Abstract
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.
Highlights
The diary market is one of the most important worldwide, and milk is the most consumed dairy product in the world
The aim of this analysis is to perform a life cycle assessment of different packaging systems used for extended shelf-life (ESL) milk
The bottle is made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the cap is made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and the label is made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
Summary
The diary market is one of the most important worldwide, and milk is the most consumed dairy product in the world. Contrary to the COVID-19 market disruptions and to the early expectations (FAO 2020), worldwide global milk production increased in 2020, leading to a peak in production of over 28,000 tons between September and October (CLAL 2021). The primary task that packaging must fulfil is to Responsible Editor: Philippe Loubet. The tasks that milk packaging, and food packaging in general, must fulfil are numerous and involve different aspects. Packaging can be an important lever, as it can differentiate the product on the shelf. The material the package is made of may induce emotional responses in the potential consumers (Clark et al 2021) and
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