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This peer-reviewed study from Franklin Associates Ltd. provides an extensive and comparative look at the energy and environmental performance of foodservice packaging products made with polystyrene foam, bleached paperboard or corrugated paperboard. Known as a life cycle assessment inventory, or simply LCI, the study offers a cradle-to-grave picture of a product’s environmental attributes, from raw material extraction and manufacturing to post-use recovery or disposal.
The 2005 Foodservice Packaging LCI evaluated products across the full range of resource and energy use, solid waste generation, atmospheric emissions and waterborne emissions. Comparisons between systems were summarized for four key performance areas: energy, solid waste (weight), solid waste (volume), and greenhouse gas emissions.
In the four key areas evaluated, the LCI study demonstrates that polystyrene foam products in most cases have environmental burdens that are lower than or comparable to the alternative products studied (see more report highlights).
The full report, “Life Cycle Inventory of Polystyrene Foam, Bleached Paperboard, and Corrugated Paperboard Foodservice Products (September 2005),” may be downloaded here.
Life Cycle Studies
An LCI is a compilation and quantification of the inputs and outputs of a given product system. In this case, foodservice packaging products, including hot and cold beverage cups, plates and sandwich clamshells, were reviewed. LCI studies conduct a system analysis that begins with extracting raw materials from the ground and generating energy. Materials and energy are then assessed as part of manufacturing, transportation, use, and eventually recycling, reuse and disposal.
A life cycle approach means we recognize how our choices influence what happens at each of these points so we can balance trade-offs and positively impact the economy, the environment, and society. In this regard, LCI studies are an essential source of information for government, manufacturers, retailers, and scientists.
In Public Policy
LCI studies are particularly important in the public arena, where they can help policymakers arrive at well-informed decisions and avoid the shortcomings of focusing on a single environmental performance attribute. The 2005 Franklin LCI provides comparative information on air, water, solid waste and energy as well as a complete range of post-use options, such as recycling, composting, landfilling and waste-to-energy incineration. This enables policymakers to evaluate any one of these factors in the broader context of other important environmental attributes spanning the product life cycle.
In the Foodservice Industry
Similarly, decision makers in the foodservice industry can assess the study’s findings in combination with other important criteria, such as cost, convenience and product performance, to make better-informed choices about the products they use.
In Polystyrene Manufacturing
The 2005 Food Packaging LCI captures the results of multi-year operational enhancements implemented by polystyrene manufacturers to reduce emissions and optimize energy use. The study also provides benchmarking information that individual polystyrene manufacturers can use to identify areas for further improvement.
ISO
An independent peer-review panel found that the 2005 Foodservice Packaging LCI was completed in accordance with the International Standards Organization (ISO) 14040 series of life cycle assessment standards (p. PR-3).
