Evaluation of Opportunities to Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Fresh and Canned Pineapple Processing in Central Thailand

This study was proposed to estimate the carbon footprint (CF) and analyze the environmental hotspot of pineapple cultivation and canned pineapple production, and offer opportunities to reduce its CF. The studied cultivation area covered 158 ha, divided into small, medium-sized, and large farms. Input data including organic fertilizer, synthetic fertilizer, herbicides, and fossil fuels were included in the cultivation process, while fossil fuels, chemicals, packaging, and wastewater treatment were included in the production process. The results revealed that the CF of pineapple cultivation was 172 g CO2eq/kg of fresh pineapple, with the main contribution being fertilization usage, which accounted for 58-79% (depending on the size of the farm). In addition, canned pineapple had a CF of 738 g CO2eq/can (30 oz.), with the main contribution being packaging production at 42%. Moreover, feasible ways to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – such as replacing fossil fuels with biomass, using biogas from wastewater treatment as a substitute for fuels used in the factory, humidity reduction in fossil fuels used in steam production, and introducing packaging from recycled cans – were all taken into account in this study.