Environmental performance of bioplastic packaging on fresh food produce: A consequential life cycle assessment

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a compostable bio-based plastic that can be used for food packaging, potentially increasing separation of (packaged) waste targeted, more circular organic management via anaerobic digestion, industrial composting, or (in the future) insect protein meal feed production. Consequential life cycle assessment (LCA) was undertaken to rigorously assess environmental impact displacing petrochemical packaging fresh fruit and vegetables with PLA. Eight end-of-life scenarios bioplastic were evaluated against business-as-usual scenario, expanding LCA boundaries include impacts vegetable within UK context. PLA production has higher compared across many categories, but diversion PLA-packaged recycling compensate this, improving overall performance scenarios. Future streams (following regulatory change) would lead best outcomes, followed by digestion. Impact categories ameliorated in human health effects, climate change, freshwater eutrophication, ionising radiation, photochemical ozone formation, resource use energy carriers, respiratory inorganics. On other hand, generate smaller burdens acidification, marine terrestrial depletion, water scarcity. Sensitivity analyses indicate high improvement potential if efficiency increased, globalised shifts industrialised countries cleaner mixes (that currently import most their plastics). Whilst considerable influence on represents surprisingly large share dry matter material flow (about 25%) produce streams. Therefore, it imperative future studies account both (diverted) flows.