Sustainable plastic grocery bags

TABLE 7.5 Greene Sustainability Index for Sustainable Containers Using Cradle-to-Grave Life Cycle Assessment  

Containers made from recycled PET produce less GHG emission, less waste, and less pollution than containers made from virgin PET. Containers made from recycled PET produce equivalent chemicals that result in eutrophication, acidification, ozone depletion, and freshwater eco-toxicity than containers made from virgin PET. Polystyrene was not considered because of the lack of recycled PS materials available for production of clamshells. 

Sustainable grocery bags can be made with biobased or recycled plastics, produced without regulated heavy metals or toxins, made with clean manufacturing principles, and produced fair employment and safety 

Environmental aspects of various bags have been analyzed by several researchers. Three LCA studies are summarized in the following. The three studies conducted the LCA per ISO standards. 

The first LCA study, from Boustead Consulting and Associates, compares the LCA of single-use plastic bags with single-use paper. The cradle-to-gate analysis includes the environmental impacts of plastic bags from the creation of the plastic from raw materials to plastic pellets. 

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