Life cycle assessment of beverage packaging in Thailand: Implications from modeling choices and alternative improvement policies

Abstract

Life Cycle Assessment of four important beverage packaging types in Thailand —aluminum cans, aseptic cartons, polyethylene terephthalate and glass bottles— applying a spatially differentiated life cycle impact assessment method is carried out to assess the environmental burdens and implications from modeling choices and alternative improvement policies. Packaging wastes are not recycled as high as the demand in Thailand; so the end-of-life recycling model is recommended for promoting recycling and mitigating packaging waste management issues. With the subsequent improvement in the recycling rates, increasing the usage of recycled materials becomes a crucial issue for the raw material acquisition and manufacturing phase, for which the recycled content model is recommended. Our findings recommend prioritizing policies for increasing both end-of-life recycling and recycled content to enhance the environmental sustainability of beverage packaging. Promotion of electrification in manufacturing is not recommended until the electricity is produced from renewable sources.