Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) as a Tool for Packaging Sustainability Case Study: Table Grapes

Post-Consumer materials have different environmental impacts when comparing recycling, incineration, and landfill. This study uses Life Cycle Inventory Analysis (LCI), which is one phase within the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to determine the environmental impact of a product system. Life Cycle Inventory can be a decision making tool for government officials, industries or society to evaluate a product's environmental impact. This study used Life Cycle Inventory Analysis (LCI) to provide a simple methodology to compare two end-of-life scenarios for the product systems of three shipping containers for table grapes. The three product systems include corrugated fiberboard Display-Ready Corrugated Containers (DRC), plastic corrugated (DRC), and polyethylene (PE) injection molded containers (DRC). The results of this study indicate how the environmental impact of the materials, processes and transportation phases can vary from product system.