A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Expanded Polystyrene and Mycelium Packaging Box Inserts

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is a dominant material for producing packaging box inserts due to its relatively low cost and light weight. However, its detrimental environmental and health effects have been ongoing concerns, and researchers are seeking alternatives to ameliorate these associated negative impacts. In this research, a composite of an agricultural feedstock (hemp) and mycelium is presented as an alternative, bio-based material for packaging inserts. A comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) is conducted to evaluate the environmental impacts of standard shipping box inserts made from EPS and mycelium. A literature search for the prior application of LCA tools, databases, and methods in evaluating packaging materials is also presented, which informed this study. A gate-to-grave analysis for the production, use, and end-of-life handling of standard-size packaging inserts made from both materials is implemented in accordance with the ISO 14040 standard. Environmental impact assessment results show that EPS packaging box inserts have greater impacts than mycelium inserts in terms of energy and carbon footprint based on the Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Global Warming Potential (GWP) methods. Using the ReCiPe 2016 method, mycelium inserts had higher impacts in stratospheric ozone depletion and marine eutrophication and exhibited similar impacts in terms of land use. It is concluded that mycelium offers a lower environmental impact alternative to EPS for the packaging box insert application explored herein. Additionally, a process contribution analysis is performed to identify improvements that would further enhance the environmental impact performance of mycelium box inserts. Future work will investigate the sensitivity and uncertainty of the assumptions made with regard to box insert materials, geometries, and supply chain characteristics to assist packaging engineers in the selection of less environmentally impactful bio-based and conventional packaging designs.