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Comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Packaging Materials for Tomato-Based Products to Pave the Way for Increasing Tomato Processing Industry Sustainability

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  • Elham Eslami

    (Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
    ProdAl Scarl c/o, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy)

  • Serena Carpentieri

    (Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy)

  • Gianpiero Pataro

    (Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy)

  • Giovanna Ferrari

    (Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
    ProdAl Scarl c/o, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy)

Abstract

Background: The tomato processing industry is a vital sector, with tomatoes being the primary vegetable for industrial transformation. To individuate potential actions to make the tomato processing industry more sustainable, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted for an Italian tomato processing company located in southern Italy. Methods: Foreground data were collected from the company, while background data were sourced from the Ecoinvent database. The assessment employed the CML-IA baseline (V3.5) method for midpoints and IMPACT 2002+ for endpoints. Results: The research revealed that a can of peeled tomatoes (400 g) and a bottle of tomato puree (500 g) were responsible for global warming potential (GWP) of 0.666 kg CO 2 eq and 0.479 kg CO 2 eq, respectively. The packaging phase is the primary contributor to adverse environmental effects and has been considered as the primary focus for improvement. The end-of-life (EoL) scenarios demonstrated that recycling packaging materials could significantly reduce CO 2 emissions by 46% and 48% for metal and glass packaging, respectively. Conclusions: Moreover, the replacement of tinplate cans with glass jars as alternative packaging materials for peeled tomatoes, and glass bottles with carton-based containers or stand-up pouches as alternative packaging materials for tomato puree emerged as more environmentally friendly options across various environmental impact categories.

Suggested Citation

  • Elham Eslami & Serena Carpentieri & Gianpiero Pataro & Giovanna Ferrari, 2025. "Comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Packaging Materials for Tomato-Based Products to Pave the Way for Increasing Tomato Processing Industry Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-21, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:8:p:3648-:d:1637144
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Abdul Waheed & Qingyu Zhang & Yasir Rashid & Muhammad Sohail Tahir & Muhammad Wasif Zafar, 2020. "Impact of green manufacturing on consumer ecological behavior: Stakeholder engagement through green production and innovation," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(5), pages 1395-1403, September.
    2. Brodt, Sonja & Kramer, Klaas Jan & Kendall, Alissa & Feenstra, Gail, 2013. "Comparing environmental impacts of regional and national-scale food supply chains: A case study of processed tomatoes," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 106-114.
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