Date of Award
Summer 8-23-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Business
Organizational Unit
Daniels College of Business
First Advisor
Jack Strauss
Second Advisor
Juan Carlos Lopez
Third Advisor
Conrad Ciccotello
Fourth Advisor
Murat Kucukvar
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
All Rights Reserved.
Keywords
Beverage packaging, Circular economy, Elasticity, Environmental policy, Life cycle assessment, Pigouvian tax
Abstract
This dissertation evaluates the environmental and economic impacts of beverage packaging through an integrated framework combining Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with Pigouvian taxation, addressing the urgent problem of plastic pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste management in the U.S., where billions of single-use plastic bottles, reusable plastic bottles, and aluminum cans are consumed annually. The novelty lies in synthesizing LCA data with behavioral economic modeling to quantify externalities and propose market-based policies, filling a gap where environmental and fiscal analyses are often siloed. Paper 1 employs ISO 14040/14044-compliant cradle-to-grave LCA using OneClick LCA and TRACI 2.1 methodology, alongside Pigouvian tax and elasticity modeling, with data from U.S. household consumption and peer-reviewed sources. Paper 2, as an addendum, provides a comparative LCA of the three packaging types, presenting emissions per functional unit, lifecycle phase contributions via bar charts, and literature comparisons in tables. Key findings indicate that reusable bottles offer substantial emissions reductions (0.11 kg CO₂e per use vs. 8.53 kg for single-use), and deposit-refund systems outperform Pigouvian taxes in terms of avoidance (2.13 million metric tons CO₂e vs. 52,926 metric tons for 500 million bottles). This work concludes with a data-driven approach for policymakers to internalize externalities and foster circular economy practices in beverage packaging.
Copyright Date
8-2025
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Rabi H. Egunjobi
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
File Format
application/pdf
Language
English (eng)
Extent
72 pgs
File Size
1.1 MB
Recommended Citation
Egunjobi, Rabi H., "Integrating Life Cycle Assessment and Pigouvian Taxation to Evaluate Environmental Impacts of Beverage Packaging: A Pathway to Sustainability and Circular Economy" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2621.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/2621
Included in
Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics Commons, Food and Beverage Management Commons, Sustainability Commons