Life Cycle Assessment of Polyethylene Terephthalate Packaging: An Overview

Abstract

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a common technique to evaluate the environmental impact of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) packaging. A review is needed to gain a clear view of the accumulated knowledge, scientific trends and what remains to be done. The main purpose of this paper is to present an overview of LCA of PET, mainly for packaging. LCA studies of PET consist largely of two segments: final destination of post-consumer PET, comparing recycling with other options (incineration, landfilling); and alternative materials, comparing PET with other polymers or materials such as glass and aluminum cans. In the first case, the scenarios most often compared have been landfill disposal and mechanical recycling. There has also been considerable research on the use of post-consumer PET for energy conversion and chemical recycling. In the second case, the main polymer compared with PET is poly(lactic acid), whose mechanical properties make it unsuitable for carbonated beverage bottles. Numerous articles have focused only on energy consumption or global warming potential. Few studies have discussed mechanical recycling technologies in LCA and there is a lack of data on the processes used in developing countries. This review highlights the need to conduct LCA studies of PET, since many aspects are still not fully understood.

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Journal of Polymers and the Environment (2019) 27:533–548
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-019-01375-5
REVIEW
Life Cycle Assessment ofPolyethylene Terephthalate Packaging:
AnOverview
ThiagoS.Gomes1 · LeilaL.Y.Visconte1,2· ElenB.A.V.Pacheco1,2
Published online: 17 January 2019
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019
Abstract
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a common technique to evaluate the environmental impact of poly(ethylene terephthalate)
(PET) packaging. A review is needed to gain a clear view of the accumulated knowledge, scientific trends and what remains to
be done. The main purpose of this paper is to present an overview of LCA of PET, mainly for packaging. LCA studies of PET
consist largely of two segments: final destination of post-consumer PET, comparing recycling with other options (incineration,
landfilling); and alternative materials, comparing PET with other polymers or materials such as glass and aluminum cans. In
the first case, the scenarios most often compared have been landfill disposal and mechanical recycling. There has also been
considerable research on the use of post-consumer PET for energy conversion and chemical recycling. In the second case,
the main polymer compared with PET is poly(lactic acid), whose mechanical properties make it unsuitable for carbonated
beverage bottles. Numerous articles have focused only on energy consumption or global warming potential. Few studies
have discussed mechanical recycling technologies in LCA and there is a lack of data on the processes used in developing
countries. This review highlights the need to conduct LCA studies of PET, since many aspects are still not fully understood.
Keywords Poly(ethylene terephthalate)· PET· Life cycle assessment· Recycling· Environmental impact
Introduction
Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is one of the main plas-
tics in urban waste, with global production of 30.3 × 106
tons in 2017 [1]. It is primarily used for packaging and tex-
tile production [2, 3]. This overview paper concentrates on
LCA of PET for packaging. PET has become popular in
the production of disposable carbonated beverage bottles
due to its durability, strength and transparency. However,
because of PET packaging short useful life and large produc-
tion volume, new challenges in determining the most appro-
priate final destination [4, 5] or replacement by renewable
materials [6–9] have emerged. The growing environmental
concern underscores the need for scientific research into
ways of reducing the environmental impact and managing
waste, in light of the complex interaction between produc-
tion, consumption and disposal or recycling [10]. Among
the available tools, life cycle assessment (LCA) has shown
promising results in sustainability studies [11, 12]. The most
common aspects considered in applying LCA to analyze the
final destination of PET packaging after consumption or its
replacement by renewable materials are the impact analysis
methods within geographical boundaries or scope of appli-
cations of recycled PET [4, 8, 13, 14].
This paper aims to clarify knowledge on LCA of PET,
and identify patterns between past research [15], in addition
to describing current LCA studies applied to PET and the
recycling possibilities or alternative materials used. It con-
sists of three sections: the first provides a brief definition of
the LCA method, the second involves alternative PET mate-
rials and the third alternative destinations for post-consumer
PET.
* Thiago S. Gomes
thiagosg@ima.ufrj.br
1 Instituto de Macromoléculas Professora Eloisa Mano,
Universidade Federal doRio de Janeiro, Avenida Horácio
Macedo 2.030, Centro de Tecnologia, Bloco J, Ilha do
Fundão, RiodeJaneiro, RJCEP21941-598, Brazil
2 Escola Politécnica/Programa de Engenharia Ambiental,
Universidade Federal doRio de Janeiro, RiodeJaneiro, RJ,
Brazil
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