Debunking the 'Local is Greener' Myth: Life Cycle Assessment of Local vs. Imported Ingredients in Ice Cream Production

Although locally sourced ingredients are perceived to have a lower carbon footprint due to shorter transportation distances, their comprehensive environmental impact has been less studied. The study compares Taiwanese locally sourced, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand-imported raw materials using the life cycle assessment (LCA) model, employing both Midpoint and Endpoint methods from ReCiPe to assess the carbon footprint and environmental impacts of industrially produced black tea latte and sesame ice cream. Results show that locally sourced black tea latte ice cream ingredients contribute to more obvious global warming (0.563 kg CO ₂ eq) and terrestrial ecotoxicity (0.433 kg 1,4-DCB) than imported. The land use impact of domestic sesame is 2.9 times higher than that of imported. Endpoint analysis reveals that locally sourced black tea ingredients have a 22% to 24% higher impact on human health, ecosystem damage, and resource scarcity, while locally sourced sesame has a 55% to 60% higher impact than imported. The carbon footprint analysis shows products made with imported ingredients have lower emissions during production stages, including 0.04 kg CO ₂ e during raw material acquisition and reductions of 0.03 and 0.05 kg CO ₂ e for production and transportation. Scenario simulations suggest that replacing whole milk powder with domestically sourced fresh milk can reduce emissions by 37% to 67%, and using imported fresh milk instead of powder could reduce emissions by 41% to 70%. The findings offer strategic recommendations for balancing cost, flavor, and environmental impact to achieve sustainable production models and effective carbon reduction strategies.