Life Cycle Assessment of Vegemite Glass Jar

Abstract:
Preservation of food product is the most important factor in today’s food industry. Food
preservation implays keeping the food safely, fresh and bacteria free. The supply chain of the
food industry is quite complex. It starts from manufacturer to ware house then dealer to
retailer final comes the end user. Product reaching to the end user passes through various
logistic, process and environment. Also use of recycle able products for the packaging and
shipping plays an important factor in cost reduction as well as it will be environmental friendly.
By studying the Life cycle of the packaging material, we can reduce the cost as well as the
product will be environmental friendly.
In this technical paper we will study the life Cycle Assessment of a glass jar of Vegemite.
Introduction:
Economic and industrial growth will slow down as the technology advances. In current scenario
we are more dependent on digital communication, low cost energy material and use of IoT. Life
cycle assessment of a product gives product’s relation with environmental and its potential
impact on environment. Life cycle assessment is the study of design to production of raw
material, manufacturing to marketing, usage of end user to recycle after use. Also we will study
the Material Flow Analysis. Material Flow Analysis is defined as a systematic assessment of the
flows and stocks of material within a system defined in space and time.
Literature Review:
Reason for study:
For the packing of vegemite, conventional glass jar package is used. But usage of glass jar has a
potential impact on environment. After use if the glass jars are recycled. As the recycling
process of the glass jar increases, the carbon emission and the energy demand increases. In this
study we need to find an alternative solution or material or packaging for vegemite. The
modified material should have a positive impact on environment, low recycling cost and energy
cost.
Its Intended application.
The outcome of the study is to compare both the materials and its impact on market. Also we
need to make sure the food product quality should be maintained as before.

Are there any other materials that could have been used? i.e., cheaper?, better?
What are the main competitor materials and manufacturing processes? Are
there any?
Target audience:
The stock holders or the audience for implementation of new material are environmental
protection agency, companies producing food item (Vegemite in this case), end users and last
but not the least the Government.
This study is carried out to study and discuss different aspect of both the materials and carry
out a report based on that. The report will include the impact on environment, production cost
and recycle cost.
Application of Life Cycle Assessment:
Life cycle Assessment (LCA) is the analysis of Eco-balance and disposal technique. In this
technique we study the impact of the product on environment through out its life cycle. It
starts with the raw material procurement, goes through the production and processing and
ends by the end user and recycling process.
Application of Material Flow Analysis
Material Flow Analysis (MFA) controls the path way for material flow and industrial process. It
also closes the loop for industrial practice and de-materialization the industrial output. It also
creates a systematic pattern for the energy use. By this analysis the balance is maintained
between the industrial input and out put to the Eco system. Apart from this it states the
environmental impacts and creates the energy consumption strategy.
Comparison Between MFA and LCA
 MFA method creates the inventory for LCA.
 LCA gives a complete analysis
 MFA gives transparency in the data acquisition and manageability of the data.

 MFA is best practice for a single product. LCA is best practice for a process.
Table 1: Life Cycle Inventory
Is the design appropriate to the material and the application?
The above table represents different packing material and their energy involvement. For food
industries the packing material are most important aspect. These should have following
characteristic
 The material should be safe enough to carry food inside it. The material should be
chemically stable so there will be not reaction with the food item irrespective of the
temperature and pressure.
 The packing material should be strong enough to sustain the shock and vibration during
transportation or distribution of the food item.
 The material should have a good surface finish to enhance the marketing strategy.
 The material should be recyclable and enviornmental friendly.
 The material should be safe enough for the usage end user.
In this technical paper we have considered Aluminum as the second packing material as it has
the following advantage over the other packing material.

 Light Weight which reduces the overall payload during transportation.
 Chemically non reactive which is suitable for food item preservation.
 Smooth surface finish gives an edge to the marketing team.
 Aluminum can can be completely recycled after use without any residual wastage and can
be used in other application.
 Though the cost of product is bit high but its recycling properties makes it a better packing
material.
Scope of Study:
What properties does the material(s) have that make it appropriate for this
application?
For the study of this technical paper, we will study the packing material for 500 gm vegemite
glass jar. Here we can take Aluminum as the second option for the packing material. To avoid
the complexity of the study we will not consider the sealing and cap of the container. We will
study the main body for the study. In comparison to the Glass Jar we will take 500 gm
Aluminum bottle for the study. Also to measure the impact on large scale we will study a lot of
200 nos packing bottle or aluminum can for study.
In this technical paper the following study is made.
 LCA and MFA analysis of both the products
 Check for the best use material for packing of vegemite.
 Finding alternative solution for packing.
Weight Calculation:
According to record
The weight of vegemite in the bottle = 500 gm
The total weight of the glass bottle = 566 gm
Weight of the empty glass bottle = 66 gm
Weight of the Aluminum can + 500 gm Vegemite = 528 gm