Prioritization guidelines for green food packaging development

Purpose: Current literature emphasizes using a holistic perspective on green packaging development (GPD) as an important strategy for reducing the environmental impact of products’ supply chain (SC). In practice, however, it can be difficult for packaging developers to strike a balance between all the different environmental requirements on packaging, and trade-offs are common. Life cycle assessment (LCA) can provide this type of information, but many food companies lack the time and resources to conduct detailed assessments. The purpose of this paper is to provide prioritization guidelines for food GPD based on a systematic review of food LCAs.

Design/methodology/approach: As basis for the suggested guidelines, 48 food LCAs covering eight types of food were reviewed following a standardized format. The review consisted of a quantitative analysis of the global warming potential results and a qualitative analysis of the LCAs’ conclusions.

Findings: The prioritization guidelines propose three priority areas for food GPD that companies can select from based on product characteristics. They also provide suggestions for improving packaging in the three priority areas.

Originality/value: The proposed guidelines can help food companies develop packaging solutions that contribute to minimizing the environmental impact along food SCs. The review focuses on the role of packaging in food SCs, which has not been previously analyzed in published LCA reviews.