Augmented spatial LCA for comparing reusable and recyclable food packaging containers networks

Abstract

Despite the benefits of reducing virgin plastic polymers in food packaging, the spread of reusable systems is limited by organizational and economic constraints, and reasonable doubts about their real environmental impacts still persist. Several studies have evaluated the environmental sustainability of reusable plastic containers (RPCs) compared to single-use systems; however, the trade-offs and benefits of reuse are not always clear. To model real-world network complexity with its bottlenecks and unbalanced infrastructural networks, primary data on traveled distances and flows collected throughout the logistics network must be included in the analysis. The material-driven characterization of the secondary package's logistic networks justifies the integration of Geographic Information Systems into LCA to overcome the limitations of using only secondary data, which is commonly done. This study evaluated alternative secondary packaging systems (SPSs) and associated material-driven networks using a spatial Life Cycle Assesment (LCA) approach augmented with a supply chain digital twin. The material-driven network flows were virtualized, and the resulting data on transportation emissions and fuel consumption represent the LCA input. The networks serve a countrywide Food Supply Chain (FSC) from growers to retailers, with up to 1600 nodes located in Italy over a 10-year time span. In this study, the Life Cycle Environmental Impact (LCEI) of nine alternative SPSs differing in size and material-driven network, that is, reusable polypropylene (PP) crates, single-use corrugated cardboard boxes (CCBs), and single-use PP crates, were investigated. The novel contributions of the study lie in the method, scale of analysis, and accuracy of spatial data collection. The results show that the higher transportation emissions of RPCs (+23.80% compared with that of CCBs) are balanced by the reduced production and disposal impacts per use. After 10 years, the environmental impacts of the single-use SPSs are higher than those of the RPC SPSs in all the impact categories evaluated. Considering GWP20, the RPCs are environmentally friendly after only 15 rotations. This study demonstrates the sensitivity of LCA results to transport parameters and highlights the importance of adopting supply chain digital twins to enhance the accuracy of the environmental profile of such complex logistic ecosystems.