Written by Alexandra Blanck
Content Manager, Esko
As a packaging professional, you’ve probably long been told the key to efficiency is simple: maximize cube utilization, fill every inch of a pallet, and reduce the number of shipments.
Then, sit back and watch the carbon footprint drop.
But as Susie Stitzel, Director of Product Management at Esko, puts it, “Maximizing cube utilization doesn’t always mean you’re minimizing your carbon footprint. In some cases, it can actually increase it.”
That realization is at the heart of the latest tier of Cape Pack, Esko’s cloud-based palletization solution.
With built-in carbon footprint analysis, Cape Pack helps users make better, data-driven decisions that balance efficiency with environmental responsibility.
Keep reading to learn how sustainability is as much about insight as it is about optimization, and how Cape Pack makes it easier than ever before.
When ‘Efficient’ isn’t Always ‘Green’
For decades, the general rule of thumb was clear: the tighter you pack, the better for the planet.
But with carbon footprint data now layered into Cape Pack, the picture looks more complex.
Stitzel explains, “In one example, we found that two pallet configurations carrying the same number of products had very different carbon footprints. The one with higher cube utilization actually performed worse because it used smaller cases and, therefore, more corrugated material.”
Every extra box means more cardboard, more tape, and more glue, and those materials carry their own carbon cost.
“Even things like tape and adhesives start to matter when you multiply them across thousands of pallets,” adds Dominic Harris, Co-Founder of CarbonQuota. “They seem negligible in isolation, but at scale, those small differences really add up.”
So, while sometimes the most space-efficient solution isn’t the greenest one, Cape Pack makes it possible to see those trade-offs instantly and help you choose what’s best overall.
Not just what fits best.
Real-Time Carbon Insight Changes the Game
Before carbon tools were embedded in Cape Pack, many teams relied on life cycle assessments (LCAs) that took weeks or months to produce.
Most used manual calculations or spreadsheet averages that were difficult to repeat consistently.
In the past, teams relied on assumptions and manual tracking — a slow, inconsistent, and error-prone way to work.
You can’t compare accurately from one month to the next, and that means you can’t prove progress.
Cape Pack changes that by building CarbonQuota data right into the workflow. Users get instant carbon feedback as they model different packaging and palletization scenarios.
“Cape Pack drives the right behavior at the right time,” Harris says. “Instead of waiting until the end of the process to measure impact, teams can make dozens of small, real-time decisions that add up to major carbon savings.”
In other words, sustainability decisions finally happen where they matter most — at the point of design.
Seeing Trade-Offs in Action
Cape Pack allows users to compare before and after designs to measure how different materials, case sizes, or stacking patterns affect the overall footprint.
“If you’ve run a pallet configuration in the past, you can re-run that same design now with the carbon module enabled,” explains Stitzel. “That lets you establish a baseline and see the difference your new decisions make in seconds.”
It’s a simple, visual way to prove that smarter design choices truly reduce impact.
The software’s compression strength analysis adds another layer of intelligence, helping teams lightweight responsibly.
“If you can maintain the same compression strength with a lighter board grade, you immediately lower your carbon footprint,” Stitzel says. “But the beauty is, Cape Pack ensures you don’t go too far. If your design risks product damage, the tool flags it before you end up creating waste.”
As Harris puts it, “The worst thing you can do is optimize too aggressively and end up with damaged goods.” Cape Pack gives you the confidence to minimize material, but not at the expense of product integrity.
From the Warehouse to the Boardroom: Why Carbon Insight Matters
For many companies, sustainability isn’t just a choice anymore. It’s a requirement that affects compliance, costs, and reputation.
Across North America and Europe, new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws are taking effect and adding fees based on material types, recyclability, and recovery costs.
“At the Sustainable Packaging Coalition conference, there was real anxiety around California’s upcoming regulations,” Stitzel notes. “These fees can be three times higher than in other states. It’s becoming a margin issue, not just a materials issue.”
Harris added “the Senate Bills 253 & 261 impose mandatory climate-related disclosures for large companies operating in California. This will be the first of many carbon-related regulations that rely heavily on high quality, activity-based carbon footprints”. He went on to say, “the days of using average, finance-led or mass-based carbon assessments are gone”.
By quantifying carbon and material impacts in real time, Cape Pack helps brands and converters make decisions that lower those costs.
And the best part? You can back every decision with real data.
The software’s granular, activity-based calculations align with leading sustainability frameworks such as CDP, SBTi, EcoVadis, and B Corp, all of which increasingly require primary data for reporting.
With Cape Pack, packaging teams can confidently report real, science-based data that meets the strict requirements of these certifications.
“Cape Pack gives teams real, science-based numbers that stand up to external scrutiny,” Harris says. “That’s the difference between saying you’re sustainable and proving it.”
A Smarter Path to Sustainable Packaging
Cape Pack marks a step forward in how the packaging industry thinks about optimization.
It’s not just about filling space more efficiently. It’s about making informed choices that protect both products and the planet.
From lightweighting safely to avoiding overpackaging, and from selecting greener pallet materials to quantifying carbon savings with every adjustment, Cape Pack empowers teams to move beyond guesswork and toward measurable impact.
As Stitzel sums it up:
“You don’t need to choose between performance and sustainability anymore. Cape Pack gives you the data to get both right.”
Try Cape Pack for Yourself
Ready to see your packaging’s carbon impact in real time?
