Turning Spelt Husk Residues Into Packaging: A Scenario-Based LCA of Varied Production and Material Parameters

Spelt husk material is a novel packaging solution intended for equal applications as packaging made of expanded polystyrene (EPS). In the future, husk packaging could therefore at least partially substitute plastics in the packaging sector, helping to reduce the consumption of fossil resources and address the challenges surrounding plastic littering. To enhance the understanding of the environmental implications of their production better, various scenarios to produce husk packaging are being investigated with life cycle assessment (LCA) along the ISO 14040 series and compared with one another. The aim is to determine how the selection of different materials, production parameters and production processes affects the LCA of husk packaging. The study investigates two material mixtures, M1 and M2, with different binders, which are necessary for the desired adhesion between the husks in the material. Additionally, the environmental impacts of husk packaging are evaluated against conventional packaging made of EPS and corrugated board. Both benchmark materials are highly technologised and well-established packaging materials compared to husk packaging. The findings indicate that the production of husk packaging has higher environmental impacts in the analysed EF3.1 impact categories such as climate change—total, resource use—fossils, eutrophication—freshwater, eutrophication—terrestrial and acidification for the functional unit (FU) of one corner protector. Notably, M2 reduces impacts per corner by 13.3% compared to M1 but remains significantly higher than EPS regarding the impact categories climate change—total and resource use—fossils. However, the husk packaging is already in the same order of magnitude regarding the environmental impacts. For the FU of 1 kg of material, the husk packaging already performs better in the impact categories climate change—total and resource use—fossils compared to the benchmarking material EPS. In addition, material developments and especially a scale-up in the production of husk packaging are expected to provide a major lever when comparing it to the highly technologised products EPS and corrugated board. The study also explores optimisation scenarios, including the use of a future renewable electricity grid mix and weight reduction strategies. Switching to a renewable electricity mix reduces climate change by 47%; a 50% on-site electricity reduction yields 24% savings; a 20% mass reduction yields 20% savings. Combining all measures can lower climate change by up to 58% and resource use—fossils by 57%. Additionally, husk packaging also provides benefits in terms of the end of life (EoL) and littering, especially when compared to EPS. In this regard, the properties biobased, biodegradable and the use of agricultural residues play a major role.