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The Impacts of Single-use Plastics - A Life Cycle Assessment
Summary
This life cycle assessment study compared the global warming potential of plastic and compostable single-use eating and drinking utensils, finding that product weight and material composition were the primary drivers of climate impact across the full lifecycle. Researchers found that compostable alternatives did not consistently have lower climate impacts than conventional plastics. The study highlights trade-offs that complicate simple single-use plastic substitution policies.
The objective of this study is to compare some examples of plastic and compostable single use eating and drinking utensils in terms of their environmental degradation. We use Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to quantitatively compare these products’ impacts on the environment throughout their life cycle. Specifically, we quantify and compare the global warming potential (GWP) of each single use eating and drinking utensil/container. The results of this study were that product weight, and that the material products are made from have a significant impact on GWP. This study outlined similar studies that have been done on this topic to better understand the environmental effects of single-use products, and efforts to minimize their impacts as use continues to grow.