Life Cycle Assessment of Bio‐Based Packaging Products

Life cycle assessment (LCA) can be utilized to evaluate the technical solutions employed in the production process to identify impacts originating not only from the production itself but also from the phases of use and end-of-life (EOL) issues. This chapter discusses thoroughly each phase of the LCA outline and reviews recent different LCA studies conducted on packaging products constructed from bio-based materials. The main elements in the first phase of LCA operation are illustrated. Life cycle inventory (LCI) is the second phase of LCA where usage of resources and materials and the consumption of fuels and energy need to be quantified. Packaging materials go through different life cycles, which then generate certain environmental impacts at different stages of the supply chain and for different environmental indicators. The third phase of the LCA framework is the life cycle impact assessment, which focuses on evaluating and understanding the environmental impacts established by the LCI analysis.