The Life Cycle of Biodegradable and Compostable Packaging from the Perspective of Developing a Sustainable Bioeconomy
Abstract
This paper aims to present a study linked with the evaluation of the life cycle of both biodegradable and compostable packaging focusing on the impact these have upon the environment, regardless of the life-cycle stage, actually looking at it as a whole. In this article, the evaluation process will focus on the final stage of the product's life - decommissioning and reintegration into the environment.
At present, in order for products to be approved by consumers, who are increasingly selective about health and environmental protection, they need to send an appropriate message. The message for consumers can take different forms, being informed about: rational use of resources in the production process, economical and sustainable packaging, attestation of the quality of the product in question, the fact that they are sustainable (compared to similar products in trade). The explosive development of design technologies and software allows the identification of design solutions that lead to the optimization of the project in a new, clean, environmentally friendly formula. Eco-design must ensure technical and aesthetic accuracy, while identifying the optimal shape depending on the chosen material. Consumers are particularly concerned about its persistence in the environment, due to the decomposition time of 100 to 400 years (Zins Beauchesne et al., 2008), its non-renewable fossil resources and the amount of waste allocated to it. The presence of dispersed plastics in nature associated with their persistence in the environment causes major impacts on terrestrial and marine ecosystems (Allsopp et al., 2006).
In this context, the objectives of this article are risk assessment, environmental performance assessment, environmental impact assessment and identification of possible changes in each phase of the life cycle of both biodegradable as well as compostable packaging, which in turn may be the originator source of environmental benefits.
References
Allsopp, M.., Walters, A., Santillo, D., & Johnston, P. (2006). Plastic debris in the World’s Oceans. Greenpeace, Amsterdam. https://www.greenpeace.to/greenpeace/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/plastic_ocean_report.pdf
Bârsan, L. & Bârsan, A. (2010). Conceptual ecodesign for the product using stage. RECENT, 11(3), 160-165. http://www.recentonline.ro/030/Barsan_R30.pdf
Belley, C. (2011, February 25). Final evaluation report - Comparative life cycle assessment report of food packaging products. Interuniversity Research Center for the Life Cycle of Products, Processes and Services – CIRAIG. https://www.epspackaging.org/images/stories/Comparative_LCA_Report_Assessment_Report_of_Food_Packaging.pdf
British Standard. (2006, July 1). Environmental management. Life cycle assessment. Principles and framework. http://www.cscses.com/uploads/2016328/20160328110518251825.pdf
Dubina, D., Ciutina, A., & Ungureanu, V. (2010, April-September). Dezvoltarea durabila in mediul construit [Sustainable development in the built environment]. AGIR Bulletin, 2-3, 11-22. http://www.agir.ro/buletine/761.pdf
Ecoinvent. (n.d.). http://www.ecoinvent.ch/
Ecosmes. (n.d.). http://www.ecosmes.net
Ionescu, A., Racicovschi, V., Cotescu, S., & Pencioiu, P. (2008). Eco-proiectarea în strategia comunitara privind politica integrata a produselor, implicatiile directivei RoHS [Eco-design in the community strategy on integrated product policy, the implications of the RoHS directive]. Simpozionul Impactul Acquis-ului comunitar de mediu asupra tehnologiilor si echipamentelor. http://ro.scribd.com/document/39042863/2008-5-Eco-Proiectare
ISO 14040. (2006). Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Principles and framework. https://www.iso.org/standard/37456.html
Krüger, M., Kauertz, B. & Detzel, A. (2009, January 29). Life Cycle Assessment of food packaging made of Ingeo biopolymer and (r) PET. IFEU GmbH, Heidelberg. https://www.natureworksllc.com/~/media/Files/NatureWorks/What-is-Ingeo/Why-it-LLCEMatters/LCA/IFEU_LCA__Ingeo_Full_Report_012709_final_pdf.
LCA Center. (n.d.). https://lca-center.dk/
Leide University. (n.d.). Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML). https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/science/environmental-sciences
Pârvu, C. (2005). Dictionar Encicopedic de Mediu (Vol.1) [Environmental encyclopedic dictionary – vol 1]. Monitorul Oficial Publishing House.
Pralea, J., Sficlea, M. & Pop, M. (2007). Increasing the quality of the industrial product by using ecological materials, technologies and strategies [Project for Art University “George Enescu” of Iasi - Romania, Department of Design]. https://uefiscdi.gov.ro/userfiles/file/comisia_7/pralea_jeni.pdf
ProBas. (n.d.). http://www.probas.umweltbundesamt.de/php/
Quantis. (2011). Guidelines for environmental life cycle assessment. http://www.eeq.ca/wp-content/uploads/lignesdirectrices_emballages_engl.pdf
Red, O. (2013). Sustainable Development - course support. IMRTI.
Zins Beauchesne et associés. (2008). Emballages alimentaires : défis et opportunités [Food packaging: challenges and opportunities]. Agri-Réseau. https://docplayer.fr/7133839-Emballage-alimentaire-enjeux-et-opportunites.html
Copyright (c) 2021 LUMEN Proceedings

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of the conference. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 Unported License, permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.