Environmental assessment of packaged fresh chicken: A Life Cycle perspective on packaging and waste impacts

Sammanfattning

This thesis used the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework with the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology to evaluate the environmental performance of packaged fresh chicken. The study compared three modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) configurations, with the difference in their tray: a baseline tray and two mono-material alternatives. The LCA, with PEF guidelines where applicable, followed a cradle-to-grave system boundary, covering chicken processing, packaging production, and the use phase, which included food waste quantified by a simple shelf-life model. End-of-life disposal scenarios were also included. Results show that chicken production dominates environmental impacts across all categories. Packaging contributions varied, with trays - particularly multi-material, were the main hotspots due to material production and weight. Incorporating food waste effects revealed trade-offs: improved recyclability of mono-material designs often coincided with reduced barrier performance, shortening shelf life and increasing food waste impacts. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of these trends. Overall, the study highlights that packaging design strategies for fresh poultry must balance direct packaging impacts with indirect effects from food waste. Thereby, the importance of taking a systems perspective is emphasized. Integrating the PEF methodology, although restricted, allows for improved comparability with PEF categories and policy alignment. Shelf-life data is further needed to reflect the product-packaging interactions and packaging performance.