Cui Xinyu, Zhao Yu, Guo Xin, Huo Lijiang, Li Defu
School of Light Industry and Chemical Engineering, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, 116034, Liaoning, PR China.
UNEP-Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, PR China.
Environ Res. 2025 Jan 15;265:120458. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.120458. Epub 2024 Nov 26.
Conventional plastic take-out food containers exert a substantial environmental impact, necessitating the identification of viable alternatives. A quantitative study assessed the environmental traits of five takeaway lunch boxes made from distinct materials (PP, PE-coated paper, pulp molding, aluminum foil, PLA). A life cycle assessment from 'cradle to grave' was conducted on the evaluation object. Combined with a carbon footprint scenario analysis, this study quantitatively compared and analyzed the environmental impacts of traditional plastic takeaway lunch boxes and their substitutes, spanning from raw material preparation to post-use disposal(including both landfill and recycling). Sensitivity analysis of the study data revealed that the production process significantly influences the environmental footprint of each assessed item. Among the five types of lunch boxes, the PE-coated paper lunch box had the lowest environmental impact, while the pulp-molded lunch box showed the least carbon emissions. Conversely, the PLA lunch box emitted higher carbon emissions than the conventional PP lunch box. Scenario analysis, using a 1250 ml lunch box as the functional unit, indicated that substituting the PP box with PE-coated paper or pulp-molded boxes could reduce the annual carbon footprint of Chinese take-out boxes by 43.20% and 54.35%, respectively. A material substitution ratio of 20:3:1:1 for PE-coated paper, pulp molding, PP, and PLA resulted in a 39.16% reduction in the lunch box's annual carbon footprint. Full recycling of lunch boxes could cut carbon emissions from PE-coated paper boxes by 54%. Implementing a synergistic material replacement scheme and complete recycling could further reduce the carbon footprint by 68.15%.
传统的塑料外卖食品容器对环境造成了重大影响，因此有必要找到可行的替代品。一项定量研究评估了五种由不同材料（聚丙烯、涂塑纸、纸浆模塑、铝箔、聚乳酸）制成的外卖午餐盒的环境特性。对评估对象进行了从“摇篮到坟墓”的生命周期评估。结合碳足迹情景分析，本研究对传统塑料外卖午餐盒及其替代品从原材料制备到使用后处置（包括填埋和回收）的环境影响进行了定量比较和分析。研究数据的敏感性分析表明，生产过程对每个评估项目的环境足迹有显著影响。在这五种午餐盒中，涂塑纸午餐盒的环境影响最小，而纸浆模塑午餐盒的碳排放量最少。相反，聚乳酸午餐盒的碳排放量高于传统的聚丙烯午餐盒。情景分析以一个1250毫升的午餐盒作为功能单元，结果表明用涂塑纸或纸浆模塑盒替代聚丙烯盒可分别使中国外卖盒的年碳足迹减少43.20%和54.35%。涂塑纸、纸浆模塑、聚丙烯和聚乳酸的材料替代比例为20:3:1:1，可使午餐盒的年碳足迹减少39.16%。午餐盒的完全回收利用可使涂塑纸盒的碳排放量减少54%。实施协同材料替代方案并完全回收利用可进一步将碳足迹减少68.15%。
