A life cycle assessment on food delivery packaging in Guangzhou, China: Using consumer preferences to infer viable circular economy policy pathways

The fast growth of food delivery services in China has vastly increased consumption and environmental impact of plastic-based, single-use food and beverage containers (FaBCs). A viable solution to curb plastic pollution from FaBCs is to apply circular economy (CE) principles in regulations, business models, and consumption patterns. The present paper centers on FaBCs from food deliveries in Guangzhou and uses first-hand data on FaBC waste generation to evaluate the resulting environmental impacts via a life cycle assessment (LCA). Having tested five LCA scenarios centering on CE principles, a ‘combined scenario’ comprising refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycling strategies was found effective in reducing emissions and water use by 25.5 %–66.4 %. Taking these quantitative findings as benchmarks for what circular policy should deliver, the paper synthesizes various CE measures proven effective within and outside of China into implementable policy scenarios. By merging producer responsibility schemes, reverse logistics, Internet-of-Things applications as well as an alternation of bans with the use of reusables, the paper outlines three pathways towards an evidence-based, viable circular policy transition for food deliveries in Guangzhou. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd.