Contact us
 |
[email protected] |
 |
3275638434 |
 |
 |
| Paper Publishing WeChat |
Useful Links
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
Environmental Analysis of Packaging for Soft Drinks Using the Life Cycle Assessment Methodology
Author(s)
Marcelo Real Prado, Georges Kaskantzis Neto
Full-Text PDF
XML 5000 Views
DOI:10.17265/1537-1506/2014.02.002
Affiliation(s)
Marcelo Real Prado, DSc., Life Cycle Assessment Researcher, Chemistry and Biology Department, Federal Technological University of Paraná.
Georges Kaskantzis Neto, DSc., Management Environment Consultant, Chemical Engineering Department, Federal University of Paraná.
ABSTRACT
The knowledge of a product’s life cycle is the first step on the search of sustainable development. The life cycle assessment (LCA) is an important method because it allows an environment accounting, where the extraction of natural resources and energy of the nature are considered and the “returns” to the same one and allows in evaluating relative potential the environment impacts generated. The present work had as objective to make an analysis of material and energy flows of the life cycle of three types of packaging for soft drinks: glass bottles of 390 mL, aluminum cans of 350 mL, and bottles of PET of 2,000 mL. The study considered processes since the extraction of raw materials for production of the packaging until the stages of recycling, after the consumption of the soft drink. For the research, an inventory analysis followed the LCA methodology. The main critical points of generation of negative environmental impact during the life cycle of each packaging had been the identified and quantified data in this study. The consumption of natural resources like water and other raw materials and energy, the generation of atmospheric emissions, solid wastes and wastewaters had been the analyzed categories. The results showed that, in accordance with the scenes and defined variables, the most important conclusion was that the bottle of glass presented a less favorable scene to the environment in comparison with other packaging.
KEYWORDS
life cycle assessment (LCA), inventory analysis, packaging, soft drinks, sustainable development
Cite this paper
References
Brazilian Association of Technical Procedures (ASSOCIAÇÃO BRASILEIRA DE NORMAS TÉCNICAS) (ABNT). (2009). Environmental management: Life cycle assessment. NBR ISO 14040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ. ABNT.
Brentrup, F., Kusters, J., Kuhlmann, H., & Lammel, J. (2004). Environmental impact assessment of agricultural production systems using the life cycle assessment methodology: I. theoretical concept of a LCA method tailored to crop production. Elsevier Science B.V., 20(3), 247-264.
Chehebe, J. R. B. (1998). Life cycle analysis (Análise do ciclo de vida de produtos: ferramenta gerencial da ISO 14000). Rio de Janeiro, RJ: Qualitymark.
Coltro, L. (2003). The life cycle analysis applied in Brazil (A aplicação da Análise de Ciclo de Vida no Brasil). Meio ambiente Industrial Journal, 42(41), 72-80.
Fabi, A. R. (2004). Comparison of energy consumption and CO2 emissions from PET bottles and glass using the life cycle analysis (Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP).
Jönson, G. (1996). LCA—A tool for measuring environmental performance. Surrey, United Kingdom: Pira International.
Knight, A., Wolfe, J., & Poon, J. (1996). Life cycle assessment. Toronto, Canada: ICF Kaiser.
Mourad, A. N., Garcia, E. E. C., & Vilhena, A. (2002). Life cycle assessment (Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida: princípios e aplicações). Campinas, SP: CETEA/ITAL.
Silva, P. G. S. (2002). Environmental innovation in beverages packaging management (Inovação ambiental na gestão de embalagens de bebidas em Portugal) (Master of Science in Engineering and Technology Management, Technical University of Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal).
Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). (1993). Conceptual framework for life-cycle impact assessment. Pensacola-FL: SETAC Press.
Tibor, T., & Feldman, I. (1990). ISO 14000: A guide to the new environmental management standards. Chicago, USA: Irwin Professional Publishing.