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Biscuits are a major product category in the global confectionary sector. Despite this, their environmental impacts are poorly characterised. Therefore, this paper sets out to evaluate the life cycle environmental sustainability of the following widely-consumed types of biscuit, both at the product and sectoral levels: crackers, low fat/sugar, semi-sweet, chocolate-coated and sandwich biscuits with chocolate or vanilla cream. The results obtained through life cycle assessment demonstrate that, in addition to being healthier, low fat/sugar biscuits have the lowest impacts across most of the 18 categories considered. Chocolate-coated biscuits are environmentally the least sustainable. The most significant life cycle stage for all types is the raw materials production, causing 41%–61% of the total impacts, with flour, sugar and palm oil being the key hotspots. Replacing palm with rapeseed oil would improve five impacts but worsen another five, including a 34% increase in agricultural land occupation and marine eutrophication. Therefore, the cultivation and production of palm oil, rather than its replacement, should be targeted for improvements. The second most crucial stage is manufacturing, contributing up to 54% of the impacts, followed by transport with up to 35%. Reducing energy consumption by 25% in manufacturing would reduce primary energy demand by 8%–12%, fossil fuel depletion by 9%–12% and global warming potential by 6%–9%. The latter would increase by 55% if land use change related to cocoa was involved, despite a very small amount of cocoa in the biscuits (∼1%). The analysis at a sectoral level in the UK, the leading consumer of biscuits in Europe, reveals that biscuits contribute 7.4% of primary energy demand and 0.5% of greenhouse gas emissions of the whole UK food sector. These results can help guide manufacturers in mitigating the hotspots in the supply chain and consumers in selecting environmentally more sustainable biscuits. • The environmental sustainability of six types of biscuit is evaluated for the first time. • Low fat/sugar biscuits have the lowest impacts and chocolate-coated the highest. • Global warming potential of chocolate biscuits is 55% higher with land use change. • Flour, sugar and palm oil are the key hotpots, followed by biscuits manufacturing. • Biscuits contribute 7.4% of energy demand and 0.5% of GWP of the UK food sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper considers life cycle environmental sustainability of solar water heating systems in regions with low solar irradiation, such as the UK. The results suggest that flat plate collectors have slightly lower environmental impacts than evacuated tube designs. Reducing the current energy losses of 65%–45% would reduce the impacts by around 35%. Compared to a gas boiler, solar thermal systems are a better option for only five out of 11 environmental impacts considered, with global warming and depletion of fossil resources being lower by 88% and 83%, respectively. Other impacts such as human and eco-toxicity are up to 85% higher. The solar systems score better relative to electrical water heating for eight out of 11 impacts. They are also environmentally more sustainable than heat pumps for seven categories. However, their potential is hampered because they need a back-up heating system, typically gas boiler. For this reason as well as due to a lack of suitable locations and poor efficiency, the potential of solar thermal systems to contribute to a more sustainable domestic energy supply in the UK is limited. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]