Life Cycle Assessment of Glass Food Packaging: Determining the Optimal Number of Reuse Cycles in Honey Packaging

Glass packaging is widely used in the food industry due to its high quality and safety; however, its energy-intensive production, heavy weight, and slow degradation present significant environmental challenges. This study aimed to evaluate the environmental performance of single-use and reusable glass jars for packaging one kilogram of honey within the framework of the circular economy, with a particular focus on determining the optimal number of reuse cycles. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted to compare the two packaging systems. Primary factory data were combined with the Ecoinvent v۳ database, and the entire supply chain—including production, transportation, washing, preparation, and reuse—was considered. Data analysis was carried out using SimaPro software, enabling a comprehensive assessment of the environmental impacts associated with each system. The findings indicated that reusable glass jars can reduce environmental impacts by up to ۵۰%, particularly in categories such as mineral resource scarcity, soil acidification, and fine particulate matter formation. However, extending reuse cycles to four or five, while mitigating some impacts, resulted in increased water consumption and terrestrial ecotoxicity, with several indicators approaching critical thresholds. These results highlight the necessity of carefully optimizing reuse cycles and improving washing processes. Integrating LCA with circular economy principles provides an effective framework for developing sustainable packaging strategies. By simultaneously considering environmental performance and operational efficiency, industries and policymakers can reduce the ecological footprint of food systems and facilitate the transition toward circular economy models, while ensuring that reuse practices remain environmentally beneficial.

کلیدواژه ها:

Glass packaging ، Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) ، Circular economy ، Reuse ، Sustainable packaging