Lifecycle Assessments

Vinyl compares favorably to other packaging materials. In 1992, a lifecycle assessment comparison of specific packages made from glass, paperboard, paper, and selected plastics concluded that vinyl was the material that has the lowest production energy and carbon dioxide emissions, as well as the lowest fossil fuel and raw material requirements of the plastics studied (169). Vinyl saves more than 34 million Btu per 1000 pounds manufactured compared to the highest energy-consuming plastic (170). 

Designing with plastics , G.W. Ehrenstein, G. Erhard Hanser Pubis (1984) ISBN 0029487706. Key book sections include (1) design influencing factors, (2) environmental effects on plastics, (3) lifecycle assessment and prediction, (4) cost estimation and (5) design guidelines. 

Chlorine gas is produced by the electrolysis of brine (sodium chloride) in Castner-Kellner cells (first operated in 1886), the main purpose of which is the production of sodium hydroxide solution. Williams (1972, p98) reports that the extent to which the Castner-Kellner process was worked in Britain depended on the ability to dispose of the chlorine. In this light the production of chlorinated organic compounds can be seen as a response to the need to use chlorine. The argument that we need to produce chlorinated organic compounds to use up chlorine was indeed put to me by manufacturers of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) at a DETR-organized seminar on the lifecycle assessment of PVC in July 2001 PVC is the only product made in sufficient quantities to use up all the chlorine produced by other processes. This suggests that if a particular use of a chemical is stopped, because there is a better (less hazardous) way of achieving that purpose, it will have knock-on effects on the availability of chemicals that are co-produced... 

Analysis of the solid and liquid process waste streams clearly indicates that the MCC process offers environmental benefits compared with the chemical resolution procedure. To generate data for the cradle-to-grave emissions and impacts, a streamlined life cycle assessment of all of the processes was performed using the Fast Lifecycle Assessment for Synthetic Chemistry, FLASC . 

To be able to assess the environmental impact of a technology over the whole lifecycle, a lifecycle assessment (LCA) should be performed. A brief description of LCA follows. 

The greenhouse-gas-neutral claim is the result of the combination of renewable-resource-based feedstock, along with the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs) backed by lifecycle assessment data. These RECs will serve as an offset to cover all of the emissions from the energy used for the production of NatureWorks PLA. The company will purchase certificates for projected 2006 production at its 140,000 tonne capacity manufacturing plant and 182,000 tonne capacity lactic acid plant in Blair, Neb., USA, as well as at its corporate offices in Minnetonka, Minn., USA. The purchase of renewable energy will allow NatureWorks to decrease its fossil fuel footprint by 68%. 

In general, the scope and detail of a risk assessment determines the appropriateness of a given risk management measure (Section 2.3). Additional scientific study such as lifecycle assessment (LCA) can inform managers of the appropriateness of one regulatory measure compared with another in terms of the overall effects on health and the environment (Section 2.3). A socio-economic analysis of the effects of a regulatory measure can be carried out. Ultimately, the tolerability of a risk, which depends on perceived risks and benefits of a given risky chemical or activity, also influences the appropriateness of a risk reduction measure. 

Finally, as the process unfolds - and the marginal costs in relation to utility and profit decrease, as more and more low hanging fruit is picked - it is likely that a need for more sophisticated tools will evolve, including, ISO 14001, lifecycle assessments (LCA), tools for product development, purchase manuals, and so on. To ensure, however, that all efforts are continuing to move in the same direction, all of these tools should be informed by the same framework as is informing the business program - backcasting from basic principles of success. 

Methodology for performing lifecycle assessment has been discussed in many books dedicated to the subject (e.g., Goedkoop, 1994 Curran, 1996) and will not be elaborated in great depth here. In essence, LCA begins with the definition of goal and scope, and is followed by the development of lifecycle inventory (LCI), where information on the inflows and outflows of materials and energy for... 

The Indicators. The representation of a multiplicity of individual results from the actual lifecycle assessment is frequently opaque and difficult to interpret. To improve the interpretation of results, BASF has developed a method that combines the ecological and economic parameters, plotting them as a single point in a coordinate system. 

FLASC. Fast Lifecycle Assessment for Synthetic Chemistry... 

A. D. Curzons, C. Jimenez-Gonzalez, A. L. Duncan, D. J. C. Constable and V. L. Cunningham, Fast Lifecycle Assessment of Synthetic Chemistry (FLASCTM) Tool, Green Chemistry, submitted. 

ISO includes environmental management systems, environmental auditing, environmental labeling, environmental performance evaluation, and lifecycle assessment. It is a process rather than a performance-based system. 

Multiple authors present a cross-disciplinary look at waste minimization. Topics covered include principles of dean production, profiting from pollution prevention, product lifecycle assessment, risk reduction and chemical control, economic policy and environmental assurance, and liability for the environment... 

ChemSystems, Inc., Vinyl Product Lifecycle Assessment." Prepared for the Vinyl Institute, Washington. DC, 1991. 

The diversity of environmentally related considerations raised in this chapter illustrates the complexity of evaluating the overall environmental impact of packaging alternatives. There is general consensus that when evaluating the environmental effects of a product or process, it is essential to consider the whole life cycle. Evaluations that are narrowly focused around a particular operation can lead to erroneous decisions if the impacts of the decision extend outside the boundary used, which is often the case. This is the motivation behind the developing technology of lifecycle assessment. 

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