cradle to gate is a partial life cycle assessment process that includes the resource acquisition and production/manufacturing phases until a specified point (the gate), depending on who is doing the assessment.  In terms of packaging, cradle-to-gate measurement may, for instance, include the growth, harvest or extraction and processing of raw materials, processing of recycled or reused materials, production of final packaging materials, conversion of final packaging materials into packaging components, assembly of packaging components into units of packaging and filling of packaging components, as well as the transport functions that are required to move materials, components and units of packaging from one supply chain partner to another up until product is put into the packaging.
• Gate-to-Gate:  Gate-to-Gate is a partial life cycle assessment process of only one phase of the life cycle.  In terms of packaging, gate-to-gate measurement may, for instance, assess the physical and functional attributes or conditions related to packaging that occur during the period of time a supply chain partner owns or is responsible for packaging material, packaging components or units of packaging up to the point of transfer to the next partner in the supply chain.
• Cradle-to-Grave:  Cradle-to-Grave is a full life cycle assessment that includes resource acquisition to final disposition.  In terms of packaging, cradle-to-grave measurement would include the growth, harvest or extraction and processing of raw materials, processing of recycled or reused materials, production of final packaging materials, conversion of final packaging materials into packaging components, assembly of packaging components into units of packaging, filling of packaging components, use of packaging and end-of-life management of packaging/packaging materials.  it would also include any transport functions that are required to move raw, recycled, reused or final packaging materials, packaging components and units of packaging from one supply chain partner to another.  But, it would not include transport of packaging that contains product.

Life cycle inventory data is the data collected or derived during a life cycle inventory analysis. A life cycle inventory analysis is the process of examining all the inputs and outputs in a product system's life cycle, beginning with what the product is composed of, where those materials came from, where they go and the inputs and outputs related to those component materials during their lifetime. The purpose of the inventory analysis is to quantify what comes in and what goes out, including the energy and material associated with materials extraction, product manufacture and assembly, distribution, use and disposal and the environmental emissions that result.

A metric is the method used to express an indicator. A metric is used to gauge the issue or characteristic - represented by an indicator - that an organization wants or needs to assess. Metrics are often computational or quantitative, but can also be a qualitative assessment of an indicator. Metrics - particularly computational metrics - are typically expressed as a numerator and a denominator, i.e., "A per B."

A non-renewable resource, according to the U.S. EPA, is a natural resource that cannot be remade, regrown or regenerated as fast as it is consumed and used up. Examples of non-renewable resources are oil, coal, iron ore, minerals including uranium metals and alloys, and old growth forests.

A packaging component is any stand alone element of a primary or secondary package such as a bottle cap or a protective sleeve, or any stand alone element of transport packaging such as a pallet or strapping, and includes labels, adhesives, inks and/or coatings used on the component.

Particulate matter is the term for solid or liquid particles found in the air. Some particles are large or dark enough to be seen as soot or smoke, but fine particulate matter is tiny and is generally not visible to the naked eye. Both on-road and non-road mobile sources emit fine particulate matter. Diesel-powered vehicles and engines contribute more than half the mobile source particulate emissions. Fine particulate matter is a health concern because very fine particles can reach the deepest regions of the lungs. health effects include asthma, difficult or painful breathing and chronic bronchitis, especially in children and the elderly. Fine particulate matter associated with diesel exhaust is also thought to cause lung cancer and is, therefore, listed as a mobile source air toxicant. Fine particulate matter can travel long distances on air currents and is also a major cause of haze, which reduces visibility.

Renewable energy resources are naturally replenished in a relatively short period of time. Based on U.S. DOE data, renewable energy resources include biomass, hydropower, geothermal energy, wind energy and solar energy.

A renewable resource, according to the U.S. EPA, is a natural resource that can be remade, regrown, or regenerated in a relatively short period of time. Examples of renewable resources are plants and trees.

Within the context of raw material use, source-certified refers to materials that have been certified through programs run by organizations including, but not limited to, the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

Sourcing, as used in the indicator definitions, refers to and includes all of the functions involved in the growth, harvest or extraction and processing or raw materials and the collection and processing of recycled and reused materials.

As defined in the Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines, stakeholders are individuals or organizations with a legitimate interest in a given situation, action or enterprise. For performance measurement purposes, stakeholders are broadly defined as those groups or individuals; 1) who can be reasonably expected to be affected by an organization's activities, products and/or services; or 2) whose actions can reasonably be expected to affect the ability of the organization to effectively implement its strategies and achieve its objectives.

