A Lifecycle Assessment of Meat Processing Products Made from Protein-Based Thermoplastics

Hygiene during slaughtering is paramount for meat processors and plugs are often used to reduce contamination from fecal matter. These products rendered along with other waste considered a serious contaminant rendering products. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was determine compare the environmental impacts of made polypropylene protein-based thermoplastic (Novatein). For Novatein plugs, resin production dominated non-renewable primary energy (NRPE) use global warming potential (GWP), whereas injection molding packaging downstream production. had higher GWP than PP plug, but required less NRPE. Two important conclusions were drawn: bio-based material does not necessarily present an overall reduced impact in comparison products, results can easily be skewed based on allocation methods upstream processes, especially considering However, evident this LCA advantage that breaks down rendering, safely becoming part