Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
Volume 29, Issue 13, Pages 18617-18628Publisher
SPRINGER HEIDELBERG
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17094-1
Keywords
Bioplastic; Life cycle assessment; Packaging; Environmental impact
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The study compares the performance of bioplastic bottles to other alternatives in milk packaging industry, showing that bioplastic has better environmental performance in various categories compared to fossil-based systems and multilayer carton in an ideal scenario. Recycling scenarios greatly impact the overall performance of glass packaging system in the considered categories.
The dairy market is one of the most important sectors worldwide, and milk packaging contributes to over one-third of the global dairy packaging demand. The end of life of the disposable packages is a critical stage of their life cycle, as demonstrated by the fact that disposable bottles are one of the litter items that are most found on beach shores. The aim of this paper is to analyse the performance of bioplastic bottles compared to other alternatives currently in use in the milk packaging sector, using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Bio-compostable plastic can be a powerful means to create a circular economy for disposable items. A PLA-based bottle is compared to a PET bottle, a HDPE bottle, a multilayer carton, and a glass bottle. In the analysis, also secondary and tertiary packaging is included. The functional unit chosen is the packaging needed to contain 1 L of ESL milk and to guarantee a shelf life of 30 days. Two sensitivity analyses are also performed in order to assess the influence of the end-of-life stage on the total impact. The results show that, in accordance with the assumptions of an ideal scenario, bioplastic system has a better performance than fossil-based systems and multilayer carton in the categories of climate change, ozone depletion, human toxicity, freshwater eutrophication, particular matter, and land use. The recycling scenario strongly changes the impact of the glass packaging system in the considered categories.
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