Page 1 of 9

Table of Contents:
1.0 Introduction & Goal Definition........................................................................................................2
2.0 Scope Definition..............................................................................................................................3
3.0 Data Collection................................................................................................................................5
4.0 Impact Assessment..........................................................................................................................6
5.0 Interpretation/ Conclusion..............................................................................................................7
6.0 References.......................................................................................................................................8

1.0 Introduction & Goal Definition

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can be essentially described as a technique that evaluates the
environmental impacts of products and systems throughout their entire life cycle, which is from
raw material extraction to end of life (Algren, Fisher & Landis, 2011). LCA is based on ISO 14040
standards which provide the guidelines for conducting and reporting LCA studies. LCA is used to
aid decision-makers have elaborate information at their disposal on comparing alternatives
while using the evaluation to identify components that can be improved in terms of
sustainability (Krishna & Manickam, 2017).

The first step to begin a sustainability journey is to conduct a baseline and establish a
benchmark to make improvements. Hence, a Life Cycle Assessment helps in measuring the
effectiveness of products to make informed decisions about the environmental impacts of
products.

We would be using the LCA methodology in this report, to assess the environmental
performance of two types of spoons: plastic spoon & a stainless steel spoon. Plastic spoons are
disposable items made from petroleum-based polymers and additives, and stainless-steel
spoons on the other hand are made from iron, chromium, nickel, and metal alloys. Both types
of spoons have their advantages, and disadvantages in terms of environmental impacts and

Page 2 of 9
these pros & cons would depend on the stages of their life cycle, and the impact categories
considered.

This report aims to provide an LCA approach and case study to assess the environmental
friendliness of the two types of spoons by answering the question of which of the utensils will
have a lower environmental impact over its life cycle (Schramm et al, 2020).

Goal Definition: We are a group of sustainability enthusiasts from Conestoga College’s

Sustainable Business Management Program. As a part of our course’s academic requirement,
we are conducting a Life Cycle Assessment comparison study of two products: A plastic Spoon
vs. a stainless-steel spoon. The goal of this LCA study is to evaluate the environmental impacts
associated with the user to grave life cycle of both the products and identify key environmental
impacts including the waste generated by both the products at the end of their user lifecycle.
This study is being carried for academic purposes only and the results are intended to be
communicated to Professor Deanna Roloson only.

2.0 Scope Definition

The Scope of this LCA is specified which includes the following:

1. Functional Unit: The functional unit for this study is one spoon (plastic or stainless steel)
used for eating one meal, either at home or in a restaurant.
2. System Boundaries: The system boundaries for this study include the following life cycle
stages:

Included stages Excluded stages

User phase, End-of-life (disposal or recycling) Raw material extraction and processing,
manufacturing of spoons, packaging &
distribution, product logistics &
transportation to retail

Page 3 of 9
 3. Type of environmental impacts: The type of environmental impact that is being
considered for this study is focussed only on the amount of waste generated by a single
use of either product.
4. Assumptions and Exclusions: The following assumptions and exclusions are considered
for this study
- This study is only limited to the environmental impact (waste generated) by the spoons
and does not consider the social or economic impacts of these products.
- The study includes a typical scenario where a plastic spoon is used once and disposed
off and a stainless-steel spoon is used once and is washed.
- The study does not consider any impacts associated with the excluded processes and
strictly focusses on the user phase and the end-of-life phase for both the products.

Inventory Analysis (LCI) :

As defined by the ISO, the Inventory Analysis is the “phase of the life cycle assessment involving
the compilation and quantification of inputs and outputs for a product throughout its life
cycle”. Therefore, for this study, the following diagram clearly describes the inputs and outputs
of the two life cycle stages of both the products:

Page 4 of 9
Page 5 of 9
3.0 Data Collection

The following chart User-to-Grave impacts for plastic spoon and stainless-steel spoon:

Category Units Plastic Spoon Stainless Steel Spoon

GHG Emissions kg/Co2 2.25 1.97
Waste generated per tons 912.5 metric tons 0
year at end-of-life
Data is adapted from Idemat App (2023)

