Relationship between food shelf life and environmental impact of Tetra Pak packages
(2023) MTTM01 20231Packaging Logistics
- Abstract
- Food packaging has long been recognized as a potential environmental burden within the food supply chain, with packaging production and waste often considered as key contributors to the overall environmental impact. However, there is a growing recognition of the need for a more holistic approach to assess the environmental performance of food packaging, taking into account various factors that influence sustainability. This Master's Thesis aims to theoretically investigate the potential environmental impact of three different barrier materials for current and future potential use in Tetra Brik Aseptic packaging. The study focuses on examining the relationship between direct environmental impact, assessed through a life cycle assessment... (More)
- Food packaging has long been recognized as a potential environmental burden within the food supply chain, with packaging production and waste often considered as key contributors to the overall environmental impact. However, there is a growing recognition of the need for a more holistic approach to assess the environmental performance of food packaging, taking into account various factors that influence sustainability. This Master's Thesis aims to theoretically investigate the potential environmental impact of three different barrier materials for current and future potential use in Tetra Brik Aseptic packaging. The study focuses on examining the relationship between direct environmental impact, assessed through a life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis with a specific emphasis on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the indirect environmental impact resulting from the performance of barrier properties, which can influence the shelf-life length and potentially contribute to food waste. To assess the environmental impacts of the packaging structures, SimaPro 9.3 software was employed, considering the raw materials and processing stages. The barrier properties were evaluated using the Norner calculator. The direct environmental assessment revealed a significant 25% reduction in CO2 emissions for the new barrier structures compared to the existing one. However, the new barrier structures had higher oxygen permeability, which affected the packaging’s ability to protect and maintain product quality, reducing its shelf-life. Moreover, the study identified a strong correlation between GHG emissions, barrier properties, and shelf-life length. These findings provide valuable insights for the company by presenting a preliminary environmental evaluation of a new barrier material structures, while also contributing to the academic knowledge in this field. (Less)
- Popular Abstract
- Juice boxes may appear simple, but their engineering is actually quite complex. They are made up of layers of plastic films, paper, and sometimes aluminum to keep the juice fresh. However, the production of aluminum, which plays a crucial role in preserving juice quality, has a significant environmental impact.
Tetra Pak, a leading packaging company that sells billions of juice boxes each year, is committed to reducing the emissions associated with package production. To achieve this, they have been working on developing new barrier materials to replace the aluminum foil. However, finding a suitable alternative is not easy because aluminum foil provides excellent protection, preventing food waste and thus also reducing environmental... (More) - Juice boxes may appear simple, but their engineering is actually quite complex. They are made up of layers of plastic films, paper, and sometimes aluminum to keep the juice fresh. However, the production of aluminum, which plays a crucial role in preserving juice quality, has a significant environmental impact.
Tetra Pak, a leading packaging company that sells billions of juice boxes each year, is committed to reducing the emissions associated with package production. To achieve this, they have been working on developing new barrier materials to replace the aluminum foil. However, finding a suitable alternative is not easy because aluminum foil provides excellent protection, preventing food waste and thus also reducing environmental impact.
In this study, three different barrier materials were investigated, focusing on the environmental impact of raw material extraction and packaging material production. The special software to analyze the data was used and the results showed that new barrier materials reduced CO2 emissions of whole package by 25% compared to the current one. This is a significant environmental improvement.
However, there was a trade-off. The new materials were not as effective in terms of protection, resulting in a shorter shelf-life for the packaged food. This means there could be more wasted juice, which potentially would have a larger environmental impact considering the resources used to produce it.
These findings help Tetra Pak make more environmentally friendly choices when designing juice packaging. They highlight the need to balance CO2 emissions reduction with maintaining adequate protection for the product. By considering these factors, Tetra Pak aims to create packaging that is both sustainable and effective in preserving the freshness of the juice. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9131293
- author
- Mustafina, Zagipa LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- MTTM01 20231
- year
- 2023
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- LCA analysis, barrier properties, food packaging, food waste, environmental impact
- language
- English
- id
- 9131293
- date added to LUP
- 2023-06-29 10:49:12
- date last changed
- 2023-06-29 10:49:12
@misc{9131293,
abstract = {{Food packaging has long been recognized as a potential environmental burden within the food supply chain, with packaging production and waste often considered as key contributors to the overall environmental impact. However, there is a growing recognition of the need for a more holistic approach to assess the environmental performance of food packaging, taking into account various factors that influence sustainability. This Master's Thesis aims to theoretically investigate the potential environmental impact of three different barrier materials for current and future potential use in Tetra Brik Aseptic packaging. The study focuses on examining the relationship between direct environmental impact, assessed through a life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis with a specific emphasis on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the indirect environmental impact resulting from the performance of barrier properties, which can influence the shelf-life length and potentially contribute to food waste. To assess the environmental impacts of the packaging structures, SimaPro 9.3 software was employed, considering the raw materials and processing stages. The barrier properties were evaluated using the Norner calculator. The direct environmental assessment revealed a significant 25% reduction in CO2 emissions for the new barrier structures compared to the existing one. However, the new barrier structures had higher oxygen permeability, which affected the packaging’s ability to protect and maintain product quality, reducing its shelf-life. Moreover, the study identified a strong correlation between GHG emissions, barrier properties, and shelf-life length. These findings provide valuable insights for the company by presenting a preliminary environmental evaluation of a new barrier material structures, while also contributing to the academic knowledge in this field.}},
author = {{Mustafina, Zagipa}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Relationship between food shelf life and environmental impact of Tetra Pak packages}},
year = {{2023}},
}