Life cycle assessment of beverage bottles

Poland ranks sixth in Europe (behind Germany, Italy, France, Spain and England) in terms of demand for plastics, and the Polish plastics processing industry used in 2017 to produce about 3.5 million tons of polymer materials, in view of total demand in Europe estimated at approx. 51.5 million tons. It is assumed that Polish industry uses about 7% of total demand in Europe. In Poland, about 33% of the domestic demand for plastics is directed to the packaging industry. Along with the growing demand for plastics, packaging production and social consumption are increasing. The article presents the sources of greenhouse gas emissions from the food industry. An LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) analysis was carried out that identifies potential environmental burdens for the bottle forming process. The scope of work included selected stages of shaping bottles made of two types of PET and PLA polymer materials. The aim of the work was to demonstrate the impact of bottle production on the condition of the natural environment and to indicate the factors determining these influences.