Single Use VS Multiple Use in Quick Service Restaurants

The European Paper Packaging Association (EPPA) released a study that showed single-use paper-based food and drink packaging used in European quick service restaurants is more environmentally friendly than reusable tableware. The independent Danish consultants to the European Commission, Ramboll, conducted a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) that was certified by TUV. It compared the environmental performance over a year of disposable and reusable food and drink containers used in a quick-service restaurant. The results of the study found that the energy consumption of reusable plastic and traditional crockery, during in-store or out-sourced washing and drying, was greater than the environmental impact of paper dishes. The report revealed that reusable tableware generated 177% more CO2-e emissions, consumed 267% more freshwater, produced 132% more fine particulates matter, increased fossil depletion by 238%, and terrestrial acidification by 72% compared to single-use paper-based packaging.