Curry Sesame Summer Hair Oil

1. Curry Leaves (Murraya koenigii)
   • Cultivation: Curry leaves are typically grown in tropical and subtropical climates. They require minimal synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, contributing to lower environmental impact.
   • Local Sourcing: If sourced locally, the transportation-related emissions are significantly reduced, minimizing the overall carbon footprint.
   • Carbon Sequestration: Plants absorb CO2 during their growth, which helps in offsetting some of the emissions associated with their cultivation and processing.
2. Sesame Oil (Sesamum indicum)
   • Low-Input Crop: Sesame plants are known for their drought resistance and ability to grow in poor soils, reducing the need for intensive irrigation and fertilizers.
   • Traditional Extraction Methods: Cold-pressing sesame seeds to extract oil is an energy-efficient process compared to other industrial extraction methods, resulting in lower energy consumption and emissions.

Production Process

• Energy Efficiency: The production of hair oil typically involves minimal processing steps like cold-pressing and simple blending, which require less energy compared to more complex manufacturing processes.
• Waste Management: By-products from the extraction processes can be used in animal feed or as organic fertilizers, reducing waste and contributing to a circular economy.

Packaging

• Eco-Friendly Packaging: Sustainable packaging materials such as recycled glass or biodegradable plastics reduce the environmental impact. Lightweight packaging also lowers transportation emissions.

Distribution

• Local Production and Distribution: Sourcing and producing the oil locally can drastically cut down transportation emissions. Utilizing local markets also reduces the carbon footprint associated with long-distance shipping.

Scientific Explanation

1. Carbon Footprint Calculation: The carbon footprint of a product is calculated by considering all greenhouse gas emissions over its life cycle, including cultivation, processing, packaging, and transportation. Sustainable practices in each of these stages can significantly lower the overall carbon footprint.
   • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): This method helps in quantifying the environmental impacts of each stage in the product's life cycle. Sustainable agricultural practices, energy-efficient production, and eco-friendly packaging contribute to a lower LCA score.
2. Environmental Benefits of Sesame Oil:
   • According to a study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, sesame cultivation in regions like India and Africa has a relatively low environmental impact due to minimal input requirements and traditional farming methods (Shen et al., 2019).
3. Carbon Sequestration by Plants:
   • Research indicates that the cultivation of curry leaves and sesame plants can contribute to carbon sequestration, which helps offset the carbon emissions associated with their production (Lal, 2004).

1. Raw Material Production

• Cultivation: Assuming 0.1 kg of curry leaves are used per liter of oil.
• Emission Factor: Approx. 0.2 kg CO2e per kg of leaves (low due to minimal fertilizers/pesticides).

• Cultivation: Assuming 0.5 kg of sesame seeds are needed per liter of oil.
• Emission Factor: Approx. 0.4 kg CO2e per kg of seeds (due to low-input farming).

2. Processing

• Energy Consumption: Cold-pressing and blending are energy-efficient processes. Assume 0.1 kWh of electricity is used per liter.
• Emission Factor: 0.5 kg CO2e per kWh (based on average grid emissions).

3. Packaging

• Material: Assume the use of a 100g recycled glass bottle.
• Emission Factor: 0.6 kg CO2e per kg of recycled glass.

4. Transportation

• Distance: Assume local production and distribution within 100 km.
• Emission Factor: 0.1 kg CO2e per km for small freight.

Total Carbon Footprint

• Emission Factor: 0.1 kg CO2e per km for a small freight vehicle (assuming a single trip covers multiple products).

Corrected Total Carbon Footprint

Summary

References

• Lal, R. (2004). Soil carbon sequestration impacts on global climate change and food security. Science, 304(5677), 1623-1627.
• Shen, L., Fang, M., & Liu, Z. (2019). Environmental impacts of sesame production: A case study of the sesame system in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 219, 715-725.