Analysis of the Life-cycle Environmental Impact and Carbon Footprint of Milk Tea Packaging in Nanchang City

WANG Heli; HUANG Xuan; ZHU Yuxiao; LI Ziying; FAN Yingli

doi:10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2025.23.030

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Packaging Engineering ›› 2025, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (23) : 288-295. DOI: 10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2025.23.030

Green Packaging and Circular Economy

Analysis of the Life-cycle Environmental Impact and Carbon Footprint of Milk Tea Packaging in Nanchang City

WANG Heli^{a,b, *}, HUANG Xuan^a, ZHU Yuxiao^a, LI Ziying^a, FAN Yingli^a

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Abstract

The work aims to investigate the milk tea packaging waste in Nanchang City, to compare the life-cycle environmental impacts and carbon footprints of different packaging materials, and identify pathways for impact reduction through packaging material optimization. Based on a field sampling survey, the annual waste of milk tea packaging in Nanchang City was calculated. With one set of medium-cup milk tea packaging as the functional unit, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method was employed to compare the environmental impacts and carbon footprints of eight different packaging combinations from "cradle to grave". The contribution of the production, use, and end-of-life stages to the total life-cycle environmental impact was also analyzed. The milk tea packaging waste in Nanchang City was estimated to be approximately 1 422 t/a. Among the eight packaging combinations, the combination comprising a polypropylene (PP) cup, polyethylene (PE) film lid, and PP straw demonstrated the lowest environmental impact and carbon footprint. Furthermore, the production phase was identified as the dominant contributor, accounting for over 95% of the total life-cycle impact, where the cup body was the primary source, while the contributions from the lid and straw remained non-negligible. The robustness of these findings was supported by sensitivity analysis. In conclusion, this research confirms that strategically optimizing the selection of packaging materials can significantly mitigate the environmental impact and carbon footprint associated with milk tea packaging.

Key words

milk tea packaging / life cycle assessment / environmental impact / carbon footprint

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WANG Heli, HUANG Xuan, ZHU Yuxiao, LI Ziying, FAN Yingli. Analysis of the Life-cycle Environmental Impact and Carbon Footprint of Milk Tea Packaging in Nanchang City[J]. Packaging Engineering. 2025, 46(23): 288-295 https://doi.org/10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2025.23.030

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