Scope & functional unit

• Functional unit: 1 × 30 mL Kumkumadi Thailam, retail-ready (amber glass bottle + dropper/cap + label).

• System boundary: cradle (raw ingredients, upstream oil processing) → manufacturing (filling, labeling) → transport to regional warehouse. Excludes consumer use and end-of-life.

Key assumptions (explicit — change any and result scales linearly)

• Volume: 30 mL; density ≈ 0.92 g/mL → oil mass = 0.0276 kg.

• Ingredient upstream emissions (herbal/carrier-oil proxy): 3.81 kg CO₂e / kg (median for refined plant oils).

• Bottle: amber glass 60 g (0.06 kg); glass production ≈ 0.60 kg CO₂e / kg (India container-glass study proxy).

• Cap + dropper (plastic + rubber): 8 g (0.008 kg); proxy emission 2.15 kg CO₂e / kg (mixed plastic proxy).

• Manufacturing energy: 0.02 kWh per filled bottle.

• Grid emission factor (India): 0.727 kg CO₂e / kWh.

• Transport: 200 km by road truck, freight factor 0.069 kg CO₂e / tonne-km.

Scientific calculation (stepwise, reproducible)

1. Ingredients (herbal / carrier oil proxy)
   0.0276 kg × 3.81 kg CO₂e/kg = 0.1052 kg CO₂e

2. Glass bottle (packaging)
   0.060 kg × 0.60 kg CO₂e/kg = 0.0360 kg CO₂e

3. Cap + dropper (packaging)
   0.008 kg × 2.15 kg CO₂e/kg = 0.0172 kg CO₂e

4. Manufacturing electricity
   0.02 kWh × 0.727 kg CO₂e/kWh = 0.0145 kg CO₂e

5. Transport (200 km, truck)
   product mass ≈ 0.0276 + 0.060 + 0.008 = 0.0956 kg = 0.0000956 t
   200 km × 0.0000956 t × 0.069 kg CO₂e/t-km = 0.0013 kg CO₂e

6. Total (cradle → warehouse)
   0.1052 + 0.0360 + 0.0172 + 0.0145 + 0.0013 = 0.1742 kg CO₂e ≈ 0.17 kg CO₂e / 30 mL bottle

(Equivalent per 100 mL ≈ 0.58 kg CO₂e by linear scaling.)

Quick interpretation (one lines)

• Ingredient upstream (herbal + carrier oil) is the dominant term (~60% here).

• Glass packaging and cap/dropper are next-largest contributors.

• Manufacturing energy and short-haul transport are small but reducible.

High-impact improvement suggestions (short list)

1. Source lower-impact oil/extracts (local, low-input agriculture or supplier LCA) — biggest win.

2. Use recycled-content glass (cullet) or lighter packaging (small rPET or refill pouches) to cut packaging emissions.

3. Replace plastic dropper with lighter/low-carbon alternative or offer pumps/refill options.

4. Measure actual kWh per batch and switch to renewable electricity / improve filling efficiency.

KPI to track (one metric)

• kg CO₂e per 30 mL bottle (start with the screening ≈ 0.17 kg CO₂e; update monthly with measured bottle mass, supplier ingredient EF, actual kWh per batch, and transport km).

References (all kept at the end, per your request)

1. Central Electricity Authority — CO₂ Baseline Database / grid emission guidance (India; used grid EF ≈ 0.727 kg CO₂e/kWh). Publive

2. Review evidence on vegetable/plant oil life-cycle GHGs — median ~3.81 kg CO₂e/kg used as a proxy for herbal/carrier oil upstream. PubMed+1

3. Container glass LCA — India container-glass studies (used ~0.60 kg CO₂e/kg as representative for small bottles). AIGMF+1

4. Road freight emission factor (logistics methodology) — freight factor ~0.069 kg CO₂e/tonne-km (used for 200 km truck). Climatiq+1

5. Additional LCA context and ranges for oils, glass and packaging (background reading used to set conservative assumptions). University of Nottingham+1