Reducción del impacto ambiental a través de la evaluación de la huella de carbono en productos procesados del sector de alimentos de la provincia de pichincha : propuesta de mejora de reducción del impacto ambiental, utilizando la metodología de huella de carbono, en la producción del aderezo de mayonesa baja en calorías en la microempresa “Rey Sabor”.

Abstract

This research focused on analyzing the environmental impact of the production process of the ""Low-Calorie Mayonnaise Rey Sabor"" dressing through the measurement of its carbon footprint. Following the guidelines of ISO 14067, a carbon footprint of 16.034 kg CO2eq per functional unit was calculated, equivalent to a box containing 1500 sachets of 6g each. The adopted methodological approach was based on life cycle analysis, considering the cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment framework. The findings indicate that upstream processes (62%), related to material production, contribute significantly to carbon emissions. Additionally, raw material transportation (12%) and operational processes (26%) also significantly influence emission generation. These factors were incorporated into the product redesign proposal based on green engineering principles. This proposal achieved a 42% reduction in emissions, resulting in a new carbon footprint of 9.285 kg CO2eq per functional unit. In summary, this research confirms the feasibility of reducing environmental impact in production through a redesign aligned with green engineering principles. These results underscore the importance of considering these principles from the early stages of projects, promoting sustainability and environmental consciousness in business practices.