Using reusable ceramic vs. disposable cellulose-pulp plates in a wine tasting service in Italy: Findings from a life cycle assessment application experience

Wine tourism, including winery visits, tastings, and cultural events, boosts sustainable development but generates environmental impacts ranging from food and wine production to tasting services. This study applies Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), focused on Carbon Footprint (CF), to compare the use of reusable ceramic vs. disposable cellulose-pulp plates in a tasting service in an Apulian winery. A cradle-to-grave analysis reveals that, in baseline scenario, reusable plates showed a slightly higher CF than single-use plates (0.0668 vs. 0.0635 kgCO₂eq/person served, respectively). Based on the results obtained, process optimisation solutions were identified: it was found that using photovoltaic-powered energy-efficient dishwasher may reduce the CF of reusable plates by 67%, reducing the impact to 0.0179 kgCO₂eq/person served in the best-performing scenario. Five service configurations were then tested over a total of 2500 customers served in six months, assuming a constant optimal dishwasher loading efficiency (i.e., operating exclusively at full capacity). Whilst the absolute reuse rate of the plate stock inherently scales with customer volume (averaging approximately 73 uses per plate in the baseline period), the results showed that, without technological improvements, the lowest-impact option was to serve 500 people with reusable plates and 2000 with disposable plates. Overall, this study extends the application of Life Cycle Assessment from conventional production systems to experiential tourism services. The findings demonstrate that the environmental performance of tableware is not solely dictated by intrinsic material properties, but is fundamentally driven by the systemic operational configuration, including dishwashing efficiency, service volumes, and the carbon intensity of the electricity mix. Consequently, this study provides a novel, scalable methodological framework to support wineries and tourism operators in designing scientifically grounded, lower-impact tasting services.