Life cycle assessment of polyethylene terephthalate (PET): an end-of-life perspective

Abstract

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the third most commonly used thermoplastic in post-consumer plastic packaging. The growing popularity of PET bottles, valued for their durability, recyclability, and cost-efficiency, has led to increased production and consumption, resulting in environmental harm when not properly disposed. The study attempts to provide a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art in PET literature, highlighting end-of-life challenges and circularity challenges, and provide future research directions in this area. Using a systematic literature review approach, it identifies research gaps, including end-of-life treatment practices and impact categories. In addition, the review of 32 studies is allocated to the four stages of an LCA framework and is intended to chart future research paths. Although a discernible portion of recorded literature is found on LCA of PET bottles, the results showed that a minute proportion of studies covered the human health and resources categories. The stated work presents originality in two terms. First, it presents adequate literature discussing the LCA work applicable in the PET industry. Second, it presents the study outcome in a way that paves the way for future research highlighting the major research gaps identified through review studies.