Does the size matter? A comparative analysis of the environmental impact of several packaged foods
| Autor: | Joan Sabaté, Sofie Errendal, Winston J. Craig, Ujué Fresán |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Waste Products
Environmental Engineering 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences business.industry Significant difference Food Packaging 010501 environmental sciences Environment 01 natural sciences Pollution Product (business) Food packaging Agricultural science Greenhouse gas Food processing Environmental Chemistry Environmental impact assessment Business Waste Management and Disposal 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Environmental Monitoring |
| Zdroj: | The Science of the total environment. 687 |
| ISSN: | 1879-1026 |
| Popis: | Nowadays, people consume high amount of packaged foods. The US Environmental Protection Agency encourages buying packaged products that have a reduced impact on the environment, however, the literature discussing the environmental impact of food packaging is scarce. Therefore, our goal was to perform an assessment of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the materials used for the packaging of foods, and to determine whether the size of the products, the main material used, and the commercial brand have any effect on this. We also studied the relative contribution of the packaging compared with the food production. Additionally, we checked the generalizability of our findings in relation to other environmental impacts. We performed life cycle analyses of the primary packaging materials used in six frequently consumed packaged breakfast products, produced in three different sizes, with three diverse packaging materials and by three brands. Data were reported per serving. For any food product, we observed a significant difference in GHG emissions per serving according to packaging size, packaging materials and commercial brand. The environmental impact of the packaging was constantly lower than that from the food production. The same trends could be observed for other environmental impacts. Altogether, when selecting sustainable packaged foods, food production is of primary importance, but one cannot underestimate the impact of different packaging sizes, materials and brands. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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