Lca Assignment Coca Cola

LCA System Definitions

I personally do not really drink soda but earlier this year I was working and one of my coworkers needed help moving. When I went over to his place, I noticed a bunch of Coca-Cola bottles all over the place and wondered what it took to create this along with the implications this might have to the environment.

Syrup

This syrup is known as the special ingredient for Coca-Cola. This syrup’s formula is guarded so well as a trade secret that there have been numerous myths about this syrup. Some say that only two people know the formula and each of them only knows half of it. But of course, this isn’t true as it could not be deemed FDA approved if it was so secret. It surely is secret to the public. Even when shipped to factories it is sent in the form of anonymous merchandise and numbered 1 through 9. Managers are told the mixing procedures but not what is in it.

Carbonated Water  

While at the plant that creates the syrup, they first get water which is then put through a water purification process to try make the water as neutral as possible. Every country has their own taste of water. Countries such as India which studies have found their water contains more micro-organisms in their water can make one whom isn’t native to the country to become sick as they do not have the proper organisms in their gut to combat the new organisms. Through this process of water purification, it allows the base ingredient of Coca-Cola, water to be safe for all over the world to consume no matter where it was manufactured at. Coca-Cola contains 90% water so it’s only fitting that it would undergo over 10 steps to make sure it is the correct pH for all to consume. Someone getting sick due to drinking impure water is not ideal for a company like Coca-Cola. Once the water is purified sweetener is added into the water, usually high fructose corn syrup. Once that is done Carbon Dioxide is pumped into the water to create the carbonation, we all love so much. Due to the plastic bottles used to hold these carbonated drinks, it is the most sustainable option as opposed to aluminum or glass options. If the company was to re-use their glass bottles 3 times, then it would be comparable to the plastic bottles but until then then plastic bottles are the best option. Carbonated drinks in the United Kingdom have contributed to over 1.5 million tons of CO2 emissions every year.

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Caffeine

When one drinks coke there is a slight bitter taste and that is due to the caffeine. A single coke bottle has 64mg which ends up being 2/3 of a normal coffee cup which isn’t a lot, but it can be problematic for children. Nowadays Coca-Cola contains Caffeine Citrate. When Coca-Cola first came out the two main ingredients were cocaine from the coco leaf and Caffeine from the kola nut which coincidentally, both these trees are native to Africa and are considered the same species.  

Caramel Coloring

This ingredient is what gives coke it’s rich brown caramel color. A report by Consumer Report tested 81 cans of various soft drinks which contained Caramel Coloring and found that an alarming amount of 4-MEI were found it these soft drinks. A study was done on lab rats and concluded that 4-MEI has been found to be related to the formation of cancer cells. California then proposed a law which mandates every item that contains caramel coloring must have a cancer warning label on it. Coke then reformulated their caramel color to one that did not contain 4-MEI. If Coke did not take those tasks then they would have to create those labels which then would cause more harm to the environment as more plastic would be used to put the cancer label on every bottle.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup

High fructose corn syrup, the ingredient that is in everything processed that us Americans eat. H.F.C.S is composed of two sugars, fructose and glucose. “U.S. refineries discovered in the 1860s that mixing liquefied cornstarch with either acids or enzymes rearranges sugar molecules into a dextrose solution (a form of glucose) (Block, B)”. Studies have shown the H.F.C.S is closely related to obesity as fructose is metabolized to create fat, while glucose is stored as carbs in the liver and muscles. HFCS impact to the environment depends how it is grown. Normal farms use water, pesticides, and fertilizer  which has been leading to water pollution and soil which lack the proper nutrients.

Natural Flavorings

These natural flavorings consist of alcohol, orange, cinnamon, lemon, coriander, nutmeg and neroli which is to be left to stand for 24 hours. These natural ingredients aren’t so natural as they are created in labs by scientists whom isolate and extract the chemical that gives these fruits their taste or distill the chemical compound to get the natural flavoring. Natural flavors can be beneficial to the environment and to us humans as it saves time, money and energy as it is not grown on a far, energy for tractors doesn’t need to be used, pesticides that harm us humans and insects aren’t used either.

Polyethylene Terephthalate

This polyester derived from crude oil and natural gas is used to creating the Coca-Cola bottles. Pretty much all bottles in the United States is made from this polyester as it does not contain bisphenol-A; otherwise known as BPA. Due to the properties of this material as it is clear, strong and lightweight it is growing to be the world’s most preferred material to use. Polyethylene Terephthalate which is also known as PET is a energy saving material. Compared to aluminum and glass it is a much better alternative due to its recycling capabilities. Once this item is recycled, the energy that is trapped in it’s raw material can be recaptured and reused.

Transportation

Coca-Cola is a product that is known in over 200 countries. When it comes to transportation, they are shipping to every continent in the world using air, land, and ocean transportation. Most of coke’s transportation is done through semi-tractor trailers therefore fuel is always a issue. Coke is always actively always trying to improve their logistics network to reduce their carbon footprint such as implementing tactics as backhauling, using electric vehicles, replacing conventional diesel trucks with ‘Eco-Combis’ which is capable of carrying 38% more per journey so it cuts down on the number of trips and reduces emissions. Coke as well makes sure to always keep trucks a quarter full; tires are inflated and gets carriers to bid-lane-by-lane.

Packaging

Coca Cola’s packaging has been replaced by a more sustainable method which replaces fossil-based ingredients known as PlantBottle packaging. This PlantBottle is also made of the same material as their bottles but includes renewable materials made from Plants. Since the launch in 2009 it has helped prevent more than 356,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions. In 2018 Coca-Cola announced a global goal in which they would increase the amount of recycled materials used in its products to 50% by 2030 and then by 2025 designing all their packaging to be fully recycle.

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