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Comparative Study
. 2025 Mar;43(3):339-357.
doi: 10.1177/0734242X241241606. Epub 2024 Apr 5.

How does plastic compare with alternative materials in the packaging sector? A systematic review of LCA studies

Giovanni Dolci  1 , Stefano Puricelli  1 , Giuseppe Cecere  1 , Camilla Tua  1 , Floriana Fava  1 , Lucia Rigamonti  1 , Mario Grosso  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

How does plastic compare with alternative materials in the packaging sector? A systematic review of LCA studies

Giovanni Dolci et al. Waste Manag Res. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

In the recent years, packaging made of conventional plastics has been increasingly replaced by materials believed to be more sustainable. However, perceived sustainability must align with scientific assessments, such as life cycle assessments (LCAs). This review analysed 53 peer-reviewed studies published in the time range 2019-2023, aiming at understanding the state of the art in LCA about the environmental impacts of packaging by focusing on the comparison between plastics and alternative materials. The literature showed that consumer perceptions often differ from LCA findings and revealed that, frequently, conventional plastics are not the least environmentally friendly choice. Bioplastics typically show benefits only in the climate change and the fossil resource depletion impact categories. The heavy weight of glass turns out to affect its environmental performances with respect to the light plastics, with reuse being an essential strategy to lower the burdens. The comparison between plastics and metals is more balanced, leaning more towards plastics for food packaging. Similarly, paper resulted often preferable than plastics. Finally, for the other materials (i.e. wood and textiles), the picture is variable. To be competitive with plastics, the alternative materials require improvements like the optimisation of their production processes, their reuse and enhanced end-of-life options. At the same time, recycled polymers could boost the eco-performance of virgin plastics.

Keywords: Life cycle assessment; bioplastics; glass; metals; packaging; paper; plastics; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Number of comparisons between plastic and alternative materials for packaging in the scientific literature, in two different time range of publication.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Number of reviewed studies assessing the different plastic polymers. PET: polyethylene terephthalate; PP: polypropylene; HDPE: high-density polyethylene; LDPE: low-density polyethylene; PS: polystyrene; EPS: expanded polystyrene; EVOH: ethylene vinyl alcohol.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Geographical context considered in the reviewed studies. For each country or geographical area considered in more than one study, the number of studies is reported. Non-European countries are highlighted (grey colour).
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Number of midpoint impact categories assessed in the reviewed studies.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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