![]() ![]() Cartons, glass bottles, and plastic bottles are all recyclable, depending on where you live. (Another study comparing plastic and glass found in favor of plastic.) While packaging waste was only 3% in the life cycle analysis that included disposal, it’s still best to recycle. Packaging accounts for only 5% of the impact of orange juice, with paperboard cartons less impactful than PET bottles. The only clear loser was reconstituted orange juice, which undergoes the energy-intensive concentration process while still being shipped in the heavier, bulkier liquid form. An older study of Tropicana juice found the energy use in preparing and storing frozen concentrate was slightly more than the additional energy used to transport liquid juices. However, evidence is inconclusive regarding the differences among processing methods. Processing is the second biggest component of juice’s footprint, at 27%. Pineapple plantations have a notorious history of workers’ rights abuses, and plantations in Brazil and Cote d’Ivoire are reported to use forced labor and child labor. Grape juice is more likely grown in the U.S., where farmworkers lack many protections guaranteed to other workers. ![]() In contrast, the expansion of apple production in China’s Loess Plateau has helped to reduce rural poverty there. Oxfam’s investigation of Brazilian fruit farms found widespread, systemic poverty among workers, particularly women poor overall working conditions and inadequate protection against pesticides. Pineapple plantation in Costa Rica Farmer Pineapples are most likely to come from Costa Rica, where, despite that country’s environmental reputation, plantations are linked to deforestation, wetland destruction, intensive agrochemical use, and soil erosion. Table grapes (particularly imported) and apples routinely show up on the Environmental Working Group’s “ Dirty Dozen” of pesticide-contaminated produce items, although juice grapes tend to be less chemical intensive than wine or table grapes. Most available data relate to wine grapes, which are different from table and juice grapes. In China, intensifying apple production has led to nitrate pollution and soil depletion. Regardless of origin, apple juice can contain high arsenic levels, an artifact of pesticide use in both countries. produces apples, most apple juice comes from China. ![]() Oranges also contribute to deforestation and displace other crops, like shade-grown coffee.Īlthough the U.S. FarmĪgricultural production accounts for half of the footprint of orange juice, split roughly between the energy inputs for machinery and the chemical inputs of fertilizer and pesticides. Although most Florida oranges are made into juice, most orange juice comes from Brazil, often blended with juice produced in the United States and sold as an American product. This part of juice’s life cycle is often hidden from consumers. But oranges shipped to Holland from Brazil have lower emissions than oranges trucked from Spain. For example, oranges delivered to New York City from California generate less than half the emissions of Mexican oranges. Travel distance and method both before and after processing makes a big difference. Apple juice saves some energy by not requiring refrigeration until opened, while oranges have a slightly lower agricultural footprint. Britain’s Ethical Consumer reports that among unprocessed fruits, apples and oranges have the lowest carbon footprint, with mangoes and grapes the highest. Apple juice comes in second, with grape and pineapple juices rounding out the top four. FruitĬitrus juices, 90% of which are orange juice, make up 63% of U.S. Unfortunately, fruit juice still has serious environmental and ethical impacts that we should all be working to minimize. What’s the truth? We won’t weigh in on nutrition, but the good news is that juice has a much lower carbon footprint than milk. Depending on who you talk to, juice is either a superfood or a sugar bomb that’s bad for us and the environment. ![]() Aside from alcohol, few beverages are as divisive as fruit juice. ![]()
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