hosted by Single-use plastic tableware and its alternatives Recommendations from Life Cycle Assessments Acknowledgements AUTHORS: Yvonne Lewis, Alexandra Gower and Philippa Notten (TGH Think Space) REVIEWERS: Cecilia Askham (NORSUS), Anna Rengstedt (BillerudKorsnäs AB) Reviewers have provided valuable insights through the elaboration of this report, but have not always reviewed the full final report, and do not necessarily endorse its conclusions. This publication is commissioned and supervised by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Life Cycle Initiative (Economy Division): Llorenç Milà i Canals, Claudia Giacovelli, Kaushik Andakudi Kesavan. DESIGN AND LAYOUT: www.rothko.co.za Copyright © United Nations Environment Programme, 2021 This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. The United Nations Environment Programme would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. No use of this publication may be made for resale or for any other commercial purpose whatsoever without prior permission in writing from the United Nations Environment Programme. DISCLAIMER The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Moreover, the views expressed do not necessarily represent the decision or the stated policy of the United Nations Environment Programme, nor does citing of trade names or commercial processes constitute endorsement. Suggested citation: (UNEP 2021). United Nations Environment Programme (2021). Single-use plastic tableware and its alternatives – Recommendations from Life Cycle Assessments. UNEP promotes environmentally sound practices globally and in its own activities. This report is intended to be an online publication. Our distribution policy aims to reduce UNEP's carbon footprint. Table of contents 1 INTRODUCTION 12 1.1 Background ................................................................................................. 12 1.2 Purpose, scope and method ......................................................................... 13 1.3 LCA method in brief ...................................................................................... 14 2 META-ANALYSIS OF THE LCA STUDIES 18 2.1 LCA studies comparing single-use tableware ................................................. 18 2.1.1 Single-use GPPS vs compostable cutlery: Razza et al. (2009) .............. 18 2.1.2 Single-use CTMP and bagasse vs rPET food bowls: The Renewable Materials Company, 2020 ..................................................................20 2.1.3 Single-use GPPS foam, LDPE-coated paperboard, moulded pulp and solid PLA plates: Franklin Associates (2011) .......................................22 2.1.4 Single-use biodegradable and compostable tableware vs single-use disposable tableware: Fieschi and Pretato (2018) ...............................24 2.2 LCA studies comparing single-use and reusable tableware ............................26 2.2.1 Single-use PP, PS, PLA and cellulose pulp vs reusable porcelain flat dishes: Pro.Mo/ Unionplast (2015) .....................................................26 2.2.2 Single-use and reusable catering systems considered in three contexts: Antony and Gensch (2017) .................................................................29 3 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS 33 3.1 Environmental impacts of single-use tableware and its alternatives ...............33 3.2 Important aspects in life cycle assessments of plastic tableware and its alternatives .............................................................................................34 3.3 Important aspects in policy making .............................................................. 35 REFERENCES 37 SINGLE-USE PLASTIC TABLEWARE AND ITS ALTERNATIVES 1 Executive Summary There is scarcely a habitat on earth that is not, in some use tableware, but much more remains to be done. A way, affected by plastic pollution. The proliferation new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts warns that, of plastic products in the past few decades has been without action, the annual flow of plastic into the ocean exceptional. Cheap, durable and flexible, plastic alone will nearly triple by 2040 to 29 million metric production has soared from two million metric tonnes in tonnes per year, the equivalent of 50kg of plastic for 1950 to 348 million metric tons in 2017, becoming a global every metre of coastline worldwide. industry valued at US $522.6 billion that is on track to double in size by 2040. Many plastic products can only A number of alternatives to single-use plastic tableware be used once. Pair this with a low recycling potential and exist along with new business models to facilitate much of it ends up in landfill or is discarded as litter that the tableware’s reuse, as well as better end-of-life is harmful to our environment, ultimately ending up on management options for single-use alternatives. our beaches, in rivers and oceans. This report summarises current knowledge about the environmental performance of single-use plastic Single-use tableware is one of the many plastic products tableware and its alternatives and offers guidelines that is contributing to the plastic problem. Globally, to policy makers tasked with regulating its use. It is billions of plastic forks, knives, spoons, bowls, plates a meta-analysis of six Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and trays are produced each year to fuel the takeaway- studies that are grouped in two distinct clusters: LCA food industry and stock hotels, hospitals and school studies comparing single-use tableware and LCA studies catering systems. The vast majority of these are thrown comparing single-use and reusable tableware. These away after a single use. In 2019, the Ocean Conservancy studies and their key findings are summarised in the table reported that plastic cutlery was one of the top 10 items at the end of this section. collected on beaches (Ocean Conservancy, 2020). And, in 2020, plastic plates (together with cups) were the LCA is a well-established tool for assessing the potential sixth most common item found on beaches across 116 environmental impacts associated with a product or countries. Recently, some countries and the European service, providing a structured framework within which to Union have taken action against the use of single- model its consequences on the natural environment and Reusable tableware consistently outperforms single-use tableware in all the studies and across most environmental impact categories (with water use being the exception, because of washing). The case for reusable tableware is strengthened in countries where renewable energy makes up a high proportion of the grid mix and where end-of-life treatment options are not well developed. 2 SINGLE-USE PLASTIC TABLEWARE AND ITS ALTERNATIVES society. The analysis demonstrates that while there are 2. For reusable products, the use phase (washing) is by multiple variables that affect the environmental impacts far the largest contributor to environmental impacts. of both single-use and reusable tableware – including 3. End-of-life waste treatment is also an important con- materials used in their production and end-of-life tributor to life cycle impacts; recycling/composting treatment – reusable tableware consistently outperforms or a combination of the two with incineration and/or single-use tableware in all the studies and across all landfill is better than just landfill. environmental impact categories (with water use being 4. With tableware that is used in a food-service the exception, because of washing). Biodegradable and context, the co-disposal with food waste (and other compostable tableware, in particular products made tableware made of different materials) presents from starch-based biopolymer and wood-based fibre, are either a challenge or an opportunity for waste emerging as good single-use alternatives. management. The case for reusable tableware is strengthened in In seeking to address plastic pollution, policy makers countries where renewable energy makes up a high and other decision makers are faced with a complex proportion of the grid mix, end-of-life treatment options terrain in which available data are limited and often are not well developed, and consumers are aware and contested, and they need to balance a number of responsible with regard to washing practices and the impacts. This study seeks to cast light on the materials importance of reuse. and products that are the least harmful to the environment and the best suited to specific conditions Additional key take-outs from this meta-analysis and contexts, as well as to present the variables that include the following: need to be considered in making wise choices. The 1. For all types of single-use tableware the largest matrix on page 6 attempts to capture these variables contributor to environmental impacts is the and their effect on the different tableware alternatives, manufacturing phase, including both material acknowledging that such a representation inevitably production and product manufacture. requires a substantial degree of simplification. SINGLE-USE PLASTIC TABLEWARE