Optimizing the environmental sustainability of alternative post-harvest scenarios for fresh vegetables: A case study in Spain

How does plastic compare with alternative materials in the packaging sector? A systematic review of LCA studies

In the recent years, packaging made of conventional plastics has been increasingly replaced by materials believed to be more sustainable. However, perceived sustainability must align with scientific assessments, such as life cycle assessments (LCAs). This review analysed 53 peer-reviewed studies published in the time range 2019-2023, aiming at understanding the state of the art in LCA about the environmental impacts of packaging by focusing on the comparison between plastics and alternative materials. The literature showed that consumer perceptions often differ from LCA findings and revealed that, frequently, conventional plastics are not the least environmentally friendly choice. Bioplastics typically show benefits only in the climate change and the fossil resource depletion impact categories. The heavy weight of glass turns out to affect its environmental performances with respect to the light plastics, with reuse being an essential strategy to lower the burdens. The comparison between plastics and metals is more balanced, leaning more towards plastics for food packaging. Similarly, paper resulted often preferable than plastics. Finally, for the other materials (i.e. wood and textiles), the picture is variable. To be competitive with plastics, the alternative materials require improvements like the optimisation of their production processes, their reuse and enhanced end-of-life options. At the same time, recycled polymers could boost the eco-performance of virgin plastics.

Revitalizing plastic wastes employing bio-circular-green economy principles for carbon neutrality

The use of plastics has become deeply ingrained in our society, and there are no indications that its prevalence will decrease in the foreseeable future. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the global plastic waste disposal landscape, examining it through regional perspectives, various management technologies (dumping or landfilling, incineration, and reuse and recycling), and across different sectors including agriculture and food, textile, tourism, and healthcare. Notably, this study compiles the findings on life-cycle carbon footprints associated with various plastic waste management practices as documented in the literature. Employing the bio-circular-green economy model, we advocate for the adoption of streamlined and sustainable approaches to plastic management. Unique management measures are also discussed including the utilization of bioplastics combined with smart and efficient collection processes that facilitate recycling, industrial composting, or anaerobic digestion. Moreover, the integration of advanced recycling methods for conventional plastics with renewable energy, the establishment of plastic tax and credits, and the establishment of extended producer responsibility are reviewed. The success of these initiatives relies on collaboration and support from peers, industries, and consumers, ultimately contributing to informed decision-making and fostering sustainable practices in plastic waste management.

Advanced biopolymer-based edible coating technologies for food preservation and packaging

Along with the growth of the world's population that reduces the accessibility of arable land and water, demand for food, as the fundamental element of human beings, has been continuously increasing each day. This situation not only becomes a challenge for the modern food chain systems but also affects food availability throughout the world. Edible coating is expected to play a significant role in food preservation and packaging, where this technique can reduce the number of food loss and subsequently ensure more sustainable food and agriculture production through various mechanisms. This review provides comprehensive information related to the currently available advanced technologies of coating applications, which include advanced methods (i.e., nanoscale and multilayer coating methods) and advanced properties (i.e., active, self-healing, and super hydrophobic coating properties). Furthermore, the benefits and drawbacks of those technologies during their applications on foods are also discussed. For further research, opportunities are foreseen to develop robust edible coating methods by combining multiple advanced technologies for large-scale and more sustainable industrial production.

Environmental and economic sustainability of fresh-cut and pre-cooked vegetables

Due to the growing awareness about the environmental and economic sustainability of food products, the present research aims to evaluate the sustainability of fresh-cut and pre-cooked vegetables, a niche market with growing demand. An analysis was carried out using a detailed material, energy, and economic inventory based on a commercial food processing plant located in northeast Spain. The environmental sustainability was determined using process-based environmental life cycle assessment (E-LCA), applying a cradle-to-market approach, and using the EF3.0 impact assessment methodology to quantify impacts on five midpoint categories (climate change, photochemical ozone formation, acidification, freshwater eutrophication, and fossil resource use) and an aggregated single score. Additionally, an environmental life cycle costing (E-LCC) was performed. The pre-cooked vegetable products showed a higher environmental footprint than the fresh-cut products in all the impact categories (between 14.0 % and 39.9 %) and involved higher life cycle costs (15.2 %), due to the increased demand for ingredients, packaging materials, and electricity consumption per FU (kg of product). The carbon footprint (CF) and the cost for the fresh-cut products were 0.72 kg CO₂ eq/kg and 2.62 €/kg, respectively, compared to 0.86 kg CO₂/kg and 3.02 €/kg for the pre-cooked vegetables. The environmental profiles of both products were rather similar, with a dominance of the Upstream stage (production of ingredients and packaging materials), followed by the Core stage (mainly due to electricity consumed during vegetable processing). The relevance of the Core stage is amplified in the economic analysis due to the incorporation of certain processes which were not included in the process-based E-LCA (e.g., labour, capital, insurance, maintenance costs, etc.). To integrate the economic and environmental analyses, an eco-efficiency index was calculated that describes the carbon emissions per unit of monetary cost, resulting in 0.27 kg CO₂eq/€ for the fresh-cut and 0.28 kg CO₂ eq/€ for the pre-cooked vegetables.