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Environmental Sustainability Assessment of Agro-residue-based Biodegradable Packaging.
Summary
This review looks at packaging made from farm leftovers—like rice husks, wheat straw, and sugarcane fiber—as a swap for plastic, which never fully breaks down and sheds microplastics into our food, water, and bodies. Using a standard environmental scorecard, researchers found this crop-based packaging can cut carbon emissions and fossil fuel use compared to plastic, though turning plant waste into packaging still takes energy and proper disposal systems that aren't always available yet. The takeaway: plant-based packaging shows real promise for reducing plastic pollution, but it's not automatically "green"—how it's
The rapid growth of the global packaging industry has intensified environmental concerns related to plastic pollution, fossil resource depletion, and greenhouse gas emissions. Conventional petroleum-based plastics, although economical and versatile, persist in the environment and contribute significantly to ecological degradation. Biodegradable packaging materials derived from agricultural residues have emerged as promising alternatives, offering waste valorization and reduced dependence on non-renewable resources. Agricultural by-products such as sugarcane bagasse, rice husk, wheat straw, corn stover, coconut coir, and banana pseudo-stem fibers are abundant lignocellulosic materials suitable for sustainable packaging applications. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a standardized and comprehensive tool used to evaluate the environmental impacts of these materials throughout their life cycle, from raw material collection and processing to manufacturing and end-of-life management. This chapter critically examines the application of LCA to biodegradable packaging derived from agricultural residues, focusing on methodological aspects such as goal and scope definition, functional unit selection, system boundaries, and inventory analysis. Key environmental impact categories, including global warming potential, energy consumption, water footprint, eutrophication, acidification, and land-use impacts, are assessed and compared with conventional plastic packaging. Case studies indicate that residue-based packaging can significantly reduce carbon emissions and fossil energy use when efficient processing technologies and appropriate end-of-life options are employed. However, challenges such as energy-intensive processing, soil nutrient removal, and limited waste management infrastructure remain. Overall, the chapter highlights LCA as a critical decision-support tool for ensuring genuine environmental sustainability in biodegradable packaging systems.