Life cycle analyses: Assessing the environmental impact
Assessments of the impact of products on the environment require objective and standardized criteria. Life-cycle analyses complying with ISO 14040 are a suitable means of quantifying the impact of products on the environment. Their primary use in industry is to optimise process-engineering aspects of production with regard to the environment.
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There are other tools that companies can employ to help them assess production methods and product performance as a way of describing environmental impact, for example EPD – Environmental Product Declaration. Basically, the entire life cycle of the product has to be considered – manufacture, use phase and disposal. With bioplastics, it is primarily the use of annually renewable raw materials in production that positively influences on energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Life-cycle analyses so far have shown that the values are at least 20% better than those for commodity polymers.
A preliminary calculation within the European Climate Change Program ECCP returns a primary CO2 savings potential of approx. 4 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents. This figure is based on the assumption that the bioplastics market, given the appropriate supportive framework conditions, will have grown to around one million tonnes.
Literature on LCA studies is available on request.