The term "stressed source" or "stressed Watershed" refers to sources of water where the draw down rate is greater than the recharge rate. On a regional basis, stressed sources of water cannot provide enough water for all uses - Agricultural, industrial and domestic - due to depletion of water quantity and/or quality. The UN Commission on Sustainable Development suggests that water sources are stressed when freshwater resources fall below 1000-1500 cubic meters per capita per year.

Sustainability in the corporate sector encompasses strategies and practices that aim to meet the needs of stakeholders today while seeking to protect, support and enhance the human and natural resources that will be needed in the future.

*Numerous definitions of sustainability exist and increasingly organizations are customizing definitions of sustainability to incorporate the broadly accepted principles of the concept (i.e., a blending of economic, environmental and social concerns) with their own specific visions, goals and objectives.  The definition provided here is intended to be generic and illustrative of the basic principle.

Process or state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely, to provide the best outcomes for the human and natural environments both now and into the indefinite future.

A target vision for companies to strive for packaging that can be transformed into a cradle to cradle flow of packaging materials in a system that is economically robust and provides benefit throughout its life cycle. Sustainable packaging that is:

• Beneficial, safe and healthy for individuals and communities throughout its life cycle;
• Meets market criteria for performance and cost;
• Sourced, manufactured, transported and recycled using renewable energy;
• Maximizes use of renewable or recycled source materials;
• Manufactured using clean production technologies and best practices;
• Made from materials healthy in all probably end-of-life scenarios;
• Physically designed to optimize materials and energy;
• Effectively recovered and utilized in biological or industrial cradle to cradle cycles.

Total Suspended solids are a water quality measurement that refers to the dry-weight of particles trapped by a filter, typically of a specified pore size. TSS can include a wide variety of material, such as silt, decaying plant and animal matter, industrial wastes and sewage. High concentrations of suspended solids can cause many problems for stream health and aquatic life.

A toxicant is defined by the U.S. EPA as a harmful substance or agent that may injure an exposed organism, and a toxic substance as a chemical or mixture that may present an unreasonable risk of injury to human health or the environment.  A list of U.S. EPA regulated toxicants is provided in the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Substances Inventory.  European Union regulated toxicants are listed in the EU's Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations.

• Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic Substances (PBTs):  PBTs, according to the U.S. EPA, are chemicals that are toxic, persist in the environment and bioaccumulate in food chains and, thus, pose risks to human health and ecosystems.  PBT's transfer easily among air, water and land, and span program, geographical and generational boundaries.  Refer to the U.S. EPA list of PBTs and the EU listing of PBTs.
• Carcinogens, Mutagens and Reproductive Toxicants (CMRs):  The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines carcinogens as substances that are either known to cause cancer in human or animals or are suspected of being capable of causing cancer in humans; mutagens as substances that cause chromosomal damage or genetic alterations; and reproductive toxicants as substances with lethal teratogenic (causing malformation or physical defects) effects in a developing fetus or embryo and substances that affect the fertility of males and/or females.  Refer to the list of substance treated as carcinogens by OSHA.  The State of California's Proposition 65 includes the most comprehensive list of CMRs regulated in the U.S.  Also refer to the EU consolidated list of CMRS.
• Toxicant Migration:  Toxicant migration, refers to the undesirable transfer of toxicants from packaging to product.

Transport, in terms of sustainable packaging, refers to the transport of raw, recycled, reused or final packaging materials, packaging components or units of packaging between supply chain partners (e.g., transport of substrate to a converter or transport of packaging units to a filer; it does not include transport of packaging that contains product).

A unit of packaging includes all the components required to create a usable package, e.g., a fiber milk carton with a HDPE pouring spout, security seal, cap and any auxiliary materials used such as labels, adhesives, inks and/or coatings.

The term "water consumption" is used to indicate; 1) fresh water (excluding rain) that is mechanically diverted from a source and then used in such a way that it is not available again as liquid fresh water; or 2) water that is degraded during use such that it cannot be collected for reuse. The difference between water "use" and water "consumption" is that consumption causes the water to become unavailable for direct or immediate use. An example of water "use" is water used in paper production processes that is collected, processed and reused on site. An example of water "consumption" is water that evaporates during a production process. Another example of water consumption is water that becomes an ingredient of a final material such as that used in water-based ink.