Life Cycle Assessment of Three Typical Disposable Plastic Takeout Boxes
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Abstract:
Based on the need for food processing safety and improving ecological environment control, life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed to evaluate the environmental impact index of disposable takeout boxes made from polypropylene (PP), polylactic acid (PLA), and thermoplastic starch (TPS). The carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) and energy consumption parameters of the raw material extraction stage (cradle-to-gate), manufacturing stage (gate-to-gate), and waste treatment stage (gate-to-grave) were compared. Environmental assessment software was employed to establish a cradle-to-grave LCA model of disposable plastic takeout boxes, with 1000 disposable takeout food boxes as the benchmark flow. The CO2e of the three typical plastic takeout food boxes was the largest at the raw material extraction and waste disposal stages. The raw material extraction and product manufacturing stages consumed the most resources and energy. Carbon emission and energy consumption were 98.84 kg and 679.02 MJ, respectively, for TPS boxes. Compared with takeout boxes made from PP and PLA, TPS boxes exhibited 46.90% and 28.30% lower carbon emission and 4270.94 MJ and 615.2 MJ lower energy consumption, respectively. Hence, the use of TPS-based substitutes in takeout catering could effectively reduce environmental pollution.