Page 6 of 9
4.0 Impact Assessment

A midpoint indicator approach is used to perform a simple impact assessment of the two
products. This method examines the environmental impacts of products at a specific point in
their lifecycle, usually during the manufacturing or use phase.
The following impact categories were chosen to compare the environmental impacts of the
plastic spoon and the stainless steel spoon: climate change, resource depletion, and water
consumption. These categories were chosen because they represent common environmental
impacts associated with the manufacture and consumption of consumer goods.
Climate Change: The extraction and processing of fossil fuels in the production of plastic spoons
results in greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, the extraction and processing of raw
materials such as iron ore and nickel, which also results in greenhouse gas emissions, is
required to produce stainless-steel spoons. While Stainless steel is highly recyclable, and the
recycling process uses less energy than the production of virgin stainless steel. Plastic spoons,
on the other hand, are frequently not recycled and end up in landfills or oceans, where they
contribute to climate change by emitting methane gas.
Plastic spoon production usually requires the extraction of non-renewable resources such as oil
and gas, which are finite and will eventually deplete. Whereas Stainless-steel spoons are made
from abundant and widely available raw materials. Furthermore, stainless steel is highly
recyclable, reducing the need for virgin raw materials and, as a result, conserving resources.
Also considering the midpoint indicator of global warming potential (GWP), the production and
disposal of disposable plastic spoons have a significantly higher GWP, and the disposal of plastic
spoons often results in pollution of landfills and marine environments, leading to further
negative environmental impacts (EPA, 2021). Based on this midpoint indicator of GWP, the use
of stainless-steel spoons is more environmentally friendly than disposable plastic spoons in the
user-grave stage
Water Consumption: The extraction and processing of fossil fuels requires a significant amount
of water in the production of plastic spoons. Stainless-steel spoon production, on the other
hand, uses less water than plastic spoon production. Furthermore, recycling stainless steel uses
less water than virgin stainless steel production.
According to a steel recycling study conducted by the University of Michigan, the total water
consumption associated with the production and use of one plastic spoon is 0.0011 L, while the
total water consumption associated with the production and use of one stainless steel spoon is
2.2001 L. In terms of water consumption, this indicates that the plastic spoon is more
environmentally friendly.

Page 7 of 9
Resource Depletion: Plastic spoon production usually requires the extraction of non-renewable
resources such as oil and gas, which are finite and will eventually deplete. Stainless-steel
spoons, on the other hand, are made from abundant and widely available raw materials.
Furthermore, stainless steel is highly recyclable, reducing the need for virgin raw materials and,
as a result, conserving resources.
Overall, the results of the midpoint indicator impact assessment indicate that while plastic
spoon is more environmentally friendly in terms of water consumption, the stainless-steel
spoon is more environmentally friendly in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and GWP (climate
change) and resource depletion. This is also while considering that the end-of-life disposal of
both these products will also impact the overall environmental impact, and a complete life
cycle assessment would be required to fully evaluate the environmental performance of both
plastic spoon and stainless-steel spoon.

5.0 Interpretation/ Conclusion

Based on the comparison of the global warming potential (GWP) of disposable plastic spoons
versus stainless steel spoons in the user-to-grave, stainless steel spoons seem to be more
environmentally friendly option. Stainless steel spoons have a lower GWP than disposable
plastic spoons because they are durable and can be reused multiple times, even recycled,
reducing the need for frequent production and disposal. In contrast, the disposal of disposable
plastic spoons have a significantly higher GWP due to their dependence on non-renewable
fossil fuels and the pollution they create when disposed of in landfills or marine environments.
Also, according to this study's impact assessment, the production and disposal of plastic spoons
have a significant impact on climate change, resource depletion, and water consumption.
Stainless-steel spoons, on the other hand, have a lower environmental impact and are more
sustainable in the long run. While both production processes emit greenhouse gases, the
stainless steel recycling process uses less energy and conserves resources, making it a more
environmentally friendly option. Choosing stainless-steel spoons over plastic spoons can thus
help to reduce the negative environmental impact.
Therefore, to reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste, it is recommended to switch
from disposable plastic spoons to reusable stainless steel spoons, or other durable alternatives.
This can help reduce the amount of waste generated (Land use), the associated greenhouse gas
emissions (Climate change), and water pollution (Eco-toxicity, Human toxicity).

Page 8 of 9
6.0 References

Algren, M., Fisher, W., Landis, A. (2021, May 11). Data Science Applied to Sustainability Analysis. Chapter
8- Machine Learning in Life Cycle Assessment, pp 167-190. Editors: Jennifer Dunn, Prasanna
Balaprakash. eBook ISBN: 9780128179772. Paperback ISBN: 9780128179765

Di Paolo, L., Abbate, S. et al. (2022, December 10). Footprint of Single-Use Plastic Items and Their
Substitution. 4(24), 16563. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/24/16563

Genovesi, A. et all. Comparative life cycle analysis of disposable and reusable tableware: The role of
bioplastics. (2022, February). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clet.2022.100419

ISO. (2006). ISO 14040: Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Principles and framework.
Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization.

Krishna, I.V., & Manickam, V. (2017, January 23). Environmental Management, Science and Engineering
for Industry. Butterworth-Heinemann. Paperback ISBN: 9780128119891. eBook ISBN: 9780128119907.
Science Direct.

Scramm, A., Richter, F., Gotze, A. (2020). Life Cycle Sustainabilty Assessment for manufacturing –
analysis of existing approaches. Science Direct. 17th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing.

The British Stainless Steel Association. (2023) Environmental Aspects of Stainless Steel.
https://bssa.org.uk/bssa_articles/environmental-aspects-of-stainless-steel/#:~:text=Stainless%20steel
%20is%20theoretically%20100,often%20spanning%20over%20several%20decades.

United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2021). Global Warming Potentials.
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/understanding-global-warming-potentials

University of California Santa Barbara. (n.d.). Life Cycle Assessment of Reusable and Single-use Plastic
Products. Retrieved from https://www.bren.ucsb.edu/news/documents/PlasticvReusablesDraft.pdf.

University of Michigan. (n.d.). Steel Recycling: Energy and Environmental Advantages. Retrieved from
https://css.umich.edu/factsheets/steel-recycling-energy-and-environmental-advantages.

Page 9 of 9